Feeling tired, angry and stressed? Here's how not to drive like it.

Sometimes when you’re out on the road it’s easy to lose one’s temper. We've all experienced the horn blaring, cursing, aggressive driving road rage beast before, whether it was ourselves or someone else with the bad attitude. You can avoid submitting to a cranky temper with these tips:

Sleep. Seriously, sleep. A full night. No excuses. Everyone is a grouch when they don’t get enough sleep, this is just a given.

Plan ahead! It’s okay to leave early. This gives you time to be able to conquer unforeseen road difficulties without the stress.

Treat rude behavior the same way you would in a restaurant. Would you lose your cool over someone cutting you off in line at a bodega?

Probably not – it would be embarrassing. We are isolated in our cars, and feel a false sense of privacy and security while there. The truth is, everyone can see you flipping the bird and just a head’s up – nobody needs to be a lip reader to know what words you’re using.

The coolest way to save gas? Don't be a drag!

You've probably been told that you can save gas by turning off your air conditioning and rolling down your windows. No matter what, turning off the AC helps your gas mileage more than it hurts.  But it’s not so black and white when it comes to windows!  Cars are designed to slice through the air, so depending on your speed, rolling your windows down could slow you down. To avoid aerodynamic drag, keep ‘em rolled up if you’re traveling more than 40MPH.

Fun Summer Event: NC Museum of History State Exhibit

Photos: NC Museum of History

The North Carolina Museum of History is hosting its largest exhibit ever, The Story of North Carolina. As the title suggests, this exhibit is all about North Carolina: how it started, who started it, what changes it has gone through, and what its distinguishing features are. The result is a massive series of artifacts, multimedia presentations, dioramas, interactive components, and full-size immersive constructs that span more than 14,000 years of the state’s history.

It’s a herculean undertaking to portray even a decade of history, much less 14 millennia. There are a nearly fathomless number of stories, people, places, and events to explore in that time. The historical experts have worked very hard, however, to create an exhibit that offers a variety of elements so that visitors are neither overwhelmed nor underserved.

We have visited this exhibit ourselves, and learned a lot about North Carolina. There are so many names that we hear while traveling around the state—Morehead, Blount, Cary, Cameron, Hargett, McDowell—that it’s easy to forget that these names are prominent because they involve important events. As you learn more about different areas in Raleigh, and cities throughout the state, it can make you more conscious of your place in a larger story.

Feeling connected with something larger than one’s self can give people a stronger sense of meaning and purpose. Learning more about your surroundings builds a sense of personal connection, which in turn promotes happiness. A good way then to feel better about your life is to take a look at what’s around you. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

The Story of North Carolina is a free exhibit, and a great reason to visit our state’s capital. Parking is available for free on the weekends and weekday evenings. Nearby is the legislative building, Capitol building, and plenty of restaurants if you need to recharge (we especially recommend Oakwood Café and Centro). Happy learning!