Random Thoughts from the Road

Some observations I made while driving back home from my week in northern California and during my first day back in my apartment:

• There are a lot more Obama bumper stickers in the middle part of the state than you might think. On my way up on Sunday and then on my way back on Thursday, I saw only one McCain sticker on a car. I saw dozens of Obama stickers, though. I do understand that California is going to back Obama, but still, you wouldn't expect the more conservative middle corridor of the state to be filled with bumper sticks touting him.
• However, conversely (perhaps), there are lots more Yes on 8 signs in the middle of the state than I encounter here in Los Angeles. It makes me very anxious about what's going to happen in a couple of weeks when people go to the polls.
• A milk truck that has a leak can leave a very long, wide path of white stuff on the highway if the driver is unaware that he's spilling his cargo all over the road.
• You can smell a cattle ranch/farm at least five miles before you reach it. There are a couple of these ranches/farms on the way north, and I began to sense something in the air quite early. Then, suddenly, there are cows everywhere. It reminded me of that wonderful line Jami Gertz has in the truly awful movie Twister: "I gotta go, Julia. We got cows."
• Rest stops are gathering spots for most of the flies of California. Unfortunately, one of them followed me back to the car and made the journey to Los Angeles. She/he is probably very confused right now and is wondering where the rest of her/his family is. I think I'm finally fly-free at this point. Keep your fingers crossed.
• The I-5 should be more than just two lanes in each direction. There are so many trucks on the freeway now that when they try to pass each other, it just slows down the entire state. The last time I drove on it, the 5 was relatively vehicle-free. Not so this week.
• Older men should get their eyebrows clipped when they get a haircut. I stopped at the In-n-Out Burger in Kettleman City for a late lunch on Sunday--big mistake, by the way, given the crowds--and I saw a man with the bushiest eyebrows ever. If you've seen that Grinch movie with Jim Carrey, you might have a sense of what this guy's eyebrows looked like. It's as if they had a life and a mind of their own. You know the old saying about how sometimes one's eyebrows look like fuzzy caterpillars? Well, those caterpillars have nothing on this guy's browline.
• Listening to 1970s disco music helps to keep me awake. I was singing along and even dancing (a bit). The other drivers must have thought I was nuts. Well, as long as they stayed out of my way.
• Does there have to be a fire every time I go on an accreditation site visit? Last year at this time I was in San Diego visiting a college when the fires in that county broke out. This time I was barely out of Los Angeles when the fires north of the city started. And to top it off, there was another fire on Angel Island near San Francisco. Is it just a bad time of year for fires? You wouldn't think October would be prime fire season, but I guess the dryness of the summer and the lingering heat are to blame.
• I knew I was back home last night when I had to give another driver the finger for cutting me off. Twice. Where else but in Los Angeles would someone cut you off twice on the same street? She seemed to be in a hurry until she got in front of me, of course. When I got into the other lane to avoid her, though, she decided that, really, in front of me was the place she needed to be. Then she proceeded to put on her right turn signal at every major intersection, only to decide against turning and continue on. If she could have heard some of my comments...
• I really knew I was back home when, during an elevator ride this morning, I was trapped listening to a discussion between two talent agents. Oy. The nonsense that passes for conversation these days. Something about how one of them has managed to get his client "seen" by a lot of people and yet he wasn't getting jobs and there are all these auditions for parts that he was just perfect for. For some reason, I kept fantasizing about the early scenes from the movie Speed.
• After getting home, I had squashed bug all over the windshield, so I went this morning to have the car detailed. It looks and smells like a brand new car again. I may have to have this done regularly. Usually, I let the car get filthy between oil changes.
• I love when the laundry is done for the week. I only had four loads to wash this morning because I've been gone (no towels or bedsheets to wash), and when everything was folded and put away, I felt like I had truly accomplished something.