Rethinking Crank-pants

As I was walking to yoga tonight, after dutifully pressing the button for the crosswalk, and waiting until the light was red, I stepped into the street. And some Volvo-driving maniac went rolling on through the light. I slapped the side of his car with my hand and muttered "red light, asshole."

Now old McPolack would have felt guilty about putting meanness out into the world.

But the new, improved McPolack is grateful she has an outlet for her crankiness. I listened to an interesting podcast about revenge and forgiveness the other day, and one of the speakers talked about how we have a biological drive for revenge -- and that it has helped us out in some cases. You wouldn't want someone to keep hitting you over the head with a club; revenge helps prevent that from happening.

Of course nowadays we have the poh-lice, but still. My point is this: There is dark and light in all of us. Perhaps it's not the greatest idea in the world for me to smack the cars of strange men and call them filthy names but this was a metrosexual yuppy in a Volvo. I promise not to hit anyone driving a Buick.

That is all.