license to drive?

i have mentioned my commute to work before. it can be a pretty intense drive at times. some days, i go through three tunnels just to get home {tunnels underwater, not tunnels through mountains}. overall? it's not so bad. you get used to it. of course, i say this now...we'll see what i'm saying next month, right?

anyways, i spend a good two hours of my day behind the wheel just commuting to & from work and these are some of the observations i've made as of late:

• just because you have new jersey tags* on your car does not mean you get to maneuver a u-bomb right.in.front. of me. no, no, no. i'm going over the speed limit. you can't whip a car around that quickly.
• just because you are driving a mother effin' mercedes does not mean you can just fling your car into my lane on the highway. especially not when i'm right there. and, especially without using your turn signal or checking first. maybe that's why your pretty, white mercedes suv is missing part of the tail light on the driver's side...did you ever think about that?
• if you come flying up onto my rear bumper, please be prepared to get brake checked.
• don't stop in the middle of the interstate to get out of your car and walk up to the person behind you who isn't even remotely close to hitting your car {i actually saw this the other morning}.
• the cop is on the other side of the road...on the other side of the concrete barrier. he's got someone stopped already. you don't need to take your foot off the gas and drive below the speed limit. it's okay. keep driving.
• if you're going to talk on your cell phone & drive at the same time, please make sure that you're doing the speed limit and not driving like you're going through a school zone {we're on the interstate...that's how cars get run over, ya know...}.
• people, you look stupid if you're driving down the road with your turn signal on {with no turn or lane change in sight} or if your gas tank cap is wide open.
• people, you look even more stupid if you're driving down the road with your left turn signal on {with no turn or lane change in sight} and your gas tank cap is wide open.
• oh, and that whole driving with your turn signal on? you look mega stupid if you have your left turn signal on but you get into the right lane. duh.
• headlights. use them. i don't care that it's not dark outside, but if it's freakin' cloudy or raining, you should at least have them on {no, not just your parking lights...are you parked? no, you're driving!}. it helps me to see you...especially when you're hovering around in my blind spot.
• i speed. yes, i do. but please don't tailgate me. this isn't nascar {no drafting allowed!}. and, besides, the lane next to me is wide open...you can go around me.
• go for it. hit my car. you might think you're hot stuff in your snazzy sports car but my ten year old nissan is fully covered by my insurance {and i bet my rate is a whole lot cheaper than yours, too!}.
• you see that light? it's green. please put your foot on the gas pedal and go.
• there is a reason the on-ramp to an interstate has an acceleration lane. speed up, you schmuck!
• beware out-of-towners, us virginia drivers are a whole 'nother breed of crazy on the road. trust me. if you don't believe me, just wait and see what happens if it's raining or if, gasp, it's snowing.
  

*i don't mean any disrespect. i have nothing against new jersey drivers except for that crazy fool who did indeed make a u-turn right in front of me as i was speeding, er, driving towards the interstate this morning.

the commute.

i mentioned previously that i have a killer commute.

well, compared to the 10 minute commute {from home to work} that i used to have, anything else would be considered a killer commute...but, this - oh, this - is the epitome of a killer commute {well, maybe not, but it is to me}. my fellow bloggers & friends in the hampton roads area will know what i mean. some will sympathize. some will thank their lucky stars that they don't make the same trek daily. my theory is this...no matter where you are in our section of the mid-atlantic...the traffic sucks. it really does.

yesterday was no exception.

the drive to work was a breeze. seriously. not much base traffic {the world's largest naval station thankyouverymuch}. no back-up or delay at the hampton roads bridge tunnel {i drive to & from work through the tunnel that is partially pictured below...yes, i drive under the water}.

{source}

the drive home was the extreme opposite {although i can't complain too much because the tunnel wasn't too terribly backed up}.

{source}

i made it home tuesday evening approximately twelve hours after i left home that morning and i worked an 8.5 hour day. my commute to work yesterday morning was only 45 minutes. you do the math.

yeah. back-ups near the naval base is to be expected. what i wasn't expecting was having to go out of my way to get home because ALL the lanes of eastbound traffic on the particular section of interstate i needed to travel on to get home were stopped. it was one, big parking lot.

but, i made it. and i'll make the same trek again thursday. and friday. and so on and so on.

{thank goodness i keep an extra drink & a snack packed in my lunch for the ride home!}

What road are we on?

The other day while driving home with the kids the traffic report came on the radio. After it was finished, Aidan asked me where Virginia Beach Boulevard was & if we were driving on it. I told him no, we weren't, and explained to him where it was. This is the conversation that followed:

Aidan: "Mom, are we on the Dam Neck?"

Me: "Yes, we're on Dam Neck Road."

Aidan: "Oh, this road is funny because it has two words in it - one that's a body part & one that's a bad word that kids shouldn't say."

Me: "Oh, really?"

Aidan: "Yeah, they shouldn't put bad words in names. It's not appropriate."

Ah, the mind of a six year old. 'Dam' isn't the bad word he thinks it is, but his point was well taken, though.