Traffic, parking, and meters, oh my!

How do people drive everyday? It stresses me out. I'm housesitting this week in Virginia, so I need to use the car a lot. Yesterday, I had a movie screening, so I ran back to the house, let the dog out and fed her, and then drove to the screening. It took about double the time I expected, because of traffic. And this is August. I know traffic is light. When I finally arrived at the theatre, I couldn't find a place to park, and I had to drive to a garage a little further away. Then, I noticed the meters go until 10:00, and I didn't have enough change. So I had to run to the theatre. Find Alison. Ask for change. She had none. Cut in line at the snack bar to get change for a dollar. Run back to garage. Feed meter. Run back to movie theatre, just in time for the movie to start.

Once a week, running errands, I like driving. It's this kind of nice sense of freedom, that I can go where ever I need or want to go, without waiting on a bus or a train, and I can leave when I want, too. But rush hour traffic? and the stress? Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to the bus, where I can listen to my iPod and read a book all at the same time, and if we get stuck in traffic, I don't care.