Getting everything in order

Twice in the past couple weeks I've caught myself thinking about dying.  Since the first focused thoughts, it's been mulling around in the back of my head.

The first time it crossed my mind I was heading in to work.  I had to go early as I was stopping by the local (local to work, not my house) court house to pay my speeding ticket.  I had no idea how long the process would take so I gave myself an extra hour.

It took 5 minutes.  So I had 55 minutes to kill.  I ended up in a parking lot near to the prison so that I could smoke and listen to the radio.  If it had been a 'normal' day I probably would have done just that... but I was getting over a cold.

A quick aside... I don't get over colds as fast as I used too.  My annual 'colds' used to last 3 or 4 days.  From the fist cough to the final one.  While some colds do last that long, I get sick more often now and sometimes they last for weeks.  Let's face it, I don't take good care of myself and with 16 years of smoking in my rearview mirror, it's no wonder that colds last longer.  Anywho...

The evolution of a driver

I've been caught speeding; 

once when I was 25... 

I enjoy speeding.

It's just as simple as that.

Well, it's just a simple fact. 

When I drive something,

I want to drive it fast!

Those are slightly modified lyrics to the Jane's Addiction song 'Been Caught Stealing'.  They're apt as a couple days ago I got a speeding ticket.  My first such ticket in about a decade.

I've been driving for just under 24 years now.  Back in my day (I feel old when I say it that way....Get Off My Lawn!) we took school sponsored Drivers Education classes at 16 years old.  Once the class was finished we went to the secretary of state, took the drivers test (written and practical), and were issued a license.  None of this 'can only drive during daylight hours with a responsible related adult over the age of 25 for the first year' type of limited licence crap that my niece is currently going through.  Nope... the state said I could drive any time I wanted to anywhere I wanted with anyone I wanted.  Suckers.  I could easily be used as an example of WHY they changed the rules as I was quite the little (well... not little) hellion when I first started to drive.

Vacation Recap

I have returned safe and sound from my vacation.  I would love nothing more than to say it was magnificent, wonderful, amazing, or any other superlative description.  It WAS good.  It WAS fun.  But overall it felt like driving over to my friends place when he lived a couple hours drive away.

And you know what... that's good enough.  If I had to describe this in as few words as possible it would go something like this:

I flew down.  I hung out.  I flew back.

I guess since I went into so much detail in my last post about flying, I should cover how that went.  I could say that I overworried about it, but I believe that honest worry helped me research it fully and be prepared for everything that came up.  I ended up getting a ride to the airport and they dropped me off at the curbside 'departures' area.  Walking into the airport I was presented with a very long 'hallway' with all the ticket counters.  I had checked in online 24 hours earlier and therefore didn't have to stop at the counter so I stopped and packed up the last few things.