It was certainly an expensive car, that silver Corvette we saw coming home from Mass. And it was certainly a powerful car: I’ve never driven one, but a company and culture do not put that much hype into an American-made sports car if it only barely outruns a minivan. I’m certain the driver takes a great deal of pride in being able to own such a car, but owning such a car tempts people.

Having that much power at your disposal makes you want to show it off a little, to put the pedal to the metal, as the saying goes, and perhaps roar out of an intersection and leave behind all us mere mortals driving glorified aluminum cans. But having that much power and controlling that much power are two different things, so I couldn’t help but giggle a bit when the driver of said automobile, in an effort to impress us all, roar out of the intersection, lost control of his car, and took out a line of hedges.

Fortunately nothing hurt but the hedges and a middle-aged man’s toy and ego.