Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?


I see a lot of things on my morning commute. That's what happens when you live in the outer 'burbs and commute into the inner 'burbs for work. Yesterday, I took the train to work. We were held up at the Burbank station on the way in because of a medical emergency -- and on the way home we were held up in San Fernando for a half an hour. I usually take the train on Mondays -- there are more cars on the road on Mondays. In Los Angeles they have this phenomenon that they call "Friday Light." Traffic is lighter on Fridays. I don't know why -- and I've never heard anyone give any sort of explanation why this happens -- we all just know that it does. Fridays, you can leave late, put the car on cruise control and just kind of coast into the office. The rest of the week it's like a war out there. Commuting to work most days involves planning and strategy and constantly being on your guard for unwarranted attacks by stupidhead drivers. I would like to add that the age of cell phones, texting and twittering is doing nothing for the ease of my commute. You should hear the names I call people, and I frequently show people my middle finger. But today, I saw something new when I pulled up to a stop light. The middle-aged woman in the car next to me was using the lighted mirror in her sun visor to locate and remove an errant hair in her chin with a pair of tweezers. My first thought was that she was a witch -- but then I realized if she was she wouldn't be fighting traffic in a Camry -- she'd be riding her broom to work. And my second thought as I stroked my own stubbly chin in contemplation was -- there but for the grace of God go I. Enuf said.

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