Whenever I hear anyone talking about holiday travel, my mind invariably goes back to my college days when I drove home for Thanksgiving after a particularly crappy semester. My girlfriend had dumped me over the summer, so I was hornier than ever going into junior year, and it was terrible timing because my coursework demanded so much focus. With so much repressed sexual energy and my attention divided, it was no surprise I’d forgotten about some routine vehicle maintenance and found myself in a bit of a jam somewhere between Chicago and Indiana.

As the check engine light flashed and my car started making weird noises, I figured I’d better get off the interstate and find a gas station. As luck would have it, miles ago I’d passed a large travel plaza, but somehow after taking a left off the next exit, I... Read More