Departures

We're nearing the end of the "traveling period", that block of time from September to December when BIA conferences, trainings, and other related "out of town" events are occurring. There is still an exodus of people today and this weekend heading out for the BIA Service Providers Conference in Anchorage. The only thing I dread about these trips is the increased number of people in Anchorage during this time.

These folks are there for the conferences and holiday shopping. That means bigger crowds in the stores (and you all know how much I love the carnage that is holiday shopping) and on the roads. The stores are one thing, but having more people on the road makes me cranky. There's always some bozo thinking he (or she) is the protege of Mario Andretti, and that gaining the extra five seconds of time weaving through traffic to make it to the head of the lane for the stoplight is going to have a profound effect on the rest of their day. The near misses and lane cutoffs are usually punctuated by my horn, which unfortunately sounds like a muffled sneeze and usually has no effect on the transgressor. I have considered changing my horn, but the idea of mounting a 150 decibel truck horn in our PT Cruiser did not sit well with my wife so I'm left with the obligatory (and according to her, mandatory) defensive driving that I'm so fond of. (NOT)

*Sigh*

Guess I better go pack.

Q'uo