turning left

ok, so i'm a firm believer in my credo. clearly, 'cause who has a credo that they don't espouse? but i digress...

i'll try anything once.*

in the spirit of upholding my credo, i attended my very first nascar race last weekend. needless to say, it was an experience. i came upon a free ticket and i figured when else am i going to live in a town that has a track. so i went. in a word, wow.

10 things i learned about nascar:
1. everyone has a favorite driver. and if you don't, you pretend.
2. jorts (read: knee-length acid washed men's jeans) are what the cool cats wear.
3. miller high life really is the champagne of beers.
4. corn hole is a cool game (http://www.playcornhole.org/). no, it really is.
5. commencing drinking at noon for a 7:30 PM race is "getting started late".
6. sporting an american flag string bikini when you're a 65-year-old gigumbi is perfectly acceptable.
7. you really can bring your own beer with you into the race. i wish other sporting events were so accomodating.
8. earplugs are a must if you don't want to do permanent damage to your hearing.
9. a single race produces more pollutants than the city of richmond does in an entire month (i made this up, but the thickness of the exhaust was pretty shocking).
10. nascar is to the southeast what rodeo is to texas. if you didn't grow up with it, you just won't get it.

i kept thinking that everyone in the crowd knew something i didn't. no offense to nascar fans, but i just don't understand why watching dudes drive fast in a circle is exciting. but, to each his own.

*with some exceptions, of course, which include but are not limited to the following: intravenous drugs, consuming entrails and the like, prostutution...you get the idea.