Keys to a Long Commute

I have recently been thrown into a long commute and to begin with, it certainly is not any fun. That being said, there are some things that help and I have decided to outline these in our little space on the interweb



-Ipod. Of course you say. Well it’s not just the music that gets you thru these long hauls. If you have the Ipod video, you can listen/watch the office on the way in, which kills about 22 minutes very quickly. If you don’t have the video, I strongly urge you to utilize some Pod Casts… keeping in theme with the Office, the Ricky Gervais Pod Cast kills time quickly

-Pretending you are 300 laps into the Indy 500. I mean really putting yourself into that mind set. I am talking about two hands on the wheel, body leaning into the turns, getting behind other cars and then using them to speed ahead at the opportune moment. I am actually thinking of installing those NASCAR seat belts into my car. You know the ones that hold you into your seat like a Baby Bjorn.

-Befriending other drivers. I like to find a buddy on the road early on. Then you have a running little competition for the remainder of the drive. The tough part is getting other people to buy into your game… I find the DeNiro “I’m watching you” finger point works the best.

-Traffic Reports. For me, 1010 is on the 2’s and 880 is every tenth (is that how you say that?). They work well enough and are a must listen for anyone who drives to work in a city. However, if they don’t already offer a system that not only tells you where the traffic is, but other routes to take, they should make it. It could be a cell phone service or an in-car device. Once you realize there is traffic it loads up three alternate routes with all important info on those. Do they have these?

-Timing. If you really want to avoid traffic, leaving before 7 is a must. I take off at 6:45 and have about a quart of coffee by 6:50. If this doesn’t keep me awake, I go with the Ace Ventura head out the window routine. Nothing wakes you up faster than shoving your melon outside of a moving vehicle in 18 degree weather.

-Radio. I always like to listen to once news segment (usually take 20 minutes) and a little sports radio. Everyone has their opinion on Mike & Mike, but either way… it passes time.

-Knowing how to drive quickly. There are two types of people; those who drive fast and get tickets and the rest of us. The key here is to drive fast with other cars that are driving fast. If you look are cruising past cars for 15 minutes and not part of a heard, chances are you are sticking out and nothing throws a wrench into a morning commute like getting pulled over and handed a piece of paper that let’s you know you can donate two hundred bucks to the state.

-EZPASS/FASTLANE. This one is pretty self explanatory.

-And most importantly, settling for the fact you are going to be in the car for a while. This is crucial, if you are constantly stressing out about the traffic or time on the road… you have no chance. I always thought that the worst drive was the hour and a half to two hour drive. I’d rather drive for 5 hours, because you get yourself into that “Ok, lets pack the car with food and start planning out the musical journey” mind frame when you know you will be in the car for a lengthy period of time. However, after a while you can get the same mindset with the hour and a half drive and it makes all the difference.