Lots of people told me how it was going to be, but there’s something about human nature that doesn’t allow us to comprehend an idea until we’ve experienced it ourselves. The transition from barely full-time student to full-time employee took some time to make, leaving me anxious for a few days off and a road trip to relive the college days.

I went from sleeping late, eating a relaxed lunch at one of several favorite local establishments, attending a class or two and maybe some studying – maybe – before hanging out with friends and doing all over again. Now, it’s waking up early seven days a week, eating a lunch I prepared myself earlier in the day in order to save me a few minutes to get more work can be done, and, usually, working late before doing it all over again.

There have been plenty of holidays since I began work here in December 2006, but Monday marked the beginning of my first weeklong vacation. Of course, the prospect of such is enough to make the old frontal lobe work overtime to come up with some possible destinations. First, there was a plan to visit a cousin in San Francisco. I’ve never been West of Louisiana, so this was an exciting possibility until something else came up:

Then, I changed my mind and decided I would visit a friend in Charlotte. This was going to be a lot of fun. Two friends and myself would drive up on Friday after work, take in a performance by our favorite band and drive back on Sunday, enough time for my passengers to go back to work and for me to go somewhere else on my vacation. Then my company started dropping like flies. One changed his mind and the other realized he didn’t have the funds necessary for such a trip. I can’t really blame him. Without anyone to help with gas, the 6-plus-hour trip would have cost me $250 or more.

So, I called it off and instead departed Monday for Mandeville, La., where some other college buddies call home. I’ll surely enjoy my vacation, but I’m guessing I’ll arrive back home much poorer and with a realization that road trips ain’t what they used to be.