I don’t know if it’s something I got from my dad or something thats developed itself from driving around Boston for years, but it’s clear to me now that I in fact drive like a Masshole. I’ve come to realize that down here in the south, no one drives angrily. It doesn’t seem like anyone is in any sort of a rush to get to where they have to go, sometimes coming to an abrupt stop to let a random car turn left in front of them in the middle of the road.

If something like that ever happened back home, you can bet your ass that person is going to have someone riding their ass and holding down their horn for the next two blocks behind them. Hell, people don’t even stop for pedestrians back home. Ever since I’ve moved down here I don’t think I’ve heard a car horn beep. At least not out of aggression that is. I think the only two beeps I’ve heard were the two times I’ve beeped.

Once was when I was waving by to the guys at work to get their attention. The second time was when I sat behind someone who let the left turn light turn yellow in front of us without even attempting to go while it was green. I had to give a little tap on the horn to wake her up and let me tell you she woke up alright. She sped out into the intersection just barely making the light. I sat at the front of the left turn lane waiting for the light to red, feeling like a complete asshole for beeping my horn at her like I did.

Back home I loved beeping at people. Hell I used to just beep for the sake of beeping. If I heard someone honking on their horns while I was driving, I would automatically beep my horn just to fit in. I was always wicked good at timing the lights for when they turned green. I’d sometimes that douche bag that beeps right as the light changes color. I loved beeping my horn but ever since I came down here things changed.

I don’t want to be that guy down here. Everyone down here seems so happy, so patient, I can’t be the asshole on the road that switches lanes weaving through traffic or honking my horn at them for not paying attention. I think this is the only southern tendency I’ve found myself conforming too. I haven’t started saying y’all yet like everybody else and I still say Concord the right way, the way I know how to say it. Some habits are hard to break, I think I will always be that guy that blows by people when they’re going way too slow on the highway. But hey, at least I don’t peep at people on the road anymore. It’s the least I can do since I’ve inserted myself into their lifestyle. It’s bad enough they have to deal with me to begin with, I don’t need to create any extra road rage or problems than I already do.

In a way though, I miss beeping at people. I think it was one of my favorite thing to do while I was driving around. Well that and smashing trash barrels that were left on the side of the road with my truck. I feel like that stuff won’t go over as well down here. I’ll be back home soon enough to drive around for an hour and get my blood boiling enough to get my hand back on the steering wheel beeping the horn and smashing in to peoples trash barrels that have been left on the street.