Traffic

Playing on the iPod: David Arkenstone, Spirit of Tibet
Meters swum today: A mere 1200. I was late as hell. Traffic was amazing.


I never complain about traffic. Well, almost never. When you drive down one broad avenue all the way from your house to the office, make a grand total of two right turns and two left turns, and pull into your spot some 20 minutes after you leave (give or take the occasional construction truck backing up or a crazy guy wandering around in the street near the hospital) I don't think you should ever complain about traffic. I could almost ride my bike faster (if not for two nasty hills). Still, today traffic was amazing. Scores of people pouring north on all the freeways and spilling out over the surface streets, including my nice broad avenue. It was like this yesterday, too. I didn't make it to my OA meeting, even, but that was on account of my leg hurt like a mother. Still does, though less so today.


So anyway, between the traffic and my leg and the general sense of foreboding in the air, to say nothing of all the screaming headlines (certain death; I like that) and NOAA maps, it appears a hurricane is headin' this'away. By the time it gets to Dallas it'll probably just be a lot of wind and rain but a lot of wind and rain in Dallas is, uh, still a lot of wind and rain in Dallas. Best to be off the streets, away from the windows, somewhere safe and curled up with a number of cats. Hot chocolate is also good. That's my plan for the weekend. I might come out on Sunday if there's a dry place to stand.



Speaking of traffic, though, here's my new Book o'the Decade:



It's fascinating, and not just for traffic engineers. Traffic is a fine reflection of human behavior, the good, the bad and the kind of ugly. They had traffic jams in ancient Rome, big trucks driving around whose only purpose was to advertise in 1879 New York, and Samuel Johnson, circa London 1600, once commented that the traffic situation in that city was "untenable" and might even lead to "social unrest." Wow. Anyway, good reading. I'll be finishing it up this weekend, quite possibly by candelight.



On that Other Thing, the Big Relationship Issue: I've spent a lot of time on the ol' meditation cushion, chanting to myself, "No matter what happens (in breath) I'll be okay (out breath)." It seems to be helping. I'm mostly on board with it now, in no small part because my time traveling neocraftsperson friends are also on board with it and I didn't wanna have to do it without them. Besides, it's what Joan wants, it's such a simple thing (though the implications are astronomically complicated), and heck, I love her. So. I still have my moments of clinging with fingernails and teeth but I'm floppin' over to the other side. Still a number of things out of my hands, though. Details to follow soon.