Highway Games.

I drove to Tampa this weekend to visit Jess. We had a blast. We went out out a little (a lot.) we went to the TAMPA BAY STORM ARENA FOOTBALL GAME (Club Level -- all the beer and mini-meatballs I could eat) and we went to the Taste of South Tampa.

I will declare this: I could completely live in Tampa, Florida. If it weren't so goddamn small. In a town like that, I guaran-fucking-tee I would know everyone in it, within two years. I already got started - I talked to basically every stranger I encountered. It felt good to be... you know... friendly again. In Miami, we're not friendly. In Maryland, we're sort of friendly, but my parents are from New England, so that frosty "I don't really know you, why are you talking to me?" thing sort of kicks in sometimes. I try to shy away from it. Or, sometimes I'm just shy, and that's why I'm not talking. (Yes, I get shy. A lot, but you just don't know it, because usually I'm swinging from the roofbeams.) But going to school in 'Sconnie introduced me to talking to strangers and making nice with them. Stephen helped with that too... he talks to anyone. And he always made me feel super unfriendly, so that's also why I'm trying to change it, and talk to people. And I know people think I'm charming when I engage in "stranger-banter" because, let's face it -- I am.

Anyway, I'm getting to my point, I promise, as soon as I'm finished with my aside. People in Tampa are 1) NICE. and 2) HOT. I was at Whiskey Park with Jess and her boyfriend and all the other boring State Attorneys, &c. and I looked around and was... shocked. Everyone was really good looking, but not in that "I'm so beautiful, I'm on South Beach" sort of pretty way, they were just naturally really good looking. And all the queens I saw around (which Tampa seems to have in abundance) were good looking too... except; however; all the queens I saw were probably in their mid-30s, early 40s, and all of them owned adorable turn-of-the-century Tropical Bungalows in Hyde Park. And were those Bungalows in, say, Seattle, I would have melted and made one of them fly to Amsterdam or Vancouver with me and get married, instantly.

Bottom line - I really like Tampa and always have. And, were it not a town of a population of, oh, four, I could totally live there. But it is, so I can't. But if I did, maybe I could work for one of those fancy law firms that are set up there. On my salary in Tampa, I could TOTALLY live like a Saudi Prince.

My point. Okay.

On the long 300 mile trek to Tampa (give-or-take) I passed many cars, as I careened at 95 miles an-hour there and back. When it comes to driving, I'm one of those "leaders." Especially on long distances. I really HATE being behind other people. That said, I'm also a very European driver. The left lane is for passing, ONLY, and when you can, you should get over into the right lane as soon as possible. Also, ideally, you should have a chosen speed limit that you're willing to observe. Mine varied between 85-95 miles per hour. (Mercedes get AWFUL gas mileage at that rate... I got 27.7 miles per gallon between Tampa and Miami... you know.. NEVER STOPPING.)

Sometimes, the person in the left lane "Didn't get it" that the, you know, speed limit, wasn't an acceptable "Left-lane" speed. So, I would pass those assholes on the right. Wouldn't you know it, there and back I had two or three "enemy" cars? As an aside, two-lane highways are the WORST. How about another lane, huh?

I'm going to keep you in suspense about the enemy car. That's going to be Post II, because I'm out of steam to blog right now.