Recently a dear friend from college got married and pregnant this year I was invited to join in the festivities which I was more than excited to do...except, it would require travel. And not just any travel...but through a big city, around Washington, D.C. and then onto the suburbs of the big city. I was more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs!
Of course, this friend was worth the trip - it was amazing to see her and great to catch up after many years. Maybe my experience among the "northern gals" will be fodder for a later post!
As I headed up I 95, I was so very excited as with two small children it is seldom that I get any quiet time in the car to listen to audiobooks or just the radio so boy I was ready! I found the country station and got all set to belt out some music en route. How disappointing to realize how pitiful new country music is! One cheesy song about "Gettin' Her Shine On" was all I could seem to muster. This question of "what happened to country music" will definitely be addressed in a later post as well.
The next question I pondered as I entered "up North" is what in the world will these people do when Armageddon comes? From what I can see, there are NO farms. There are very few gardens. There are NO farm animals. What will they eat? How will they survive? And if it is like this in Washington, D.C., what in tarnation must a big city like New York be like?
Let's talk trains. As I approached closer to the hub there were train tracks running alongside the interstate. Fine...seems normal enough, right? But then I was able to cran my neck far enough to see that this was no ordinary set of tracks. These had gates, barbed wire, electric fences, nail guns, and even beastly lions. Okay, a little farfetched on the nail guns and beastly lions but seriously, what in the world is going on up here? Is people getting up on the tracks THAT COMMON? It seems like overkill to me but I assume it wouldn't be there unless it was necessary. They are most secure than Fort Knox. Scary...
Now let's talk Smart cars (inset shaking of the head.) I have to admit that I belly laugh every single time I pass one of these. It never fails, whoever is driving one of these looks ridiculous and as I got closer to the city there were more and more of them. I mean I am all for saving on fuel but I just can't see what the draw is with these micro mini cars. City folk seem to love them...is it the ability to dash in and out of traffic (no, there is no dashing since they don't seem to go over 55). Whatever it is, I will wait until they outlaw tractor trailers before I consider sporting one of those micro cars.
Total panic ensued when I got past Manassas, Virginia. Home to the first battle of the Civil War I was daydreaming about the history that took place here when all of the sudden these signs start appearing that I cannot decipher. Codes...language that isn't English, numbers mixed with letters. Oh crap, they have their own language up here in Northern Virginia, and I don't speak it! After three phone calls to friends and family (none of who could translate...what good is phoning a friend?) I just kept driving. Who knows what they said, or what important information I was supposed to garner from them.
To close, the biggest realization from the driving experience is about why our roads down here are so bad. We don't have anyone helping to fix them because VDOT (Virginia Dept. of Transportation) is all taken up with the miles and miles, and miles, and more miles of construction in Northern Virginia. No wonder I have a screaming headache each morning from hopping and skipping through potholes all the way to work. The squeaky wheel gets the grease I presume...Northern Virginia must be squeaky.
All jesting aside, every experience is valuable and worth it - and to spend time with those we care about is worth any journey, but give me a country road over the city any day.
Belle, you have just so many things for me to respond to! I am going to pick one: During the armageddon, it will probably be an attack from other humans. Therefore, since cities are usually the target, most northerners will already be too dead to realize that they don't have a farm. There is my snarky input. :)
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