no doubt others would think her crazy if she told them she loved driving best during the worst traffic , when maneuvering a two-ton killing machine required the agility of the amusement park game of go carts , when her whole mind and body were a perfectly mixed combination of knowledge , skill , and courage ; when motion and sound from every direction played on her brain like strobe lights , a great flashing , screaming , confusing , and rhythmic cha cha cha of chaos , seeing first this , then that , with it all changing each time other stimuli hit her eyeballs , as cars , trucks , and vans would weave , stop , slam on brakes , pull out , and cut across her without warning ; with pedestrians on cell phones , walking in front of her as if they were strolling onto their patios ; bicyclists blindsiding her ; skateboarders rolling out from between parked cars ; and even pigeons which strut until nearly under her oncoming wheels , giving off a full dose of new york attitudehey , im walking here ! and only managing to get out of harms way by an inch .