Road Reflections: My Road Trip Tips
Sigh. Driving back to Richmond was as bad as expected, considering the Sunday after Christmas ranks as one of the most trafficked days of the year. My sister -- bless her -- drove me back to Richmond and it took an additional 2-3 hours because of gridlock.
With all that time on the road, I had quite a lot of time to think. Today's mixings bore nothing emotionally complex or thoughtfully deep, but noted all the same. In no particular order, here are some of the thoughts that bubbled in my brain.
Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft
Have you ever seen these warning signs? I am assuming they're supposed to be taken seriously and to threaten speeders. While I've only gotten pulled over for speeding once and it was terrifying, you know what wouldn't be terrifying? Speeding and then seeing a giant plane swoop in next to me to pull me over. How insanely cool that would be totally overrules how scary it could be.
I know, I know. It's not an actual plane swooping in on you, but just a message that would get sent to the plane's cop car friend who would then pull you over. But that's not what I picture every time I see that sign. I can only see the plane that swoops in next to me, like a Fast and Furious movie.
Not All Podcasts are Good
On the trip to Connecticut, I listened to the first season of Serial, which was superb. Honestly, when I was in my History of Radio class, I couldn't imagine being enthralled by just the spoken word without images (like the TV would later provide). I'm too visual of a learner to think that sounded enjoyable. Then I heard Serial, and my perceptions changed. I could not focus on anything but the podcast, and I saw the story unfolding in my mind, even without images attached to it.
Thus began what I suspected to be the beginning of my obsession with podcasts. I downloaded about 20 new podcasts for our ride back, and I can safely say that not all podcasts are good. Some people apparently don't realize that when they move closer and further away from the microphone, it causes huge sound differences, which can kill your eardrums. Plus, some people can't talk me through the story in a way that causes me to actually visualize it.
Where to Find the 'Z' for Car ABC's
My roommate and I once drove home together and played the ABC's. The whole game is a race. You both try to find every letter in the alphabet in order as your drive. So it might be 'Applebee's' for A, then 'Baker's Crust,' for B. You are allowed to pick letters from the middle of words or phrases too, so you could also use 'Baker's Crust' for C. I was in the lead for awhile and got stopped up at several major letters, but none of which was as hard as Z.
I was really just banking on someone driving by with a Z in their license, but as I was waiting, my roommate caught up and defeated me. The trick is to keep your eyes peeled for the "AuthoriZed Personnel Only," signs. They happen frequently and include the magical last letter. You're welcome.
Waze is Only as Good as its Options
What I'm trying to say is that Waze can't create new, uncrowded roads for you. They can't make less cars drive on the road. If all roads suck, and all are busy, there's no way it will help you avoid traffic. Some days, like today, you just have to be resigned to sit in traffic.
People Suck at Driving
I worry more about other people's lack of attention, road rage and general inability to execute the simple skill of captaining a moving vehicle more than any of my own issues. And that's all I have to say about that.