Welcome back! Glad you made it?

For most students, returning to Auburn to start classes, the headaches are few and painless. Moving one's stuff into their dorm or apartment, getting a parking pass, making sure they have all the right classes, etc. For some though, there is a giant headache that comes before all those miniscule ones. So if you spent your summer somewhere other than Alabama, you know that the true migraine of school's starting is the road trip to get here.

For me, this trip was about 20 hours of driving, thankfully broken up into two parts this time. From Massachusetts to New York and New York to Auburn, with a car full of all my worldly belongings, I sped along through day and night.

For those of you who have never experienced this kind of very long trip, here's a few helpful suggestions to keep you from going into a permanent state of mind numbness:

Tapes are a must! Unless you are one of those lucky not-so-poor college students among us, who has a nice CD player in the car, then tapes will be your best friends on a long drive. Radio stations will flicker and die out in what will seem like no time, as you speed by the bigger cities. The key is to have a huge variety, or else the mind will wander (or fall asleep!). The craziest mixes you can imagine are your best bet. And sing along! People may look at you funny, but it's much better than the looks you'd get when you nod off and end up in a ditch!

KARL SEBELIUS

Food is your savior. It's much harder to fall asleep when you're munching away at something! Pack a cooler with fruits (apples, plums and grapes are my favorites), pop tarts, granola bars, candy, chocolate, soda, a sandwich, and juice. Plop it in the foot well of the passenger seat, so as to keep it cool and easily accessible.

Remember to check your gauges! Every time you change highways or tapes, on the hour every hour, or just whenever you think of it: check those dashboard dials to which you rarely pay any attention. This will keep you from letting your beloved automobile overheat, run out of gas, or be pursued by those infamous red and blue flashing lights!

If you take my simple advice to heart, perhaps you too will survive your road trip, and have a better appreciation for when people say, "Welcome back. Glad you made it!"