I was listening to MPR this morning on my drive into work, like I do every morning. This is one of the perks of having a car again- MPR. Its one of the only places I get my news, or the opportunity to listen to interesting discussion. The topic du jour?
How Minnesotans love their cars.
Ouch.
The original topic was in reference to President Obama heading to Copenhagen next week to discuss cutting back on emissions. Of course that spawned the questions of "how will we cut back on emissions?" They said for Minnesotans specifically, they love their cars, and it will be hard to make lifestyle adjustments to meet the new requirements (ie. Carpooling, alternate transportation, etc). I started working downtown 4 years ago and as soon as I got my job, I knew I would take the bus, it was the most obvious choice. I live on a bus line, I work on a bus line, I'll take the bus to work. For a year, I did it without complaint or much issues, then one day, I had to drive. It was amazing. It cut my 45 minute commute to 15 minutes both ways. Driving to work could save me an hour a day? This seemed to good to be true. I traded in my bus pass for a parking pass, then my car broke and I didn't fix it for 6 months, so I was back on the bus. My car worked for a month before it broke beyond repair, and so back to the bus I went. No car = bike or bus. For another 2.5 years, I took the bus. To work, to school and then back home. When I came back to CL this summer, I figured I would take the bus again. That lasted 2 weeks...
If I had a job with set, standard hours, I would take the bus without any issues. I have a job where I show at the same time everyday and leave when I'm done- that's the fluctuating point. And the frustrating point. I've fallen in love with the freedom a car has to offer. I can run errands after work, I can leave when I'm ready, not when the bus is ready. I don't know how I'll cut back on my emissions, perhaps biking to work in the summer? Of course that hinges on the purchase of a new bike...
I would like to think I'm not at fault for global warming and do my part to cut back. But I'm not. I love my car and I'm not ready to give it back yet.
Deal with it.
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
It feels like Spring.
I'm wearing shoes without socks.
I wore my vest instead of a jacket.
The sun is visible.
Are these signs that spring is actually here? Or are we yet again just being taunted into thinking Spring is here? It's so frustrating when it gets warm then then it snows again and gets unbearably cold. Here's to hoping it's actually spring this time...
---
Last week I discovered that my bus route changed. It's not so much that the route itself changed but the fact that there is no longer an 8:20 bus. This was the best time for me to catch the bus. So now, I have to catch the 7:40 bus and get to work around 8:15. This is not that bad, but I got used to having the extra 30 minutes in the morning, or if I was aiming to catch the 7:40 bus, I always knew that the 8:20 bus was there. But of course this happens as the buses go on a downtown detour- dropping me off a few blocks away from work instead of right outside the door. Yes, I can handle a 3 block walk, it was just harder now knowing what I used to have. These two bus changes make me seriously consider that its time to A). get a car, and B). drive to work. The car factor stems from the fact that there are potentially two cars for sale on Adam's side of the family that would be perfect for me. Me actually wanting to drive to work comes from the bus schedule screwing with my perfect schedule. In the summer (when school is over and I no longer carry around extra books and laptops) I think I will try to bike to work more and that may calm my irrational driving thoughts.
---
Adam and I were at his uncle's house this weekend and his uncle (after a few beers) was telling me how much he likes my facebook status updates (the same as my twitter updates). I suddenly felt a pressure to perform. It's one thing to just throw random thoughts out there, it's another when I know people are seeking them out. It sort of threw me off. While I like to hear people like what I am writing and enjoy my randomness, it now makes me think twice while updating. "Is this funny, or should I say this instead?". Does the fact that I now think about it no longer make it funny at all?
---
Graduation Countdown:
53 days
14 more actual classes
92 days until I defend my thesis
I wore my vest instead of a jacket.
The sun is visible.
Are these signs that spring is actually here? Or are we yet again just being taunted into thinking Spring is here? It's so frustrating when it gets warm then then it snows again and gets unbearably cold. Here's to hoping it's actually spring this time...
---
Last week I discovered that my bus route changed. It's not so much that the route itself changed but the fact that there is no longer an 8:20 bus. This was the best time for me to catch the bus. So now, I have to catch the 7:40 bus and get to work around 8:15. This is not that bad, but I got used to having the extra 30 minutes in the morning, or if I was aiming to catch the 7:40 bus, I always knew that the 8:20 bus was there. But of course this happens as the buses go on a downtown detour- dropping me off a few blocks away from work instead of right outside the door. Yes, I can handle a 3 block walk, it was just harder now knowing what I used to have. These two bus changes make me seriously consider that its time to A). get a car, and B). drive to work. The car factor stems from the fact that there are potentially two cars for sale on Adam's side of the family that would be perfect for me. Me actually wanting to drive to work comes from the bus schedule screwing with my perfect schedule. In the summer (when school is over and I no longer carry around extra books and laptops) I think I will try to bike to work more and that may calm my irrational driving thoughts.
---
Adam and I were at his uncle's house this weekend and his uncle (after a few beers) was telling me how much he likes my facebook status updates (the same as my twitter updates). I suddenly felt a pressure to perform. It's one thing to just throw random thoughts out there, it's another when I know people are seeking them out. It sort of threw me off. While I like to hear people like what I am writing and enjoy my randomness, it now makes me think twice while updating. "Is this funny, or should I say this instead?". Does the fact that I now think about it no longer make it funny at all?
---
Graduation Countdown:
53 days
14 more actual classes
92 days until I defend my thesis
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