Driving

I went home to my parents' house in CT for a few days this week. Being that I am a student again and on winter break, I figured I'd take a few days (that weren't right around Christmas or New Years) to get home, hang out with my mom and dad, and go visit the school that I used to teach at. Well, I headed down on Wednesday morning. My friend, Becky, lives in Naugatuck, CT so when I looked up directions to get there from Albany it had me taking a bunch of non-highway roads. I wrote them all down (along with mile markers to keep track of where I was) and headed out. I wish I had brought my camera because it was a really beautiful drive. It was a little snowy in the morning and there was a stretch through Massachusetts that made me nervous, but otherwise it was great.

Now, notice I said that I wrote the directions. That's right, people, I DO NOT own a GPS. I figure I've gotten along this far without one, I know how to follow directions, and I can read a map--why spend money that I don't have. This is not to say that I don't believe they can be useful. When James and I went out to San Francisco last April we borrowed my sister's GPS because we were renting a car and had no idea where anything was. It was obviously a lot easier and efficient to plug in our destination and know we were heading in the right direction. In fact, when we wanted to find a beach, we searched nearby points-of-interest and discovered this pretty place:

We also borrowed one when we went to Rockport, MA last summer and wanted to be able to explore but, at the end of the day, know we could find our way back to the B&B. For these purposes, I think a GPS is a wonderful idea, but for day-to-day travel and even quick "there and back" trips, write out the directions, use your brain, and figure it out!

While my plan was to stay in Connecticut until this evening, I came back last night to beat the snow that we are supposed to get today. So, I didn't get to go into my old school to see my kids and my friends. It's a big bummer, but I'll have to make plans to get there another day this month. I left home last night a little after 9pm. The drive to Albany is only 2 hours and 15 minutes or so, and I know the drive so well I wasn't worried about driving late.

One of my favorite things to do when I'm driving late at night is to listen to Delilah. I went through a phase where I loved her, then I hated her, and now I'm fairly indifferent. I usually don't agree with her choice of songs to fit the circumstance--James assures me this is because she has to play certain songs during each show, but I still think she could do a better job than she does. At any rate, for me it is the stories that people share that make the show enjoyable. Last night I heard an amazing story about a newspaper reported who, in the early 90's, was going through a divorce with her husband. Around the time that her divorce was becoming final, a story broke out about a local woman who had gone missing. Immediately, the woman assumed that the husband had something to do with it. Sadly, that's probably what most of us would think. As the story progressed, the reporter kept up with it and began to believe the husband's plea of innocence as he continued to spend the next 3 years diligently searching for his wife. The reporter grew to admire this man and often wished to herself, "Why couldn't I have a husband who loves me that much?" Finally, after so many years of uncertainty, a friend of the grieving husband came forward and admitted to killing the man's wife in a jealous rage. At last, the mystery was solved and the husband could begin to find peace. A year or so later the reporter, who had avoided interviewing the husband during the ordeal, called him up to ask him if she could meet him and write his love story. He agreed, they met for coffee and, soon after, were married.

This story amazed me and brought tears to my eyes (not good when you're driving). So, as much as Delilah drives me nuts, I continue to listen for the stories of the hundreds of thousands of people out there who have an amazing story to share.