SDMTS
Riding the bus in San Diego is unacceptable. To the hundreds of thousands (millions?) behind the steering wheels, the inside of a bus or trolley is utterly foreign territory.
“I’m getting a bus pass, Mom,” I say casually.
“Jeff and I worked very hard so that you wouldn’t have to get a bus pass. I will give you money for gas.”
“Mom,” I whine, reverting into my 12 year old self who did a science fair project about how much trash versus recycling an average family consumes. Only the project wasn’t very scientific. It was just gross and aggravating as I pulled out soda cans and sticky two liter bottles and crusty dog food cans and soggy newspapers and chided my family for killing the earth. The subject of saving the environment meant a lot to me and I couldn’t understand why my family couldn’t appreciate the depressing facts and dogmatic energy-saving ideas I spouted even back then.
Funny, the more I harped, the less compliant to my environmental regiment they got.
“Mom,” I say again, collecting my thoughts and trying to deal with her as a 31 year old should, “This is not a class thing. I am doing it because I can. Because I am driving a car that gets 10 miles a gallon on a good day. Because I don’t want to be a hypocrite because recycling is not enough.”
“Isn’t your time worth anything to you?” she says, perplexed.”The bus takes hours to get anywhere; its just not convenient.”
“Neither is $75 to fill up the tank. Besides, I can catch up on my reading. And people watching.”
And so far its been fine. Sure I missed my bus home the other night at the bar, but only because I knew I had a ride home. And sure, there was a guy who sat a little too close this morning as he watched Inside Edition about Tiger Woods and his failed marriage, glancing every once in a while at me to see if I too was obsessed with the scandal. (no) (OK, only inadvertently- wifey with a golf club to the back window to rescue him? yeah right!)
So this month I am attempting to use public transport (bus trolley train) and my own two legs (bike walk) as much as I can. The car will be used when I absolutely have to (obscure location, emergency, unexpected time crunch, cargo hauling) or when I can carpool (friends family). Any time in the car will be tallied and offset by carbonfund. Lets see how I do in this completely car obsessed city.
“I’m getting a bus pass, Mom,” I say casually.
“Jeff and I worked very hard so that you wouldn’t have to get a bus pass. I will give you money for gas.”
“Mom,” I whine, reverting into my 12 year old self who did a science fair project about how much trash versus recycling an average family consumes. Only the project wasn’t very scientific. It was just gross and aggravating as I pulled out soda cans and sticky two liter bottles and crusty dog food cans and soggy newspapers and chided my family for killing the earth. The subject of saving the environment meant a lot to me and I couldn’t understand why my family couldn’t appreciate the depressing facts and dogmatic energy-saving ideas I spouted even back then.
Funny, the more I harped, the less compliant to my environmental regiment they got.
“Mom,” I say again, collecting my thoughts and trying to deal with her as a 31 year old should, “This is not a class thing. I am doing it because I can. Because I am driving a car that gets 10 miles a gallon on a good day. Because I don’t want to be a hypocrite because recycling is not enough.”
“Isn’t your time worth anything to you?” she says, perplexed.”The bus takes hours to get anywhere; its just not convenient.”
“Neither is $75 to fill up the tank. Besides, I can catch up on my reading. And people watching.”
And so far its been fine. Sure I missed my bus home the other night at the bar, but only because I knew I had a ride home. And sure, there was a guy who sat a little too close this morning as he watched Inside Edition about Tiger Woods and his failed marriage, glancing every once in a while at me to see if I too was obsessed with the scandal. (no) (OK, only inadvertently- wifey with a golf club to the back window to rescue him? yeah right!)
So this month I am attempting to use public transport (bus trolley train) and my own two legs (bike walk) as much as I can. The car will be used when I absolutely have to (obscure location, emergency, unexpected time crunch, cargo hauling) or when I can carpool (friends family). Any time in the car will be tallied and offset by carbonfund. Lets see how I do in this completely car obsessed city.
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