transport

I used to believe…

When i was little i used to believe that there were people watching all of the traffic lights in the world through cameras, and when there was enough cars backed up at a red light they would flip the switch to green and they would get to go, and the other side would have to stop.

I used to believe that every car operated differently; that you had to be trained to drive each individual car. When we had to get a rental car once, I was astounded and amazed when my mom started and drove it immediately. It wasn't our regular car, so how did she know how to drive it? I thought she was all-powerful. It took me a long time to figure out that all cars work the same way.

I use to belive that the roads would open up when you drove and people would grab on to them and run you to your destination. I thought the steering wheel was just a head rest. Man I sure was weird.

I used to believe…

My dad had this Maxima and there was a female voice in it, so whenever the door opened or he started the car, the voice would say, "The door is open" and "the car has started". Well, I was really little and my dad use to tell me that a actual woman was in there. Well, of course I believed it. So one day I said, "daddy, why don't you let her out?". He replys saying, "She works for me". I frowned then leaned forward, trying to hear her. "daddy, I hear her breathing!", I said. When the breathing was actually the engine running. He shurugged. Then I started throwing a tantrum and screamed, "LET HER OUT! LET HER OUT DADDY! PLEASE! SHE'S LONELY!. It was really funny for my dad.

I used to believe…

From when I was about 5 to when I was about 11 I believed that automatic steering was a device turned on by a button that would automatically drive us to our destination without my mum having to touch the steering wheel. That would be cool.

I used to believe…

When I was a little girl I used to belive a little man sat above the traffic lights and decided when they should be changed. When i started driving myself I figured out that was not possible.

I used to believe…

You know those blue and white service signs that say "H" for hospital? Well, for a short time my older sister worked at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, so I thought the "H" on the road signs stood for Helen Ellis Hospital, instead of just a regular hospital!

I used to believe... that my mom had the ability to make the traffic lights turn green. Only later did I find out about the three second delay, which she waited for before asking the lights to change.

I used to believe…

Whenever I go to the carwash with my parents they always say that their is a midget person in the control box that talked when you pressed the buttons. They told me this so much I started to believe it! Quite recently, the male voice recordings in the control box were redone in a female voice. Fun...

I used to believe…

up until the age of about ten i believed all cars had distinct personalities- and they had expressions made out of the headlights(eyes), grill(nose or moustache) and number plate (mouth). So, i always thought my dad's car was mean because it had headlights that went into points that made it look like it was frowning! To do this day i want a Mini because of its round, friendly eyes....

I used to believe…

When I was young I would see my sister get on the school bus, and come home on it. So naturally I thought that school took place on school busses. What ensured my belief was when she told my mom she did her homework on the bus. I thought kids rode on school busses the entire day until it came back and the teacher taught them during the ride.

I used to believe that Concorde's nose was used to drink water with when it was thirsty.
This 'factoid' remained uncorrected in my 'mental fact archive' until the age of 20 when watching an airshow on the TV.
I remember seeing Concorde coming in to land with it's nose bent down and thinking "Ah - it'll be having a drink after it's landed.... EHHH???? WTF???"
Thanks Dad for telling me that when watching an airshow on the TV when I was 4......

I used to think that a sign saying "Dead slow" meant that you had to drive fast. I thought that the sign was asking you to act as if slowness was dead or didn't exist, i.e. drive fast!

I used to believe…

when i was younger my parents took my sister and i on A LOT of road trips, and as any kid bored in the back seat, i spent much of my time looking out the window, specifically at power lines.
as we drove down the road, the power lines, to me, were "opening and closing" but really our car was just moving quickly and the length, size, and location of the powerlines was changing as we drove.
however, i used to think that the powerlines opened and closed because they wanted privacy, and because there were always three of them, i thought they were caught in a love triangle?? also, i thought that powerlines were always extremely annoyed that people were always driving in the cars and looking at them. i still sort of think of this every once in a while too.

I used to believe that if you slept while on a long car ride, that the trip would be made shorter by the Fairies that only appeared to the driver. The Fairies would pick up the car and move it to our destination.

I used to believe…

Me, my friend, and her 4-year-old brother were waiting in a car and her brother was being really loud. I showed him the eject button on the car's stereo and told him that I will press it and he will fly out of the car if he did not stop yelling. It worked... muahahaaa