A minor irritation...

can quickly become a major one.

Some examples:

Interstate 66 in Northern VA is without a doubt one of the worst stretches of our Interstate Highway System in the United States.

Five days a week one can witness a 20+ mile congestion east bound. The depth and breadth of the stupidity exhibited in the design of this horrid stretch of road is staggering. The utter lack of planning and foresight (thats a funny word) causes spastic fits in most of the region's drivers that dare to ply the asphalt mistake.

The "clover leaf" interchanges are not the typical type at all. Rather than a true four leaf clover many of them have at-grade intersections which require one to wait for a traffic light then proceed. Yeah, really, that makes perfect sense, to nobody in particular.

Add to this another brilliant design; the interchanges that feed into it are often 2 lane ramps with no traffic metering to temper the flow. In effect everyone dog piles onto I-66 all at once.

The next peeve; Virginia State Police; they sit on the shoulder...watching...waiting...sulking....dreaming of doughnuts, looking for HOV lane scoff laws so they can write them an expenseive piece of paper. Oh, did I mention that due to their vigilance the Knuckle dragging Neanderthals who plod up and down the road on the way to their jobs slow down to look at the fine Office resplendent in their charcoal gray trooper lid.

As Miagi used to say: FOCUS DANIEL-SAN!

Next up; Hybrid drivers. I hate them, for their smugness, their inherently poor financial sense (who the hell in their right mind would buy one of these things without first doing the goddamn math??) And the final insult, they can travel all by their smug, lonesome selves secure in the knowledge they get a bloody pass from the Commonwealth for purchasing a Hybrid when they should also be relegated to driving in the same lanes the other single drivers use. No, the state deems them heroes and they must be rewarded.

The last and certainly not the least of the problems with I-66; The aforementioned Knuckle dragging Neanderthals who actually utilize the utterly ridiculous roadway.

Here's a protip; If you can't walk and chew gum at the same time put down the phone and stop talking/texting, applying makeup, reading and generally doing everything BUT doing what you're supposed to be doing. My wife will attest to my dismay and disgust at them. There have been quite a few times when we approach some doofus flapping her gums to her friend, no doubt telling her about the last episode of American Idol or some other innocuous BS. So, I saddle up along side her and she's oblivious to her surrondings when I hit the horn. BEEEEEP! She's officially upset. She flips us the bird, the wife responds and yells something about paying attention and some other expletive. We win.

Is this going to change? Not one wit. It will be this way forever but I can take comfort in the fact in my 24+ years behind the wheel and 10 years in Northern Virginia I have seen many things and driven through all kinds of weather and never had a single problem getting the two very most important people in the world home safely.

I forgot to mention every time I approach the ramp and prepare to merge my wife grabs the "Oh shit" handle and I giggle at the fact I have to change 6 completely congested lanes to reach the hallowed HOV lane then I usually do it in one calculated motion.