Road Trip!

So, this past weekend, I drove home for Shabbos.
My mother bought a piece of furniture here in the tri-state area, and needed it brought home as soon as possible. We had an off Shabbos, so it worked out. My parents weren't home for Shabbos, but I was able to eat and spend quality time with my relatives, so it was cool.
Originally, another guy who lives in Cleveland was supposed to make the trip with me, but he backed out at the last minute, so I drove by myself. It was long, and tiring, but never boring.
I had my iPod, and though I'm erasing songs already, there's still plenty of music. Enough for a seven hour trip, both ways. So, in an act of unprecedented genius, I decided to put the whole thing on shuffle, and let what came out determine the mood of the trip.
To start, I selected Bubba Sparxxx's song, Deliverance. Bubba is a mediocre rapper ( "He raps like he has Down's Syndrome, dude..." as a friend of mine so succinctly put it once. I agree with him, and hold him at second only to Fifty Cent - who raps like he's William Shatner with a speech impediment - as the worst rapper out there.), but that song happens to be one of the best road trip songs ever.
<----That's the track. Check it out.
After that came a bevy of songs. Rush's Spirit Of Radio. Metallica's One. 311's Amber.

A.O.J.'s Freedom. Atmosphere's Always Coming Home To You. Eric Clapton's Layla. Grateful Dead's Sugaree. ZZ Top's Tush. Matisyahu's Warrior (from the original studio recording Shake Off The Dust...Arise). Acharit Hayamim's Ein Yiush. Shadows Fall's Inspiration On Demand. Tears For Fear's Shout. MC Hammer's Can't Touch This. Beastie Boys' Intergalactic Planetary. Bob Marley's Stir It Up. Pearl Jam's Even Flow. Youngblood Brass Band's The Movement.

Nonpoint's Endure. Victor Wooten's Victa. Chimaira's Implements Of Destruction. Rebbe Shlomo's Hisna'ari. Jaco Pastorius's Portrait Of Tracy ( which has some of the sickest harmonics ever!).

Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell ( which is an awesome song but feels like it goes on forever...). Reva L'Sheva's Wedding Rings.
Anyhow, you can see there was a large variety of music going on.
About halfway through the trip - which comprises of tearing through Pennsylvania on the 80 West for over close to 500 miles - I started to feel very, very drowsy. The music only affected that feeling even worse; at that point, I was listening to very atmospheric samples and sound effects courtesy of the Mars Volta ( their song's are retarded sometimes with all the crap they throw in at the end...). I needed a boost. I was driving alone, and I didn't want anything to happen.
I pulled into the next rest stop and made myself a cocktail consisting of two cans of Red Bull and a couple of Excedrin ( for those of you who don't know, Excedrin is an over the counter pain killer that is loaded with caffeine. It's for migraines and all night cramming). Next thing I know, I'm back on the 80, doing 95 miles an hour, and my hands are shaking like a belly dancer with Parkinson's. Pantera's Strength Beyond Strength segues straight into Metallica's Hit The Lights. Next comes Rage Against The Machine's Testify followed by Sepultura's Roots Bloody Roots. At this rate, I figure I'll be home much sooner than expected.
Of course, as an unforseen side effect of my alchemy with the Red Bull and Excedrin, for the duration of the trip I had to stop almost every forty minutes to pee.
Shabbos was very nice. It was good to be home, despite the fact that my folks weren't. I bonded with my cousin, and got to see the few friends I still have in Cleveland.
The ride back was pretty uneventful. I got stuck in a nasty snarl of traffic for an hour and a half. The Beatle's Hey Jude came on, and I had a good time blaring it at the loudest with the windows down. The car next to me even helped sing along to the na na na na nanananaaaaa part. Run D.M.C.'s Bounce took the edge off of the waiting, creeping along at less than 5 mph. A Tribe Called Quest perked me up with Buggin' Out. Queen's We Are The Champions came next, followed by Rakim's Microphone Fiend.
After the traffic, I picked the pace back up, reflected by Audioslave's Set It Off. 12 Stones rocked out with Far Away. I stopped to refill my tank and use the bathroom, and once I was back on the road, my sister called me.
While I was talking to her, I noticed that the whole car stank like gas. Was there a leak? Were fumes filling up the car? How can I tell? In a whirling moment of ridiculousness, I lit up my lighter. Maybe this in fact was a stupid idea, being that if my car was indeed filling up with gas fumes, I could kill myself. Huh. I'm still here, though...
I got in safely after a grueling eight and a half hours. It was lonely, but I kept myself company. I'm glad I did it. It's an accomplishment, and I do enjoy driving...
See you later...