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(By the way, I have settled on my topic for the 100 things blogging challenge, it's times/places/situations that just cry out for tea, dammit)
Situation: A new traffic light is added to your commute
Tea time: Directly after walking in the door when you get home
Tea type: If you are going back out, something soothing like chamomile. If you are staying in, perhaps some Earl Grey with sugar and a dollop (or two) of brandy
I have spent a lot of time devising the optimum route to and from work. It's a delicate combination of speed paired with a lower-stress environment. Obviously, I want to spend the least amount of time as possible on the road, but I also don't want to decent into madness with every commute. Hence, I avoid the highways, which can be marginally faster but considering I have to merge FIVE TIMES in order to stay on the highway when I get on coming home, it's not worth the stress. Especially because people are complete boobs and won't let you in, despite the fact that I drive an old car and really don't care if you chip my paint, so... I'm coming over. Don't you dare speed up just to cut me off for no reason other than being a jerk! *ahem* As you see, it's best I avoid the highways.
The highways create problems beyond the stress of driving on them - you have to get past them. And on roads that have ramps, this means a ton of traffic lights. You have two choices at this stage: take really back roads through subdivisions, where the low speeds increase commute time and there's probably a school zone or two that adds headaches and stress, or find the one road (yes, ONE) that doesn't have a ramp to the highway, but passes quietly and sedately underneath, with nary a traffic light in sight! I found just such a route, and despite the fact that my 13 mile commute takes me almost 30 minutes, I was pretty happy.
And then last week, a new light started to go up. Coming out of an entrance to a golf course.
Today, the first time it was live, I got a red light. Which caused me to miss the next light, because of course it's not coordinated or anything. That light I had to sit at for a good minute and a half.
That doesn't sound like much. And it probably won't stop me every day, each way. But let's say I hit it red half the time. And lose that minute and a half once a day. In a year, that will be 390 minutes. SIX AND A HALF HOURS. Do you know how many rows of knitting that would be?!
All the more reason we need to move to pneumatic tubes for transport...
Situation: A new traffic light is added to your commute
Tea time: Directly after walking in the door when you get home
Tea type: If you are going back out, something soothing like chamomile. If you are staying in, perhaps some Earl Grey with sugar and a dollop (or two) of brandy
I have spent a lot of time devising the optimum route to and from work. It's a delicate combination of speed paired with a lower-stress environment. Obviously, I want to spend the least amount of time as possible on the road, but I also don't want to decent into madness with every commute. Hence, I avoid the highways, which can be marginally faster but considering I have to merge FIVE TIMES in order to stay on the highway when I get on coming home, it's not worth the stress. Especially because people are complete boobs and won't let you in, despite the fact that I drive an old car and really don't care if you chip my paint, so... I'm coming over. Don't you dare speed up just to cut me off for no reason other than being a jerk! *ahem* As you see, it's best I avoid the highways.
The highways create problems beyond the stress of driving on them - you have to get past them. And on roads that have ramps, this means a ton of traffic lights. You have two choices at this stage: take really back roads through subdivisions, where the low speeds increase commute time and there's probably a school zone or two that adds headaches and stress, or find the one road (yes, ONE) that doesn't have a ramp to the highway, but passes quietly and sedately underneath, with nary a traffic light in sight! I found just such a route, and despite the fact that my 13 mile commute takes me almost 30 minutes, I was pretty happy.
And then last week, a new light started to go up. Coming out of an entrance to a golf course.
Today, the first time it was live, I got a red light. Which caused me to miss the next light, because of course it's not coordinated or anything. That light I had to sit at for a good minute and a half.
That doesn't sound like much. And it probably won't stop me every day, each way. But let's say I hit it red half the time. And lose that minute and a half once a day. In a year, that will be 390 minutes. SIX AND A HALF HOURS. Do you know how many rows of knitting that would be?!
All the more reason we need to move to pneumatic tubes for transport...
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