GETTIN' MY RED(NECK) ON

Yep - I'm a hick. Well, afterall I live in Virginia right? OH - RIGHT! NORTHERN Virginia. OK, so I'm not a hick.

But, every now and then you gotta do something that puts you in touch with the people. You know which people I mean - the ones who voted Bush into office. THOSE people.

So a few weeks ago my S.O. dragged me to the Virginia nether regions (that would be "over the hill and through the woods" to you outsiders) to see a drag race.

Yep - I hung around with the best of them sipping my Diet Coke while on an eternal quest for food that wasn't fried and presented on a stick. I purchased souvenir tank tops touting well-known drivers with all those other race fan spouses - however, mine fit. I wore earplugs (even though they didn't match my outfit) to stop me from going through the rest of my life inquiring "huh?"

Yes. I admit it. I am a snob.

But low and behold, as I wandered around the pits watching burly guys change motors and rev them loudly to test for engine soundness, I started to really enjoy it! I played interactive racing games on full-size simulators! I loved the sounds! The smells! (OK - maybe not the smells.) The rumbling you feel in your bones as a car pulls off the line! This is awesome!!

I want to come back!

But, what's a city girl got to do to get a decent piece of sushi and a martini at one of these things?