Texas Interstate Truck Stop

A lot of time when the urge to blog strikes, it is personal in nature. When it comes to writing in a forum where anyone can read it, the insane part of you that thinks that everyone will read it takes over. Then, you are forced to somehow take your personal issues and convert them into something more worldly. I’m not saying I am doing that now. Well, maybe sort of.

There is one thing I am forced to do every day that I really dislike doing. That thing is driving. I must get to work in the morning and because of the way the DFW area is mapped out I am forced to drive. I could ride a bike the 25 miles to work, but I expect my life expectancy would be severely reduced.

There are places in this area where you can see the grocery store in the distance. But, to get there, you either have to drive or take some kind of insane pill and run across 10 lanes of 60 miles per hour traffic (assuming they obey the posted speed limit).

I lived in Germany off and on for maybe a year. For that entire time it would have been quite easy to live without a car. A Taxi ride to a downtown bar costs maybe $10. Trains can take you to any city in Germany and get you there relatively fast. I used to think that the Europeans had it down and we Americans were just behind.

After some domestic traveling I’ve decided that it’s just Texas. We love our cars. Some unwittingly call it the friendly state, but we stoically stay away from any kind of social contact. There is no mass transit to speak of. If there were, I doubt anyone would use it. It’s hard to find a place where people just gather for socializing except on Sundays and that’s a social stretch. I think that this blog will be a series with a finale and everything!