Here is something you should know about me. I hate driving on the highway. I've only done it twice so far, but both excursions have involved me gripping the steering wheel for dear life and driving approximately 55 miles per hour. I feel an incessant need to brake at all times because I am such a speed demon. I have also decided that I cannot work in any location that requires driving on a highway to get there, so I think that severely limits my job options in the future.
Needless to say, other drivers are not my biggest fan. Hey, at least I am safe. Fortunately, for my fellow drivers, I have never been at the wheel for the entire five and a half hour journey to Lexington, Virginia, from my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My greatest responsibility is sometimes driving a little over an hour to and from Morgantown. This trip is even worse because it involves windy, one lane back roads through West Virginia. If you get behind a coal truck, you might as well add an hour to your trip because there is no way you're passing that thing until you get back to civilization. On the bright side, the small towns usually have really cute Christmas decorations.
Thankfully, my freshman year roommate and I have a system. I drive to her hometown one hour away and then we make the rest of the trip together. This way, we can both scream at the coal trucks together. It's therapeutic in a way. It works out very well for me, and everyone else on the road (mostly because I don't actually have to operate a vehicle). My main responsibility is to run the GPS, which is pretty easy when you just drive straight and only turn at gas stations. Sometimes, the GPS decides to give up on life and unstick from the windshield, but I manage to fix that, too.
In addition, I am in charge of the music. Last road trip, we had a tragic situation when none of the new music I bought had downloaded. We had to *gasp* listen to the radio. Hopefully, that will never happen again. I am, however, really good at naming playlists. My last one was brilliantly entitled, "back to school." Yep, I dare you to beat that.
Anyways, all of this rambling leads me to my New Year's resolution. I want to conquer my fear/hatred for driving on the highway. Let's face it, it is an important part of life. Eventually, I will have to make the drive to and from school on my own and deal with my strong dislike for coal trucks. Thankfully, I will have my perfectly compiled and titled playlists to keep me company and a GPS, for sure.
