Rollin' Along the Highway

So I learned something during my two hour drive to and from Milwaukee last weekend. Although I hate to admit it because I'm mass transit's number one fan, I really miss driving.

Yeah, I love to go flying down the highway but what I really miss, I've realized, is singing at the top of my lungs. When you live in an apartment where the construction folks apparently forgot that little detail of insulation, blasting the tunes and belting out the lyrics to My Sharona isn't really an option (although the dude below seems to think otherwise).

Anyway, it was absolutely liberating to crank up the music in my mom's little wagon and sing to my heart's content. The funniest part of it all, though, was that I didn't have any of my own music with me so I had to make do with the radio. I don't know if any of you are familiar with northern Wisconsin radio but like many other remote areas, the DJs seem to have trouble embracing anything that isn't pop or classic rock. Oh, and they love the 80s, which quite frankly, I'm not gonna complain about. Give me Duran Duran and New Order any day. Regardless, my whole life seemed to flash before my eyes on the highway, starting with...

Just a small town girl, living in a LONELY world. She took a midnight train, going anywhere...
(I detest Journey; yet always feel compelled to scream the lyrics to this song).

You ask if I love you. What can I say? You know that I do and that this is just one of these games that we play... (The sweetest memories of my sister and I quietly waiting for the DJ to stop his jabbering over the intro so we could tape this song off the radio with her crappy Panasonic).

She's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain. I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain. (This, to be sung particularly loud and Axl Rose-y-ish...homage to my middle school, big hair days).

And perhaps even louder, in honor of my UWM days...
AND I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU OF THE MESS YOU MADE WHEN YOU WENT AWAY. IT'S NOT FAIR TO DENY ME OF THE CROSS I BEAR THAT YOU GAVE TO ME..YOU, YOU, YOU, OUTTA KNOW!

And then when the radio really sucks, I turn it off and sing to myself. Really, really loud. One of the best driving songs?

Well, I'm rollin' along the highway, living the life I'm used to. I thought about you alllllllll the way from Little Rock to Houston. But I can't seem to get you off my mind cuz you're tied to somebody else. I think about you all the time and I just can't help myself...

Surprisingly I am not hoarse but damn, what a good release that was, kinda like the way I used to feel after banging on the piano for a few hours after school. Speaking of, maybe it's time to dig out the ole' Chopin and give it a whirl. I shall call it Operation Release Shoulders. Actually, there are a whole lot of steps to that. Step one is actually:

Play with adorable 2-year-old niece as much as possible.

And that reminds me, I should really go. I told my sister and brother-in-law that I would take little Miss Autumn for myself today. And here I sit in my pajamas, without coffee (WHAT?!?!) and she is going to wake up any second. So I shall bid you adieu.

Oh, but before I go, if anyone has great stress relief tips (I'm totally serious here), please post! (Mass quantities of Jameson do not count either).