Hooray, Pix!

These numbers are such bullshit.

Florida has been screwing with the numbers since day one. They won't count anyone who is a snowbird, and of course, since they contracted it and were treated for it in Florida the states (or countries) they are from aren't going to count them either. They had some crazy justification for not counting residents of care facilities too, but I think they changed that after pushback.

We know that the numbers are understated, but the wackadoodles swear that it is massively overstated or just not true at all. At this point I am holding on to the hope that the mid-terms will be helped by the fact that the death count is so much higher among the people I don't want to vote. Yes, I unashamedly think they asked for it. Karma, idiots.

DH agreed to stop near the VA/NC border and sleep in a hotel. He debated driving through and just catching naps here and there along the way, but good sense won out. I slept better too!

What is it with men (generally) and the need to drive straight through? I remember when I was young and we used to drive down to visit my grandparents or to the beach and my father would be pushing to get in the car early and then drive with no stops. With two daughters needing restroom breaks and my mother insisting on breaking for lunch, that didn't happen, but he'd be jittering to get going about three minutes after stopping.

In me me me news, my day started off with being trapped in a stalled elevator for about 10 minutes. No AC, so it got warm and uncomfortable. I called, but the elevator company would have to send a technician out ... with no indication how long that would take. It did, eventually open the door so I could escape (which meant the technician, whenever they arrived, would not have to deal with a frantic, sweaty woman), but it was an unpleasant beginning. The irony is that the elevator had been repaired recently ... obviously, not well enough.

Yikes, not a fun way to start the day at all! I'm glad it ended up being a relatively short time, but you wouldn't know that while waiting.

Yes, when driving with someone else I don't mind driving through. But for me (prior to Covid) stopping at the hotel and going for a swim and chilling was always a fun part of travel. When the kids were with us we would find a putt-putt course or something for a bit of fun too. He is getting more sensible. He did start out at 5 this morning but told me he was stopping around 9 and having a relaxed breakfast in a restaurant rather than gobbling a fast-food sandwich while driving. Wow, progress.

I think it's an efficiency thing. I once drove 19 hours straight through to Minneapolis to attend a MST3K convention in my twenties. Four hours each way to a family gathering in Kentucky was pushing my upper limit these days, though.

Yikes, Toddson, glad you escaped!

Sometimes I am in drive-straight-through mode and sometimes I am more into the journey than the destination, I guess, and leisurely stops are part of the journey. Been a while since I have road tripped.

When I was younger, I could do the 10 hours between Amarillo and Austin with just a couple of bathroom breaks. The trip back, ending as it did in the boring flatness of the Panhandle, was harder - took lots of Springsteen to keep me going.

Now, 6 hours is pretty much the most I can do in one day. For one thing, more bathroom breaks are needed.

I do two 15 hour trips on the way here and back. It would be 12 except I have to stop and charge my car. I spend the 15-30 minute charge stops to close my eyes and rest up a bit, and/or get food and restroom time. This year I have loaded up my phone with 18 hours of Harry Potter, which covers the first two books. I didn't read them so I am looking forward to that between music or news breaks. I generally do podcasts, but I thought I would try audiobooks this time. My car makes the trip much easier with autodrive.

This year I have loaded up my phone with 18 hours of Harry Potter, which covers the first two books. I didn't read them so I am looking forward to that between music or news breaks.

I think you're going to love Jim Dale's voice keeping you company.

YAY PIX NO CANCER!

What is it with men (generally) and the need to drive straight through?

I'd say this isn't a guy thing because I'm like this too but I got it from my Dad, so...

To me, it comes down to the fact that 9-10 hours in a car is hard, but 15-18 hours in a car isn't significantly harder, vs the hassle of getting off the road and into a hotel (having to pack a separate overnight bag, having to sleep on unfamiliar hotel pillows, having to add whatever travel time it takes to get to/from the hotel itself). It doesn't feel like a break, it just feels like extra travel time we're wasting when we could just be getting there.