HOW MANY CALORIES DOES DRIVING USE?

I've driven across the United States.

Literally.

More than once.

When my parents divorced, my dad moved back to Kalamazoo (isn't that a great name for a city?), Michigan and my mom stayed in Los Angeles.

When we lived in Maryland, we drove back to Oregon to visit my mother-in-law one summer - and my oldest child and I drove back to Idaho when she began college.

We moved from Maryland to Arizona - and I've driven to Seattle from here.

So a mealy little two hour trip to Douglas and back should be easy, right?

But somehow when the trip is preceded by having my problem-child come stay the night before (couch out, another person to feed, watching MTV videos) and then driving with her to the Social Security office in Douglas for a two-hour disability interview, driving BACK, dropping her off, finding out the prescription for my regular sleeping medication has NOT been approved by the doctor's office OR the insurance companies, so I am cetain to get only a couple of hours sleep tonight.....

I feel like I have lost ten pounds.... of brain matter.