Going places is a constant theme of my life. Whether it's journeying 2,3100 miles home to Ohio (I have a rigid fear of flying), aimless road trips to interesting sites like Carhenge, Nebraska (exact replica of Stonehenge constructed of old cars painted gray), or embarking on my daily 50 mile commute to school-moving about is what I tend to do.
I'd like to say that it's been my advanced awareness of environmental deterioration which led to my decision to seek out alternate transportation. Fact of the matter is this: I'm impatient and believe I've lost 10 years off my life due to stress-induced experiences on California highways. Heck, I'll even through something in about being offended by the stupid price of gas (just hit a national high last week!).
Sure, there are a plethora of environmental reasons to leave the car in the garage. You don't have to know anything about global warming to understand we've got a problem when you must roll up your windows due to poisonous asphyxiation from idling on the high way in rush hour.
Too many cars = bad. There's more to know on this subject, of course. And I don't want to offend environmentalists due to my naivite, so instead, I'll just propel into the other reasons this environmentally superior choice works for me, and hopefully you as well.
With the forementioned ridiculousness that is the current gas price combined with the upkeep for a slowly dying gal like my 2000 Cavalier, obvious financial limitations are factored into my decision to go without vehicle. If I have to pay for another stupid malfunction of my car, despite my responsible and attentive maintenance, I'm going to have it crushed into an aluminum paper weights. Ok, that's a bit drastic, but having to pay a large sum of cash to have motor parts sent in from Europe (though my Cavalier is American..?) to fix my perpetually broken driver's side window really grinds my proverbial gears.
Another topic: my physical well being. Safety is another important reason to stay far away from I210. Yeah yeah, I am a fan of the left lane, or "the fast lane" some of you savvy drivers may say. But despite my tendency to run perpetually late and thus compensate for time in the highway, I feel safe behind the wheel. All confidence of my driving abilities aside, I'm not worried about me here-I'm worried about them. At least once a day some jerk makes me slam on the brakes due to nothing more than sheer incompetence. Road incompetence, that is. So many drivers practice solipsist driving, as I like to call it, the philosophical theory that no other driver exists on the road besides you. While solipsist driving is great in say, Montana, a dense traffic area such as a Los Angeles interstate is not the ideal location to avoid all cognisance of others.
Ok, so a little more self-serving than intrinsically desiring to be a better person for the environment. Regardless, I still am acting the same as those earth-conscious do-gooders. We've arrived at the same destination of sans car celebration, so what if I've just taken the back roads with a stop of self-interest or two to get there?
So that's what this is all about. Sans car, to be exact.
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