the definition of insanity

TreeHugger reports on a study from the Texas Transportation Institute, stating that the average American will spend almost a full work week in traffic (38 hours) over the course of a year. Note that this number is not the time spent commuting, but extra time on top of an existing commute. A followup post tells us that people are waking up earlier to beat the traffic as well (15 million Americans out the door before 6 AM).

I remember my high school days when my dad was commuting from Randolph, NJ to Conshohocken, PA. For those of you who are not going to click that link, Google Maps says, “89.8 mi – about 2 hours 3 mins”.

Holy Christ.

Also kinda explains why me and pops didn’t get along so well in those days. Ingredients: one smart-ass, rebellious son + old-school disciplinarian who was commuting FOUR FUCKING HOURS per day = perpetual motion machine fueled by screaming and hate. Of course, in the event that we ever build a time machine, one of the many lessons that future Alex plans on giving to past Alex is to realize that least past, punk-ass Alex could have done was to cut his pops a break. Sorry about that, Dad. Also, don’t worry about chicks, past Alex, because the future will play much more to your strengths (intelligence, wit, money) rather than your weaknesses (short, band camp attending, Asian math nerd guy).

In any case, perhaps some of those memories (and let’s face it, my inherent Asian cheapness) explains my extreme aversion to driving. Total daily bike commute: 60 minutes (and 0 minutes spent in traffic). Doesn’t matter what time of the morning I leave; it’s totally a function of distance (and wind velocity).

This holier-than-thou, self-congratulatory, “I wish he would shut up and choke” retrospective brought to you by Tegan and Sara.