Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 545, paragraph 51, part b. (What'cha Gonna Do?)

What'cha Gonna Do?

November 16, 2005

§ 545.051.  DRIVING ON RIGHT SIDE OF ROADWAY.  
	(b)  An operator of a vehicle on a roadway moving more slowly 
than the normal speed of other vehicles at the time and place under 
the existing conditions shall drive in the right-hand lane 
available for vehicles, or as close as practicable to the 
right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, unless the operator is:
		(1)  passing another vehicle;  or                                             
		(2)  preparing for a left turn at an intersection or 
into a private road or driveway.

In other words, "keep right while not passing", or "drive right, pass left". If people would observe this... if people even knew this (it isn't in the Texas Driver Handbook or the Driver Education textbook), traffic would flow so, so much better. As it is, it bottlenecks in various spots along the commute.

And if that weren't enough today, I've been trying to listen to a wider variety of music by putting the XM on "Ethel" and "Lucy" more often, and not so much "Mix" and "The 70s on 7". But today, well, Ethel started playing something by Rage Against The Machine. Sorry, not my style. So I switched to Mix and listened to the end of a song, which was followed by "You cannot quit me so quick-leeee". NO! No Dave Matthews. Switch to Lucy and... they're playing Dave Matthews! YUK! What do you people see in him?

Okay, "I give," back to the 70s.

As I exited I-10 for Hwy 146 and pulled up in the right lane, the young guy in the middle-aged Cadillac pulled to the left of the lane, up really close to the 18-wheeler at the light, just to make sure I would have room to make a right on red. Wow! Not a bad way to end the commute. I waved to thank him.

When I turned into the neighborhood and stopped by the mailbox, what comes on the XM? Pablo Cruise! WOW again! I haven't heard those guys in a long time. Pulled into the garage and didn't get out until the song (What'cha Gonna Do?) was over. Life was looking a lot better at that point.

What? You don't know Pablo Cruise?

This song, "What'cha Gonna Do?", is cool. It's a perfect example of how the 70s were better than any other decade, musically speaking. This isn't "classic rock", like Led Zepplin or The Doors or something. This is just "rock". It's good partly because it's complicated music, not simple three-chord stuff and a boring bass line. This music even has key changes.

And what a bass line! Here's where other genres come in. This bass player was obviously influenced by disco and funk. Most disco was awful music performed by one-hit-wonders and designed to be mixed into 20 minute dance tracks, but the bass player got to have fun. Disco bass players were often Funk bass players, and in the Cruise, we have a rock band with a funk bass player.

I had a Cruise LP, but no CD, so I ran inside and bought their Greatest Hits album off of iTunes. Burned it, then ripped this song so you can hear it, and so you'll go buy the album, too. This is a must for your music education.

What'cha Gonna Do? (3.1 mb)

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