The Nervous Driver

I have always been a nervous driver. I almost always drive very slow, and I never try to rush through traffic lights before they turn red. I am usually extremely careful when switching lanes and almost always stay in the right lane, because it is the slowest lane. I seldom venture far from my predetermined route.

On Sunday, however, all of that changed. I went on a short road trip, and I was driving.

As some of you may know, I play lots of video games. I am particularly fond of a game known as World of Warcraft. Because "WoW" is a very social game, it is easy to make friends with your guild members and form strong bonds. WoW players often make at least one good friend within the game. However, these friends rarely live near each other. Many of mine, however, are close enough to Long Island to visit.

Chris, one of my Warcraft friends, recently purchased a new house with his girlfriend. To celebrate, he invited all of his WoW friends in the New York/New Jersey area. Most people don't usually invite internet friends to their homes, but Chris was confident that we would all be respectful. I decided I wanted to go, even though I have never driven to New Jersey before. Two of our other friends wanted to go, but they were unable to drive. I resolved to pick them up because both were (kind of) on my way.

What followed was an adventure, the likes of which I had hardly ever experienced before.

To be continued...

Vocabulary

seldom - a word used to signify that something doesn't happen very often
venture - the verb form of adventure
road trip - a sort of "American" tradition, where friends or family pile into a car and drive a long distance
particularly - similarly to "specifically," or "in particular"
guild - an organization of people with similar interests or pursuits
confident - having self-assurance

Vocabulary Activity

My father used to take myself and my brothers on a ________ down to Pennsylvania.
The Writer's _______ of America is a group of writers who are bonded together by their profession.
I am ________ that you will become adept at English.
Even though I love cake, I ________ eat it, because it is bad for you.
The drive to New Jersey was a difficult ________, but I was able to succeed in getting to my location.
I am ________ fond of chocolate donuts, because other flavors aren't as delicious.

About road trips:

Road trips appear to be a type of American tradition. Families take road trips often because they are less expensive than flying and they allow you to visit other fun locations on the way to your destination. Groups of friends also take trips together because they are inexpensive and provide opportunities for adventure. Visit http://www.roadtripamerica.com/ for road trip ideas!

Some of the most famous films in history were about road trips. Here are some film suggestions:
National Lampoon's Vacation
Little Miss Sunshine
Tommy Boy
Sideways
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle
The Hangover
Beware, not all of these movies are 100% family friendly!

Grammar Point

We use adverbs of frequency to describe how often something happens. As you have read, I am a very safe driver, who rarely makes unsafe decisions on the road. Practice using adverbs of frequency by describing things that you do, whether they be always, never, or somewhere in between.