Hazelnut Reflections: Driving the Friday Five

Friday, September 01, 2006

Driving the Friday Five

via the RevGals, as always:

1. Driving: an enjoyable way to clear the mind? a means to an end? a chance to be quiet with one's thoughts? a necessary evil? the downfall of our planet and its fossil fuels? Discuss. I have a love/hate relationship with driving. On the one hand, in a city without regular public transportation that goes where I need it to go, it's a means to an end. And I admit to enjoying being out on the open road--especially backroads highways. OTOH, I don't like the costs--societal, financial, and personal. I grew up riding public transportation in Chicago--living out West for graduate school finally forced me to embrace the automobile.

2. Do you drive the speed limit? A little faster? Slower? Have you ever gotten a ticket? Eh, a little faster.

3. Do you take public transportation? When? What's your opinion of the experience? One of the things I love about Chicago and St. Louis is being able to take various forms of trains. And one of the reasons I love going to England and other parts of Europe is to take lots of trains. Lots and lots of trains. Buses, I'm not so fond of. I even enjoy the occasional Amtrak adventure. And I love tooling around San Francisco on their public transportation. It helps that there's always something interesting to see.

4. Complete this sentence: _____________ has the worst drivers I've ever experienced. Dallas is scary. Chicago's pothole encrusted narrow lanes don't make for an enjoyable driving experience with your fellow neighbor, either.

5. According to the Census Bureau, reverendmother's fair city has the 6th longest average commute in the United States at 29 minutes each way. How does your personal commute rate? I drive 17.5 miles one way, currently, mostly interstate, which is about 20-25 minutes.

Bonus for the brutally honest: It has been said, and the MythBusters have confirmed, that cell phones can impede driving ability almost as much as drinking. Do you talk on a cell phone while driving?

I don't talk much on the cell in the car, but I will share a great moment from vacation: While driving through Flagstaff, David and I noticed a car in front of us with the bumper sticker, "Hang up and drive." The car was weaving a bit in its lane because, you guessed it, the driver was on the phone.