I HATE LA (TRAFFIC)

Earlier this week we took a four day road trip to Southern California. I figured it was a little over 80 hours total & I swear we spent at least 20 of those hours sitting in traffic! For as long as I can remember the traffic in Los Angeles has been horrendous. If you think it is bad in Sacramento, it is a piece of cake compared to SoCal. Even the Bay Area can't hold a candle to having constant gridlock on six, eight or ten freeways in the southland at any given time.

My first recollection of LA traffic was back when I was a kid & my family drove to Disneyland. Even then, it was the classic kid's whine, "Are we there yet?" Twenty-five years later my son improved on the traditional line of frustrated kids who have spent hours in the car when he huffed & sighed saying, "Why don't we just stop driving around & go there?"

Back about 48 years ago I married a man who was from Southern California & still had family residing around the Los Angeles area. We made monthly trips down south leaving after work on Fridays & returning Sunday afternoons. After years of doing this, I really learned to hate LA, which wasn't hard. The main factor was the traffic - I won't go into some of the other reasons - you can use your imagination. Not to mention that being a life long Bay Area sports fan, hating the Dodgers & the Lakers & the Rams is just in your DNA.

Lou has taken a few trips to LA by himself to visit things that didn't interest me. After his last one about a year ago, he told me that the traffic was so bad, he swore there was no way he would drive down there again. But yet here we were sitting in god awful traffic for hours on end. It's one of those things that is like having a baby - you have to forget how truly bad it was before you are willing to do it again.

Honestly, I'm one of those people who believes that California should be divided into two states, North California & South California, just like North & South Dakota or North & South Carolina. There is no way that all the bullshit of southern California should be lumped in with our beautiful northern state.

In fairness, I can sort of see the appeal of the mild weather, the beaches & the entertainment industry. BUT just a few hours in the interminable traffic puts a real damper on the nicer things. On this trip we had tickets to a Jeopardy taping which was lots of fun. After watching a young man named Ryan win over $60,000 on three "days", all in about 2-1/2 hours with several costume changes, we drove over to the coast to Santa Monica.

It was beautiful with lovely weather. After a late lunch back in Culver City, we decided to have ice cream for dinner along the Third Street Promenade area of Santa Monica. We hopped in the car about 5:30 PM to drive the 8 miles back to our hotel. Our GPS told us that the trip would take 16 minutes. Yeah, right. We knew that wouldn't happen as we entered the gridlock of the 110 on our way to the 405. Why do southern Californians call their freeways "the 405" or "the 110"? We don't say get on "the 80" or take "the 5". That just sounds stupid.

Anyway, back on "the 110", Lou made the comment with a hint of sarcasm in his voice that we should make it back to the hotel to watch Jeopardy by 7 PM. Turns out he was wrong. It literally took us two hours to drive 8 miles during rush hour. Well, lets say it took 1-1/2 hours since I really had to pee after an hour & we spent half an hour just getting off the freeway to head into a mall where we could find a bathroom. Los Angeles is not restroom friendly unless you buy something.

We arrived back at our hotel just as Jeopardy ended. I immediately poured a glass of wine & plopped on the bed to relax. I have no idea how people do this every single day commuting to work AND then if you want to do something fun on the weekend it is the same damn thing - traffic, traffic & more traffic!

The next morning as we left for home we had to do it all again. The 405 was stop & go for miles - uh, what else is new? As the traffic began to thin through the San Fernando Valley, I sighed in relief. In another few hours we would be out of the crazy ass traffic in SoCal - & none too soon. Did I mention that I hate LA traffic???

SHERRY STRONG

Most of you know that I am a huge sports fan which includes NASCAR. Years ago Lou commented that the song, "She Don't Love Me More Than NASCAR", was perfect for me! Nah, I love him a little more. For twenty plus years my favorite driver was Jeff Gordon. Jeff retired a couple years ago so I switched my allegiance to Carl Edwards. I liked Tony Stewart, too. At the end of that year, both Tony & Carl retired. What the hell?

I had a hard time getting into NASCAR early this year. All of my favorite drivers were gone. The new rules like stage racing & time limits on repairs seemed contrived & unnecessary. I had always liked Martin Truex, Jr., who drove for one of the lesser teams that didn't stand much chance of winning consistently. But I went ahead & settled on Martin as my current favorite. He is a really good guy, a great driver & seemed to be an upstanding citizen which is more than I can say for many of the current leading drivers. There are a bunch of really young drivers who could all be my grandsons but none grabbed my fancy as a new fave.

As I learned more about Martin Truex, Jr. these past couple of years, I discovered his long time girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, & her incredible story. Three years ago, at age 35, Sherry was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer. Her prognosis was grim. She underwent hours of extensive surgery followed by 17 months of exhausting chemotherapy. Here is an excerpt from her website - SherryStrong.org

"But as family and friends know, Pollex has a stubborn streak and doesn’t take kindly to being told she can’t do something. With Truex Jr. and family by her side, she fought for her life, and chose a doctor who would fight alongside her. Within days, she underwent a radical hysterectomy and debulking surgery expected to last four hours that instead lasted seven grueling hours as her surgeon painstakingly removed every trace of cancer he could see with the human eye.

"During the 17 months of treatment that followed, supporters cheered her on by using #SherryStrong via social media. Each message reminded her to fight and inspired a new reason to live."

I have watched Sherry, a truly beautiful woman inside & out, these past couple of years at NASCAR races. She has been there to support Martin with her two inch blonde hair & brilliant smile every step of the way. In 2017 Martin has had a storybook year in NASCAR winning seven races (a series high) & is the front runner to win the overall championship in a few weeks.

Sherry knew that her chances weren't good but she refuses to "live by the numbers".  The rate of recurrence for ovarian cancer is 85% in the first three years. Sherry made it one year & four months before the cancer returned this past September. At home recovering from surgery when Martin won race number six, Sherry tweeted her congratulations with a photo. When talking about Sherry in the post race interview, Martin became emotional & teary at the strength & support he receives from her.

Once again following surgery, Sherry is undergoing chemo but she was present for Martin's seventh win two weeks ago. The smile of this gorgeous, courageous woman is infectious. Her bravery is inspirational. Sherry & Martin have a foundation to educate & promote cancer research. I urge you all to take a look at her website: SherryStrong.org.

My love of NASCAR has been revitalized due to Martin & Sherry. Yes, I'm cheering big time for Martin Truex, Jr. to win the NASCAR championship this year. But I'm rooting even harder for Sherry Pollex to win her fight against ovarian cancer & be there at Martin's side for years & years to come. They are an amazing, heartwarming couple who are doing great things in the fight again this horrible disease.

This is exactly why I love sports! There is so much more to sporting events than the final score or number of wins. The stories behind the competitors & their families make them the real winners - not of the race, the game or the event, but of life!

If you want to read more, here is Martin's story: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/martin-truex-jr-nascar-cancer/