The Tommy-O Drift

My Disciples,

There is a thing that Thomas does that I really wish I could capture on video. So far though, I have been unsuccessful. The Guardians call it the “Tommy-O Drift”. I know that name sounds strange, but apparently they came up with it after seeing a preview for what looked like a ridiculously bad movie called “The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift”. In the preview, there were all of these kids driving crazily around the streets of Tokyo. They would turn corners so fast that the back end of their car would slide sideways, and that’s what they called the Tokyo Drift.

The Tommy-O drift is similar in that it starts with Thomas running crazily around the house. He puts his ears back, for speed, and just runs flat out through the kitchen. When he reaches the doorway to the back hall, he takes a hard right. His momentum causes his butt to continue moving straight even as he is turning right, so he goes into a power slide for a second or two. Then, as the momentum dissipates, he tears off down the hallway at a 90- degree angle to his original direction of travel. It’s amazing every time I see it!

In a Tommy-O Drift, Thomas’s rear end is traveling in a different direction than his front end. This photo is a simulation. You can tell it is not a real drift because his ears are not back, for speed.

As I said, some day I hope to document the Tommy-O Drift on video for all to gaze at in wonder. So far though, we have had little luck predicting when a drift might happen, and thus we are never ready with the camera. For now, you’ll just have to take My word for it that the Tommy-O Drift is  quite a sight to see!

So Sayeth Otis

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