Changing of the Seasons

This morning I left a few minutes late (I really must work on that snooze alarm addiction) and cruised right into work on time. ON TIME! I thought it was because I missed the 8am rush to work, but after doing some more sleuthing I'm pretty sure it's because the schools out here are on Spring Break. (Side note: It's also Caesar Chavez day out here...East Coasters, say wha'?!) Conversely, this past weekend was the first weekend where people have started noticing traffic lined up to get to and from the beach. Yes, it's beautiful in San Diego almost 375 days out of the year. But there are definitely still seasons. To be honest, this past Sunday was the first time in a REALLY long time that I hit the beach, and oh how good it felt! So, I guess a big, fat "Thank you" should be sent out to the college gods for letting me get to work on time even after getting 15 more minutes of sleep. mmmmm..... And a big fat "crap" to the beach traffic. Luckily, I don't really go out on the weekends any more so an early morning wake up to get a parking spot on the coast is definitely a must do in my book! Happy Spring and safe driving, ya'll!

15 Minutes of Fame

It is amazing to me how 10 minutes can make such a huge difference in rush hour driving time.

Usually I leave for work at 730a.m. to be at the office as close to 800a.m. as possible. Some days I'm a little late, some days I'm a little early. It usually just depends on the amount of traffic or any unforeseen WEATHER changes (you'd be surprised at the havoc rain can cause out here in SoCal).

This morning, we had a big All Hands meeting at 800a.m. so I left at 720a.m. A whopping 10 minutes earlier, and I'm at work in 15 minutes. Say wha'?!

I've heard that this is really only the case in bigger cities. (One of my mom's old coworkers lived in Illinois or Idaho or some other "I" state and said that he never understood when his underlings used traffic as an excuse to being late at work. I guess it was just never THAT BAD. But when he moved to D.C., oh how that point of view changed.)

Either way, here in San Diego, a 10 minute difference in departure time DOES equal a 15 minute difference in commute time. That's just crazy to me.

Do you know what I could be doing in those extra 15 minutes of my life?

1. Working out my abs x2.
2. Reading 2 chapters of my book.
3. Making and consuming an egg and cheese sandwich.
4. Bake a batch of chocolate cookies from the tube.
5. Paint my nails.
6. Straighten my hair.
7. Become FAMOUS!
Oh the list goes on and on.

You'd think that this would convince me to leave at 720a.m. every day, but, alas, you would be wrong. Yes, I am encouraged to try to leave that little bit earlier to save myself the hassle of sitting in on-ramp, lacking-in-zipper-abilities traffic. But, oh sleep, sleep how I adore thee. Knowing that I can sleep 10 minutes longer alone will make me sit in 15 more minutes of traffic. It's crazy how the mind of a chronic sleep-button-hitter works.

Give me some tunes, a good morning show, and a cup o' joe at the end of my drive and 15 minutes extra just doesn't seem that bad...

The Journey

When I was a teenager, my family rented a little red convertible while visiting my grandparents at their retirement community in Florida. One day, while taking a spin around the enclosed neighborhood, we passed a lovely old couple taking their daily jaunt. "Slow down!" was all that we heard as we "sped" by them at a whopping 15 MPH. Well, I must be turning into that little old lady with nothing better to do than to meddle because yesterday while Justin and I were driving up the coast to meet his sister for dinner at a beach-side camp, all I could think was "Slow down!"


All I want to do on Sundays, on my last day of freedom, is to take it back a few notches and RELAX. Justin I know is right there with me. He's constantly uttering things like, "well I guess THEY'RE in a hurry." But everyone else in Southern California seems to be in such a rush to get moving! What's...the deal...with that? Is it really necessary to go 85 MPH at all, let alone on one of the laziest days of the week?


Take some time to enjoy the scenery. The flowers are blooming, the sun is setting, the rag tops are down. There's really no reason that I can think of that people need to be going that fast. I know we live in an iPod, cell phone, rushrushrush society, and like my dad I must be a dinosaur when it comes to the newest "social" technology. But really, It's quite a shame to think that the kids of the newer generations are missing the point of a Sunday drive. The point, dear friends, is in the journey...

News Updates

There have been so many traffic/transportation stories in the news these days...from the Toyota trials to suicide reports (at least here in San Diego). Here are a few of our traffic stories for your reading pleasure.

• "Toyota Says San Diego Driver's Story is Inconsistent"
• "Man Struck and Killed on I-805 Near El Cajon Blvd"
• "Suspected Car Thieves Arrested After Chase Ends in Crash"
• "Farmers Insurance to Keep Sponsoring Torrey Pines' PGA Event" (it's a stretch, but top priority news around these parts)

To summarize: Beware of Toyota gas pedals, don't try to walk on freeways, and be careful where you leave your cars unattended. Above all: stay safe!