This summer, I commuted from the San Fernando Valley to the "Westside" before I moved to downtown LA to commute still to the Westside. In the last several months, I have become a master commuter. I know every window of time in which I can safely get to work a half hour early, twenty minutes early or fifteen minutes early. I have also experimented each day, for my two hour total commute, to find things in which to distract me from horrific and nonsensical traffic, horrifically nonsensical drivers and delays which inevitably come the one day traffic seems to be moving at a reasonable pace.
I tried worship music. (Bad idea. So counterintuitive to listen to songs of praise to God while filled with extreme anger toward His created beings in steel machines.) I tried non-worship oriented Christian music. This worked a little better but still made me feel cut off from world events, which made me mad, which was already compounded by the rage directed at the evil 4-0-5.
The music idea was quickly scratched and talk radio was in. First it was Laura Ingraham. But slowly, the manner in which she addressed those who disagreed with her was irritating to a die hard Prager fan. Out goes Laura, in comes Bill Handel. Handel makes no bones about being offensive, which I find acceptable and highly entertaining. But Handel didn't always talk about things I was interested in. So then it was Doug McIntyre. Still love Doug, and Bill.
However, the greatest gift given to me so far for my decently long commute has been: classic books on cd. Currently, I cannot wait to get in my car to listen to Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. A fourteen disc set, it's perfect for my drive. I've already made a long list of the books to "read through" next.
Not since I've begun commuting have I ever felt even a twinge of excitement when thinking about leaving my residence. I've found the cure for that and it's all thanks to the Los Angeles Public Library system.
Posted by Portia at October 23, 2006 09:58 PM | TrackBack2 hour total commute each day? Ouch! If ever a region cried out for effective public transportation, but how can you live in La-la land without a car?
The books on CD (or tape?) sounds like a good solution. Have you considered burning some podcasts on a CD? I don't have to worry about that myself, since I have a 20 minute total commute each day (and lovin' it!).
Posted by: Marc V at October 24, 2006 08:23 AMWoo Handel!
I do have a solution to traffic in LA, convert to Islam and ban women from driving. Wa-la! Half as many cars on the road.
Posted by: the Pirate at October 24, 2006 10:56 AMNow I am retired but I used to commute one hour each way to and from work. What helped me considerably were the cd's I made from my ballroom music. Had to watch the influence of the tangos on my driving though.
Portia, please email me if you would like to have a cd. No cost and no obligation.
Hey Pirate, how about this:
Convert to Islam and then declare jihad against the 405. Buy the classic Hummer (H1, of course), outfit it with armor plating, and try to "convert" your fellow motorists. Adding a flamethrower will add to the constant screaming of "Turn or burn" blaring over a PA system mounted to the underside of the Jihad-Jeep.
Oh, and banning all non-muslim drivers would also clear the lanes quite nicely.
Posted by: Nasa Nerd at October 24, 2006 04:23 PMpossible names for your muslim monstrosity:
1. Mohammed-mobile
2. Jihad Jeep
3. Burkha Burner
4. S.U.V. (Sharia Utility Vehicle)
5. Hammas/Hezbollah Humvee
6. An ATV (Al'Qaeda-Terrain-Vehicle)
7. The Muslim Monstrosity...
the list goes on...and so does my sanity...
Posted by: Nasa Nerd at October 24, 2006 04:49 PMHey Portia,
I do the same thing. Right now I'm in the middle of listening to Jane Austen's 'Emma,' and I just checked out the following from the library:
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=4117&id=4117&d=Enlightenment+Invention+of+the+Modern+Self&pc=Search
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=869&id=869&d=High+Middle+Ages&pc=Search
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=4863&id=4863&d=Tocqueville+and+the+American+Experiment&pc=Search
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=8313&id=8313&d=Utopia+and+Terror+in+the+20th+Century&pc=Search
I don't imagine that I'll get all of them listened to before I have to return them, but I may end up buying a couple of them. I do own this one, and highly recommend it:
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=350&id=350&d=History+of+Ancient+Egypt&pc=Search
Anyway, Audio Books are great, and I'm glad you've discovered them. Now, just get yourself a portable CD/MP3 player - or an iPod - and you'll be able to take your Audio Books with you, on the go, as well.
Cheers,
Muzzy
Posted by: Muzzy at October 26, 2006 07:38 AMWhats that choking sound I hear comming from somewhere around Adams & Jefferson?
Posted by: the Pirate at October 29, 2006 11:30 AM
