Born to be wild!

"I wanna go fast," -Ricky Bobby from "Talladega Nights"

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day in the midwest - Northern Illinois to be exact.

The temperture just hit 64, the sun is out, it feels nice out.

Perfect. Driving. Weather.

I left work this afternoon and couldn't reach my friend who just had her 2nd child over the weekend - a daughter they named Peyton - who had invited me to come visit and say hello sometime while I was on that side of town (they live just minutes down the street from where I work). I spoke to her this morning and she said they had a doctor's appointment this afternoon but might be done by the time I was out of work, so to give her a call.

No worries, I had to be across town by 6:30 anyway to pick up a package at UPS (because yesturday the guy came to deliver it 15minutes after we left and with my luck, he'd try to redeliver today while I was at work) and again, today is beautiful out and had no problem taking a nice drive across town, with my window down, my iPod plugged into my stereo and my music cranked (Powerman5000, Dethklok and Celldweller really make it fun!). And my car is a stick shift too, so that makes driving even more fun these days!

Now to get to UPS from my job, I literally have to take N. Main St. all the way south until it ends. This is roughly 14 miles and requires driving through downtown Rockford.

I *hate* driving in downtown Rockford. Not nearly to the degree that I hate driving in downtown Chicago (if in a group, I will be one of the first volunteering not to drive, thank you), but still. Downtown's not very big, but there's sooooooo many 1-way streets it gets really annoying!

And here's the annoying part of driving south on N. Main - right before you get to the downtown area, you have to curve up to the next street, as N. Main becomes a 1 way for a few miles. If you turn too soon to get back onto, it you will get screwed. Eventually, the street you curve onto deadends and you have to turn and it puts you back on N. Main like nothing happened - as if you never left it. But we know how it really is!

Anyway, after that annoyance, the rest of the drive is pretty nice - 4 lanes of traffic, 45mph, not many stoplights to worry about.

I debated which way to take on my way home - I could 1)take the way home that could get me there in 2 streets but I risked hitting stoplights and slow drivers, or I could 2)hope on the bypass for a few miles and go fast.

I took option 2 and I'm glad I did - there's nothing like throwing the stick shift into 5th gear, with the window down and the music up, going 70mph!

It only lasted a few minutes, as the exit by my apartment was only 2 miles away, but it was fun and thrilling - I don't think my car has been in 5th gear in ages, since we usually take hubby's car for long trips!

I would love to open up our windows, but unfortunately, due to our silly kitty busting out the screen in one of them last fall and having a 2 day adventure, I can't, as I don't feel like watching her every move for the next few hours. Maybe one day when we get that house...