Staying Awake on Long Drives

As I get ready to make a 3:30 am departure for my 6 am flight from Indy to DC, I'm reminded of someone asking me, "how do you stay awake on those long drives?" Well, the answer for me is listening to audio books and singing. The book has to engage my mind or imagination in order for it to work, but it's better than needing to change the radio station every 150 miles (obviously I don't have satallite radio!) I've found that singing works really well because it requires me to think and to be physically engaged. If I find a good classical station with opera or a great symphony, that usually forces me to stay awake as well. Sometimes talk radio works if it's really entertaining - like the old radio shows, which are now limited to pretty much just the Prarie Home Companion. I do love Ira Glass and This American Life on NPR - he picks some of the most obscure and interesting stories. If all else fails, I leave the radio on my favorite station: "SCAN" - 3 seconds of each song is enough for me to recognize it and move on. ;-)

Just for you (and please don't judge me based on my song choice) here's a little of what I do to keep myself awake in the car...





My college voice teacher would probably kill me if she ever found these!!! She trains opera singers, not cheesy pop and spiritual singers!!!