There should be a way to make the location segment of my profile read: in my car.
The Im Lost option doesnt fit so well. I know where I am. Im in my fucking car. All the time it seems.
Well, lets see my current teaching gig (which is over in three weeks thankfully) is in Sacramento, my drivers license still reads San Francisco, my two kids (who, granted, I see very little of these days) live with their mom in Roseville, my weekly poker games are in Marin Even though the majority of my clothes, CDs, and other personal effects (uh, wait: clothes and CDs? Those are all of my personal effects) are at the house I rent a room from in Sac, I spend most nights at various friends or relatives houses in the Bay Area. Already this year Ive driven down to San Luis to see my brother three times, driven to Ashland, Oregon twice, and either Reno or Tahoe at least half a dozen times (but maybe not all of those count since it wasnt always my car)
And for an encore? When asked recently (the inspiration behind this journal entry, by the way) what I had planned for this summer I responded, without really thinking about it:
My summers going to be great. One road trip after another.
See, I have one friend moving to Humboldt in July and I made plans to go see him. Another friend moved to Portland a few months ago and has been on me to visit her new digs for weeks. Yet another friend, located in Seattle, was recently appointed head chef of some sexy new restaurant and wants me to go make fun of his cooking (at least thats how I interpreted When are you coming to the restaurant?).
Thats when it hit me. I do spend an inordinate amount of time behind the windshield. So why doesnt it bother me?
I suppose if Im driving with somebody else in the car I can talk my ass off for a good hour at least that takes care of the average SF-Sac commute. And even if theyre not listening/responding, most of my friends do a pretty good job of at least pretending to hear what Im saying. And if Im not driving with somebody else, then the caffeine is definitely flowing through the veins and I can entertain myself with all manner of strange musings and brilliant theories.
Just this weekend, for example, it suddenly occurred to me that I can really prevent forest fires. In fact, Ive been doing a pretty amazing job my entire life of preventing forest fires. By never wanting to go fucking camping. Just doing my part. This led to an interior monologue by which I reasoned out my distaste for the outdoors and came up with a plan whereby I might actually start becoming a bit more of an outdoorsman. Ive even been toying with the notion of going rock-climbing. Those rambling thoughts are still in the rough draft stage, however
I need a little courtroom recorder for my head. A little hunched-over woman (or man not trying to be sexist here; but definitely hunched-over all the courtroom recorders on TV are hunched-over, irrespective of gender) tapping away and keeping a file on half-baked plans and ideas. Things I can revisit and edit in a more sober mood.
So maybe thats why I dont mind sitting behind the wheel so much. Talkingthinking making audible objections (that are almost always sustained) to myself.
No, no wait. I dont think thats it at all
Its because I have a car stereo.
The Im Lost option doesnt fit so well. I know where I am. Im in my fucking car. All the time it seems.
Well, lets see my current teaching gig (which is over in three weeks thankfully) is in Sacramento, my drivers license still reads San Francisco, my two kids (who, granted, I see very little of these days) live with their mom in Roseville, my weekly poker games are in Marin Even though the majority of my clothes, CDs, and other personal effects (uh, wait: clothes and CDs? Those are all of my personal effects) are at the house I rent a room from in Sac, I spend most nights at various friends or relatives houses in the Bay Area. Already this year Ive driven down to San Luis to see my brother three times, driven to Ashland, Oregon twice, and either Reno or Tahoe at least half a dozen times (but maybe not all of those count since it wasnt always my car)
And for an encore? When asked recently (the inspiration behind this journal entry, by the way) what I had planned for this summer I responded, without really thinking about it:
My summers going to be great. One road trip after another.
See, I have one friend moving to Humboldt in July and I made plans to go see him. Another friend moved to Portland a few months ago and has been on me to visit her new digs for weeks. Yet another friend, located in Seattle, was recently appointed head chef of some sexy new restaurant and wants me to go make fun of his cooking (at least thats how I interpreted When are you coming to the restaurant?).
Thats when it hit me. I do spend an inordinate amount of time behind the windshield. So why doesnt it bother me?
I suppose if Im driving with somebody else in the car I can talk my ass off for a good hour at least that takes care of the average SF-Sac commute. And even if theyre not listening/responding, most of my friends do a pretty good job of at least pretending to hear what Im saying. And if Im not driving with somebody else, then the caffeine is definitely flowing through the veins and I can entertain myself with all manner of strange musings and brilliant theories.
Just this weekend, for example, it suddenly occurred to me that I can really prevent forest fires. In fact, Ive been doing a pretty amazing job my entire life of preventing forest fires. By never wanting to go fucking camping. Just doing my part. This led to an interior monologue by which I reasoned out my distaste for the outdoors and came up with a plan whereby I might actually start becoming a bit more of an outdoorsman. Ive even been toying with the notion of going rock-climbing. Those rambling thoughts are still in the rough draft stage, however
I need a little courtroom recorder for my head. A little hunched-over woman (or man not trying to be sexist here; but definitely hunched-over all the courtroom recorders on TV are hunched-over, irrespective of gender) tapping away and keeping a file on half-baked plans and ideas. Things I can revisit and edit in a more sober mood.
So maybe thats why I dont mind sitting behind the wheel so much. Talkingthinking making audible objections (that are almost always sustained) to myself.
No, no wait. I dont think thats it at all
Its because I have a car stereo.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
Seriously, the reason you can chatter away like a thousand parrots to your captive audience in the passenger seat is becuase the passenger CAN'T FUCKING HEAR YOU! You play your music loud enough to cause rectal bleeding.
[Edited on May 24, 2004 12:22PM]
[Edited on May 24, 2004 2:34PM]
[Edited on May 24, 2004 2:48PM]
[Edited on May 24, 2004 9:15PM]