The first day of the rest of my life. Or just the new job.

I'm too tired to organize my thoughts (mostly due to the lack of sleep last night caused by nervousness) so I'm giving everything in note details.

*So, what would you imagine a paper would have you cover first day? Something softball? Questions such as "How many cookies did the Girl Scouts sell this year?"

Nah, I was knocking on someone's door in Yuba City and asking, "So, what do you think about that drive-by that happened a few feet from your front door?"

Okay, I wasn't that tough. Chris, one of the photographers, knocked on the first door. Plus, I imagine I'll get at least one phone call from an angry parent of a kid at the charter school less than a block away because I asked about their emergency situations (even though they have an emergency procedure specifically for drive-bys)

*Many thanks to Tom Kelley up in Paradise for the parting gift of a 24-ounce can of Rockstar. Saved my backside. Plus, it caused one bit of unexpected fun.

For those not suicidal (or suffering from enough of a lack of sleep) to ever drink a 24-ounce can of Rockstar, let me explain the can design to you. It's all metal, with a screw top similar to plastic soda bottles. Now, I first opened it in Chico and took a few swigs before taking off for Marysville.

Do the math. Pre-opened container of a carbonated beverage getting sloshed around by the natural process of driving on a state highway in California.

When I opened that sucker in the A-D, it sounded like a frickin' cannon going off. I swear I heard it echo.

*I also got an apartment today in Yuba City. Joy. It's officially mine in two weeks. It's a friggin' sweet one-bedroom.

*I've heard much from people about the drive between Chico and the Marysville/Yuba City metropolitan area. Here's my two cents. Driving down is fine. It can be annoying being stuck behind a truck, but as long as I give myself an hour or so to get there, I'm good.

Driving back, however, is a totally different story. To pretty much every other driver on Highway 70, let me explain the rules of driving, since you've all appear to forget everything in the DMV's handbook. There are three situations when you should NOT have on your high-beams: When you're riding somebody's tailgate, when there's oncoming traffic within a few hundred feet, or it's getting foggy.

I got to deal with all three coming home tonight. At some points, all three simultaneously. Yes, Mr. Darwin, there is a reason God gave us the middle finger.

So all in all, there's my first day at work. Ta-da. This is the end of the post. Move along people, nothing to see here. Scram!