Things I Noticed on My Travels

Just back from the L'ville, Nashville, Birmingham loop. First thing: next time I'm in Nashville I'm going to the Vanderbilt medical library. I've read so many papers out of there this semester, and need to make the time to check it out.

On this trip, things that have come to my attention:

Drivers: yes, it is true I have become a Louisville driver for all the good-bad-and-ugly of it. We run red lights here--lights that haven't been yellow in ages and can hardly be called "orange." Pedestrians here come to corners with a haunted look in their eyes and a tremble in their thighs as they prepare to run for their lives.

Tennessee, or I should say, Nashville, drivers have taken that newly-refurbished Briley Pkwy and consider it their own little autobahn. The sound walls trap all the water on the roadway and it could be four inches deep and rising, but they will drive like Satan is on their asses and gaining fast.

Alabama: I now know why they have those "wrong way" signs on the offramps to the freeway. On a road that clearly went nowhere but the "wrong way" and I was coming off the ramp, a Mustang tootled past me and the driver looked at me as if to say "why are you on my side of the road?" As I watched in the rearview mirror from the top of the ramp, it was evident he finally realized all the cars were coming AT him, and he backed up quickly. Oh, and passing on the right? Not cool, people! Not cool!

All in all, a terrific drive and I'm glad to be back where we ignore red lights, and most cars evidently aren't purchased with turn signals.