Slide or Die

Ahh race season…. Such a wonderful time of year!
The track that this certain event is held is a 5 hour drive from work or home. I left from work at 4 p.m. and finally arrived at 9 p.m.
Saturday was a beautiful brisk day and I arrived to a race track already buzzing with life. This was the largest turnout that NASA has had nationwide!
I spent a lot of time walking around greeting new faces and welcoming back old ones. I ventured over to the drifting track to find a friend from home. We ate lunch together and I recorded a few of his trips around the course. It always looks like so much fun…. tires screaming, smoke rolling and the car pitching precarious sideways. The rear end sliding from left to right and back again, trying hard to keep the car on the track and not to turn the car in a complete circle. Does this sound familiar? It should! This is the same friend that almost got arrested while taking me on a joy ride in his newly built monster. Richie decided that he shouldn’t drive it on the road but take it to track events (on a trailer) where driving sideways is expected and welcomed and LEGAL. (video coming soon)
The rest of the day went well. I tried to sell some t-shirts and catch up with some old friends. By the time dinner and trophy time came around I was a bit tired but I couldn’t let that show! Before heading back to the hotel. I was asked to give go to the paddock and give a special award to a 3rd place winner that hadn't shown at the party. He was a 15 year old!! He was surprised!
That evening, I decided to hang out with Richie and a few of his friends. We all piled in my car for a quick tour of Danville….All mile and a half of it. We chose Ruby Tuesdays as a spot for a few drinks, ate a bit and went back to the hotel for the evening.
On Sunday I was awakened with a text from Richie telling me to get up quick. We had to leave for home ASAP because the weather was about to turn ugly. I wasn’t very happy about having to get up early. I had plans of sleeping in, stopping at the track to say goodbye and having a leisurely drive home. We hit the road at 8:30 a.m. and we got home around 1:30. We drove in a pack; Richie and his trailer in front of me and his friend with truck and trailer behind me. The roads were completely iced by the time we rolled into Northern Virginia. When we left Danville there was a slight drizzle and the temperature was about 45 degrees. It made me want to turn around and drive south again. Once again I was happy to have left my winter tires on my car and skip driving on the track.
By the time I got home I was grouchy and irritable from lack of sleep. I was unnerved from driving on an interstate with semi trucks and every old person on earth in the middle of an ice storm. I wanted to hit the side roads and take my chances with the fresh powder rather than risk a pile up. I was positive we were going to be stuck on the interstate for hours while emergency vehicles drove past us cleaning up bodies. But Richie asked me to stick to the interstate and not head off on a side road. So I did, and here I am all safe and sound in my little blue cubicle.
Anyway, Monday is Monday and we all know how fun they are. I’m not feeling well today. I really hope I’m not catching that stomach flu that is going around. And if I do…well I hope I loose 5 pounds. I think I gained a little on my few weeks off from dancing.
Have a great day… I’m gonna go home and sleep.