Every Monday through Friday I make the rigorous hour-long commute across the state for my internship. Of course, I don't mind at all because the internship is oh-so worth it. BUT. While I'm on the highway, blasting some Issues or jamming to Paramore, I have a lot of time to think to myself... First of all, does no one understand the concept of using directionals on the highway? I don't know, but for me, I think it's quite reasonable to let the person next to you know when you're going to turn when your vehicle is going at a speed over 80 miles an hour. For example, the other day I was just cruising along in the fast lane-minding my own business, and I saw this car move from the right lane to the middle lane. No problem, until I see them try to pull right into my lane-without signaling. The car nearly hit me and I swerved out of the way-blaring my horn for the first time. After realizing they almost hit another human, the driver pulled back into the middle lane and then proceeded to merge into my lane AGAIN-but using their blinker this time. Now, I don't like having road rage, but when someone almost hits me twice in a row, that makes me kinda pissed because I actually want to be alive and you know, make it to work. So, I continued to follow behind the car until they moved back into the middle lane. Just because I was curious, I peeked over to see who was driving the car, and to my surprise, a woman stared right back at me. I looked at her with a disgusted look on my face, and kept going. She steered clear of me for the rest of my trip-staying at least a mile behind. (ha) I deal with this kind of nonsense every day and I can't help but wonder why no one knows how to properly drive on the highway? On Interstate 84, there are three lanes. It's supposed to be the slow lane on the right, traveling lane in the middle, and the passing/fast lane on the left. Nope. It's more like this-the right lane is full of trucks and people going under 35 mph, the left lane is basically like having someone ride your bumper going 90 mph, and the middle-well that's always a toss up. I usually try to stick in the left lane because I'm driving for so long, but I always end up behind someone who's going too slow and boxes me in or in front of someone who thinks they belong on The Fast & The Furious. Since there's so much drama on the road, when will walkie talkies be a thing? There's so many apps out there- someone needs to create one where you can talk to other people on the road. Someone cuts you off? Let 'em know. Need to get to the hospital for an emergency? Just scream it to the other drivers. Simple, eh? I constantly think of this when I'm driving and what I'd love to say-and maybe not so much hear- from other drivers around me. Another thing that I can't grasp is how bad the Hartford traffic seems to be every single day. I try to pretend that maybe today will be the day when I don't hit traffic on the way home, but let's face it, I'm just lying to myself. For five exits, I'm stuck at going a speed of (maybe) 5mph. Not to mention, everyone around me also likes to believe the traffic isn't real. There's always a handful of people every day that consistently try to go around all the cars and squeeze their way into spots when the traffic is at a stand-still. Despite all the negativity, I always love the freedom you have when driving. If you have gas in your car, you can go wherever you want. Sometimes I wonder where everyone is going-are they on a road trip, or just going to work? Are they visiting a friend, or running away? It's all very interesting and if it were possible, I think it'd be such a cool experiment to see where and why people were traveling on the highway. I don't mind driving at all-that's what happens when you have to wait four years longer than the rest of your friends to finally get a car. Whenever anyone needs a ride, I'm there. I'm now the first person to offer to drive and I honestly do love driving-this commute just puts me in a bad mood. I really hope people can figure out how to drive for the sake of all of us. These past few months, I've had a crazy amount of practice on the highway and I now know how to work it all and when to merge and such. Friendly reminder: always use your directionals and don't be an asshole. When are there going to be no roads like in Back to the Future? I'll be patiently waiting.