Living in the Deep South

Hello, world. My new blogging sister has shamed me into updating as she is so on the ball.

Fun new events in the life of Lizzie - I started my job, I confirmed that I do actually love my job. I found the most wonderful roommates in the world to live - Kelly and Brendan, they are newest addition to my urban family. I walk about three miles a day thanks to my new pledge to only use mass transportation. I'm thinking this is just a whim and may well pass in the next few weeks.

As a new Virginian, I've noticed a few things about this backward state:
- on I-66 it seems like every damn lane is marked as an HOV lane, but everyone's in the car by themselves.
- they sell beer and wine in the GROCERY stores! The GROCERY STORES!!!! Where any little child or impetuous teenager can get their hands on it. Crazier yet - the liquor stores, which are all strangely run by the state, only sell hard liquor, making them a tremendous fire hazard.
- The sales tax varies by county.
- Route 7/Leesburg Pike magically connects every road in the state.
- The Mixing Bowl is the Bermuda Triangle of acceptable commute times - you get in there and all dreams of driving for less than two hours fly out the window.
- No one has southern accents.
- The roads are all named after colonial heroes and Civil War tragic heroes.
- Virginia's urban planners apparently tried to make the most confusing intersections possible, and succeeded - Example, Seven Corners.
- There's a tragic lack of Blockbusters, and a gross overabundance of 7-11s and BB&T branches.
- There are signs at intersections reading "Don't Block the Box." Does anyone else think that's a little dirty?
- Northern Virginia shouldn't even really have Virginia in the name - it has nothing to do with the rest of the state.