On The Road Again

It's a strange thing being a born and raised Californian. Especially since I have always been connected to people from other places, either by being in other places or because I've been a telecommunicating guy since before there was an internet. People from other places don't relate to driving the way Californians do.

I was talking to someone yesterday who is in St.Louis, and someone else who is moving to Missouri came up. Turns out they are moving to southern Missouri, which to someone in St.Louis seems to occur like a long way away. My California mind is saying 'come on, how big is Missouri?' Not because Californians have that 'big state' thing going like Texans have, but we drive. A third of the people in my town spend four hours in their car every day going to work and back. I grew up in this dead backwater because my parents loved it because it was 'close to everything'. Close meaning that with a few hours of driving there is city, beach, or mountains. To a kid that doesn't drive that doesn't mean much, but when you grow up with it you just come to think a certain way. It was not unusual for my family to look at the Sunday paper and say 'oh, that looks like a good movie' and drive seventy-five miles to see it on the spur of the moment.

So today I'm off to pick up my mom. My St.Louis friend would think it was a long trip no doubt. Heck, I'll be there in time for a late dinner.