So...Orange

I got back from my Thanksgiving travels last night late. My feet hurt. My ass was kind of numb. And I was probably a bit punch drunk from being in the car for however many hours it took me to get from Knoxville to Durham, with detours through Morganton, NC and Hickory, NC. A fellow's got to eat, after all. Plus, his wife and kids, too, I suppose.

I must say, though, I really like Tennessee. This was my second real visit to the Volunteer State (I've driven through several times before). There's a different sort of atmosphere there. It might actually be a bit more friendly. I'm not sure.

One thing I do know, though: The price of premium grade gasoline in Tennessee was cheaper than the price of regular grade gasoline in North Carolina. And yet, they still talk about raising our gas taxes here in the Old North State, mostly to cover up the millions of dollars the last governor stole from the cookie jar while he was in office.

The other thing about Tennessee: There's a lot of orange. It's a combination thing, though. There's the clay-enriched soils of the southeast that are very, very orange. That, coupled with the University of Tennessee's home colors, orange and white, make for a state that's really, really effing orange. This is not to say that I dislike the University of Tennessee; I'm just not a fan of their colors is all. It's...so orange. While this wouldn't normally be an issue, orange is perhaps my least favorite color.

However, unlike North Carolina, there wasn't an abundance of cones and barrels left sitting alongside the roads as a testament to half-abandoned road work projects. Here in North Carolina, our road construction motto is "Yeah, we'll get to that later." Annoying.

I don't know if any of you live in Tennessee, but if you do, here's to kissing your state's ass. I love it. If the commute wasn't hell, I'd live there, but six hours is a little much to ask a fellow to drive, no matter how much he enjoys his job.

I just wish it wasn't so orange...