x-post from Bitches:

After I got out of the building tonight I realized that I should have left much MUCH earlier. Practically cried from the tension being released.

Got to class, told my instructor [link] what had happened. Told him I needed him to hurt me. [link]

There were only four of us in class.

He did.

I feel much, much, better.

Then one of my classmates took me out for a drink. I got grapefruit juice. Sick. Sick. Sick.

When *I'm* driving (particularly by myself), I have to get audiobooks of books I've already read, because that way I don't need to focus intently on the plot. Because if I *do* focus intently on the plot, I swerve into the other lane/off the road/into a tree/etc.

Years ago, on one of my 8 cross-country drives, I had a particularly creepy Michael Palmer novel that pinged my needle phobia so badly, I nearly crashed.

I definitely need to steer clear (sorry) of the creepy stuff on a long-distance drive.

On the most recent trip, I was fascinated by local radio. Especially the Montana 'classifieds' radio show where the presenter listed endless items for trade. Sort of a spoken word freecycle or Craig's list. I couldn't turn away!

Glad you made it out. The number of near misses in this country in this past year alone makes me cringe

On the most recent trip, I was fascinated by local radio. Especially the Montana 'classifieds' radio show where the presenter listed endless items for trade. Sort of a spoken word freecycle or Craig's list. I couldn't turn away!

HA!

The number of near misses in this country in this past year alone makes me cringe

Makes me think our Al Qaida cells are a bunch of damn slackers.

Start a rumor, take some credit, instill a little terror boys...

Mhmm the Al Qaida America (tm) hr department has a lot to answer for

Yay! Woke up to the news that Iowa will have to allow gay marriages, at least until the legislature hurriedly 'plugs up' the threat by some state Constitutional amendment!

When I was a kid, we drove the 18 hours straight from DC to our place in Canada every summer and I *loved* it. Long road trips make me happy. (DH and I generally take 2 days with a stop in either Toronto or Tobermory, but eventually I want to start driving straight through again. If my parents could drive for 18 hours straight with 4 kids in the car, we can sure as hell do it with 1. What's the point of owning the World's Greatest Travel Game if you're only going to be on the road 10 hours?)

Ann Arbor to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Ann Arbor.

My longest solo drive in one day was Chicago to Nashville, which ended up being ten hours after adding an extra two hours to get through some construction at the Kentucky/Tennessee state line. I've also solo driven from Chicago to southern NJ twice, but did that in two days both times. My dad always drives that in one day, but there's no way in hell I can make the 13-14 hours without a break. Last time, I did get from NJ to Sandusky, OH before having to stop, so I only had another four hours the next morning.

I've driven DC to various points in southern Wisconsin in 2 days, several times. Longest 1-day was either Atlanta-DC or DC-Boston.

Atlanta-DC was probably the worst because it started raining at the end. And I made the mistake of taking 85 to 95 instead of going up 77 to 81. Which meant that the last 2 hours involved dark, rainy conditions with heavy traffic and an exhausted driver who was too close to home to really stop.

Worst 1-day was either Parkersburg, WV to DC through a major snowstorm that started halfway through, or Janesville, WI to Cleveland through an ice storm in northern Indiana and dense fog all through Ohio.