Vulpine said:
I used to be like that when I lived in California. I think it's something in the water, like amphetamines, but it's all about hypertension out there. Then, when I moved back to Wisconsin it was like *Ahhhhh.....* I can take a nap when I'm driving or anything else really. I still get pissed off at idiots holding up the show though... and say "dude" a lot.
Same here. Almost 40 years in Orange County. Was always in a hurry and always pissed at something. I'd walk out of doctor's offices, grocery stores - anybody that kept me waiting too long. I got to the point where I couldn't handle sitting on the freeway 3 hours a day not moving. 90 minutes each way to go 12 miles - it just sucked.
Now I live in a rural area of Spokane, WA, and all the stress, road rage, and being in a hurry is gone. My job is still down in OC, but I only go there for a week once every couple months.
It's a whole different world here in Spokane. People wave to strangers, talk to each other in grocery stores, ask about your kids, etc. My first winter here, some lady was stuck in the snow and 4 people pulled over to help her. It's still a little weird that everywhere I go, people start with "Hi, Mark...", but I'm getting used to it.
Problem solved for me. I tell people that I'm just a visitor to the rat race now, and I'm not going back, ever.
Oh, and unlike parts of the south and midwest, nobody looks at me funny here for saying "dude" a lot.
