Day Twelve

Morning: The line was long this morning, but I didn't mind. The weather was nice (always good when the sun isn't up yet) and I kept myself amused with the license plates that came through the lot. There was a man who came through in a silver Saturn Vue. He had a University of Michigan frame around his Virginia license plate and I chuckled when I saw it (as did the man standing next to me). Appalachian State beat Michigan ... I love it.
Another was a Virginia plate as well, but it had a Florida State Seminole theme. It said: "I H8 UF" Oh, college football, how I missed thee.
My ride was a brand new BMW. I didn't catch the model, but it was pretty. It was black with a black interior. I almost spilled my coffee getting in (could have been a nightmare). I usually use a Starbucks mug that's awesomely leak-proof. I'm confident enough to throw it into my bag with my computer. But my mug was dirty and I had to grab another that's not as reliable. Thankfully, I caught myself before it happened and I don't think the driver noticed anything.
We hit traffic as soon as we hit the highway.
The woman driver and the guy who got into the passenger seat knew each other. I don't know if they were neighbors or if I was experiencing the beauty of the slug line. People just get to know each other.
Apparently, the driver (who works in Stafford) was heading up north for an interview for a new job. She never said what it was, so I can't claim I know any special people who are privy to government secrets. The passenger said his wife has a new job but just got offered a position somewhere else with higher pay. She wants to take it, but, as the man pointed out, this is her third job in two years ... that doesn't look good on a resume. I silently agreed. The talk soon turned to resumes which I know enough about so I tuned out for a while.
School has started, so they started talking about their kids. They both have sons who play football, though they never mentioned how old they were so I don't know if its middle or high school football (yes, the middle schools here have football teams). The passenger mentioned how he made brownies for his son's first day of school. I had to hold back a chuckle. I just found the idea of this man — dressed up in his Army uniform — making brownies in the kitchen amusing.
Soon conversation ended and the man in the passenger seat fell asleep. I sipped on my coffee (it was overflowing and I was paranoid from the near-spill accident earlier) and listened to the traffic/news station the woman was tuned to until we got to the Pentagon.
Evening: My ride home was miserable. I was in a tan sedan (didn't catch the make or model) with two men who knew each other and a woman who had been waiting in line with me.
The two men talked the whole ride home. They were talking about working at the Pentagon, their kids, the different schools in the area, commuting and Colorado Springs. The woman in the back next to me broke a slugging rule by talking on her cell phone — the ENTIRE TIME! I couldn't believe it. Apparently (from what I gather from her side of the conversation) she was in D.C. for a court date. Seems she was in a fender bender. She wasn't just talking to one person, though. She would get off the phone with one person then call someone else. I guess it's a good thing the two guys in the front were talking because, otherwise, someone could have gotten yelled at.
I so badly wanted to sleep, but everyone was talking and it was so hot in the car, I just couldn't do it. The AC was on, but I guess the vents weren't really pointed to the back. It was so hot and stuffy and the smell wasn't pleasant either. I couldn't wait to get out of the car. I practically ran out when we got back to the commuter lot.