I don't like driving. I learned to drive in a small town with one stoplight. The main road hazards where snow and deer. I didn't like driving then. Now, I live in a city with terrible traffic and many more than one stop light. The main road hazards are... everything. I really don't like driving now.

I managed to go over a decade without driving a car. Between public transit, Uber, and a husband who doesn't mind driving, it was pretty easy to avoid having to get behind the wheel myself. 

Then, we had a kid.

I knew, from a safety and life perspective, it would be easier for us if I just started driving again.

I started easy. I drove with my husband in the car only going to and from daycare. Then I did a few solo drives to the grocery store. Then I leveled up to taking our kiddo to and from school. Now, I occasionally do longer solo jaunts to run errands.

On Friday, I drove to CostCo. It's just over 17 miles roundtrip. I literally turn onto the main street outside our building, pick the middle lane, and stay there until I turn into the mall that houses the warehouse. There are no turns. I don't need to change lanes. I drive there outside of rush hour.

I hate it. My FitBit clocks my heart rate like I'm running up stairs. 

But I did it. It's the second time I've done this trip and it was a little easier than the first. With time, I hope I get less anxious about driving. 

Just don't ask me to get on a highway anytime soon.

What scary things do you push through?

Leave a comment

I’m taking a break from Champagne because my library hold for Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter came in. There’s a waiting list for this book so I need to finish it ASAP. Shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a romance about mistaken identifies and I kind of love those.

• What is rarely read on Wikipedia. [colin_morris]

• The problem with budget culture. [Culture Study]

• Don't forget the dip! [EATER]

• When your research is not as niche as you think. [Chronicle of Higher Education - may be paywalled]

• The Millennial Consumer Subsidy is ending. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]

• Okay, but what it they're covered in salt? That's my favorite part of trail mix. [TIME]

• How to get the most out of your CSA or Farm Share. [The Farm Share Newsletter]

• Title IX worked, but there's still a way to go. Women's sports are still treated as second class. [Up First]

• The most versatile pan in the kitchen. [Short Wave]

• Mental accounting makes us behave weirdly. [Hidden Brain]

• Political affiliation is now a determinant of health. [Short Wave]

• The culture of taking a real lunch break. [Planet Money]

• When we don't know what to watch, we tend to put on action flicks. That's how we ended up watching Interceptor. It's not good but it's also not bad. The supposed shocks in the narrative were pretty telegraphed. Also, this film took itself far too seriously for what it was.  Plus, you could see the choreography of the fight scenes. [Netflix]

• I added The Lost City to our list the second I saw the trailer. It has the perfect cast for the story. Plus, it knows what it is and doesn't take itself too seriously. Since we rented this, we watched it twice because it was that enjoyable. The only question I have is, how would we categorize this film? Rom-com? Action Romance? I'm stumped. [Amazon Prime]

• I knew Mare of Easttown was going to be great before we started it. Once again, Kate Winslet lives up the to expectations heaped on her. This series is complex and, while I ultimately found the end game a bit contrived, that does not take away from the storytelling or film making. The creators did a wonderful job of creating a community and cast that felt real. There was truth to all the drama. That gave the series emotional punch. [HBO Max]

• I tried my hand at a new meatball recipe: Greek turkey meatballs with orzo and feta sauce. The meatballs were great. The feta sauce came out a bit grainy. I used store brand feta and that may have been my downfall. I did skip the mint since I didn't see myself using up the extra anytime soon. [Ambitious Kitchen]

• For my meal prep, I threw together lemony artichoke and quinoa salad. I love salads that include grains. We had some extra cherry tomatoes and feta so I tossed those in as well.  Might add cucumber next time. [Budget Bytes]

The campus I work at falls into the Brutalist architecture category. It’s not the most attractive. Then, I left a meeting and took the stairs. I didn’t mind the light and angles I encountered.

I love newsletters that send me interesting things. TimeMachiner sends you irresistible articles from fascinating corners of the internet that you never knew existed.

A coworker introduced me to Trello and I am forever grateful. While I only have a free account, I love how I can use this to manage projects, make to do lists, keep track of things, and brain dump ideas for later. I can also set deadlines and save links where I need them. Trello is a lot more robust than this, but even at it’s most basic it’s one of my favorite tools.

Since I took some days off my work, I know my inbox is going to be a disaster. Have a feeling I’m going to be deleting a mountain of email.