Ace of cakes and the state of drivers in the U.S.

For anyone not a frequent Food Network watcher, I highly recommend it. Like other networks, there are some unfortunate shows, but really the only one of which I am not a fan is Paula Deen. Paula Deen actively makes foods more fattening, which is hard to watch. Last show I'm pretty sure she took a hamburger and deep fried it. I do believe that is the antithesis of healthy cooking, or for that matter even cooking that doesn't cause an instant heart attack. She also makes compound butter - which she describes as butter with "goodies" in it. Goodies being cheese. So she is combining butter and cheese. Again, my arteries are screaming. Anyhow, aside from Paula Deen, the best show on the Food Network (in my opinion) is Ace of Cakes. Being a Baltimorean, I really appreciate any attribution to our city that doesn't focus on homicide, STDs, or drug trafficking/use. This show goes 3/3. Duff Goldman, the bakery's chef, graduated pastry school and decided to start making cakes for friends and family. His cakes went above and beyond- lights, spinning objects, general debauchery - and as a result he decided to open up his own bakery here in Baltimore on Remington Avenue in March 2000. Duff's cakes are absolutely amazing - he bakes for any event you can imagine, and his staff are "eleven friends who make cakes, listen to music, and eat a lot of sushi." This is a place I could work. The show basically chronicles the most exciting projects of the group, with new shows airing Sundays at 10pm and additional episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10pm. You can see a whole gallery of cakes here - so many of them look like artwork more than cake, but most everything is edible on all of the bakery's creations. After stumbling on the bakery when I got lost driving home from work one day, I basically freaked out and took 10-15 pictures. Unfortunately you can't go inside without an appointment, so I could only look longingly at the doors. The best part was that I basically only found the bakery due to the heinous traffic on the JFX, which forced me to exit and take an alternative route home. I have had constant amusement driving to and from work, mostly in the form of people that don't know how to drive in a city or otherwise. Driving 35 miles an hour on a highway is generally unacceptable in most places. Completely stopping on the on or off ramp, also unadvisable. Travelling with small dogs on your lap, I would think, would obscure your vision and general motor coordination, and it is also common courtesy to close your trunk when driving. Two major issues the American public needs to tackle are the blinking road work sign and the parking garage. The blinking road work sign, placed to the right of the road in the shoulder, is typically there to warn drivers of road work, lane closings, or future driving impedences. Most recently, this sign was used to warn Baltimore drivers of the closing of the Mt. Royal exit on 83 South due to Artscape. The sign was placed about 2 miles ahead of the exit on Monday (Artscape began the Friday after). Each subsequent day, Tuesday-Thursday. Traffic backed up from the sign itself to the Northern Parkway exit at which many get on the highway, about 3-4 miles in total. Honestly, there is no need to slow down to the point that traffic stops. Its as if everyone is like instantly reacts with "FLASHING LIGHTS, OH MY GOD, BRAKE!" The panic instilled in everyone is completely unnecessary, and could be completely avoided if everyone would just drive at an appropriate speed past the sign. Once I make it past that and get into the parking garage, it gets even better. The 7 story parking deck at work is primarily packed with patients (I work in a hospital), doctors, and students. It is blatantly obvious once entering the garage (as easily judged by the 8-9 car line waiting to get in each day), that you are not going to find a parking spot on one of the lower levels. Thought process says to drive quickly to the upper level, and park. The only problem that many people seem to have with this is the additional 60 feet they would have to walk to get to the elevator. So, they inch along at about 5 miles per hour through the first five levels of the garage, clinging to the hope that they may find a closer spot. Needless to say, not the smartest of choices.