deja vu

It was the absolute opposite of last week's glorious drive to work. I was driving in stop-and-go traffic, in the dark, on a day that was drizzly and gray and made the roads slick. I was in a foul mood because a meeting at work had run long and an "emergency" had cropped up, so instead of leaving work right before the worst traffic time, and stopping at home for a quick sandwich before going to the neighborhood association meeting, I had to drive to the meeting directly to the office, with a stop at the only fast-food place on the highway to pick up greasy fast food that I ate while driving. The SUV directly behind me kept veering slightly to the left so that headlight glare reflected in my side mirror and threatened to give me a headache. The window was half-rolled down to rid the car of the fast-food smell. I was the world's biggest crankypants.

And oddly enough, the shuffle on my MP3 player decided it was time for Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" again. I had no desire to shriek with joy or to floor the pedal, as I was crawling along at a snail's pace anyway. It seemed like the absolute wrong time for the song. But suddenly, out of nowhere, crawling down the highway, I had the sudden urge to roll down the window all the way and start shouting, "Tonight only! From Chicago, the fabulous Blues Brothers at the Palace Hotel Ballroom! Rhythm and blues review! One night only!"

That just made me laugh, and as the song ended, I finally was able to exit the highway and turn onto a much less crowded road. I was so amused, I played the song again. The weather and the winding road made it impossible to go very quickly, but it was a clear road and I felt a lot better.

Sometimes it's good to be a film geek. You can find comfort in the oddest places.

Posted at December 19, 2006 10:32 PM