One of the goals of this trading project was to meet people in the Greater Rochester area, namely the people trading me their stuff. What I hadn't counted on was their neighbors who wanted in on the meet-and-greet.

The nice lady who traded me her sports blooper video was a nice person living in Greece, which was a long 15-mile hike from the University of Rochester. But the drive wasn't bad, mainly because I had a friend drive me in his Saab convertible. How can you complain about being out in a covertible when its sunny and 75 out?

Thanks to Google Maps (Google you owe me money for that plug!), I made it to Greece on time, without incident, sort of. Along the way, I almost lost the sheet of paper the map was printed on. This event occured because I forgot the #1 rule for driving in a convertible with its top down: things not bolted down, fly away.

Now I'm not stupid. I had the sheet of paper in my left hand, my right hanging out the passenger door, as described in §102, paragraph 4, line 3 of the Laws of Coolness, under heading "Proper hand placement while driving in a convertible". But then, I got a phone call, and unlike some Rochesterarians who have fallen into the Genesse River, I do not have three arms and I had to let something go in order to answer it.

Being the un-stupid person I am, I put the "map" down, and picked up my cell, thereby still staying witin the Laws of Coolness. Moments into the call, I heard this annoying rustling sound behind me, and to my horror, I discovered the map flapping dangerously, almost mockingly, in the back seat, waiting for its opportunity to escape.

At that point, I did what any sane person would do, and told the caller to hold on, put down the cell, and reached around with my left hand to grab at the paper. If you've been paying attention, you'll know that my right hand is still hanging out the passenger door, and needs to continue doing so, as any other action is unlawful. Unfortunately, something, perhaps the laws of physics, prevented my arm from performing a 5-foot arm extension while attempting an 160-degree rotation.

Thankfully, my friend shifted lanes and caused the paper to get stuck under my seat. I was able to reach around and grab at it, thus preventing a prolonged "scenic route" adventure into Greece, and a jail sentence for violating the Laws of Coolness. We eventually arrived at the lady's house.

She was a rather nice person, with a son going to RIT. We had pleasant, but quick, chat. During it, she told me I had made a mistake and should have taken the dog poop hiding a gold ring. Perhaps even selling the ring for cash. Oh well. Lesson learned: Sticks, not your hands, can be used to fish out rings from dog poop.

And now finally those neighbors. As we were backing out of the driveway, this couple, who had been standing in the same spot when we arrived, holding a 4-month old child, started waving at us. Instead of driving off, my friend and I decided, "Heck, let's see what they want." Apparentally they were not impressed with our driving. They yelled:

"Hey! You guys need to slow down. There are kids on this street!"

This puzzled both of us, as we had driven slowly down the road, concentrating on house numbers along the way. My conclusion was that we were obviously backing out of the driveway at an insane speed, potentially even at ludicrous speed, and clearly showing why people in their early twenties should not be allowed to drive.

It was certainly an interesting adventure, and I look forward to doing it again. However, if you or your neighbors are that crazy, I may think twice before I choose your trade.