h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It occurred to me on the way to the library yesterday morning that I always seem to live due west of where I work. This means I drive into the sun in the morning and into the sun again on the trip home. Even sunglasses don't help that much when the sun is at the perfect angle to come in through the windshield exactly under the sun visor. I suspect you tall folks don't have this problem, but it makes driving difficult for Hobbits.

Fortunately the drive is a short one, unlike a commute I made regularly some years ago. That one had me driving directly into the sun for 70 minutes at a stretch certain times of the year. Which brings up the single advantage I can find to short winter days. It will be dark when I get off work for a few months, so I'll only be blinded by approaching car lights for a while.

If the fates are kind, this is the last job I'll have. But if I do ever need to find another job, I hope it will be located west of my house for a change.

I've always tried to avoid that. Houston is notorious for having its largest amount of suburban growth along the I10 corridor, i.e. directly West of town. The I10 freeway is something like 8 lanes each direction in some stretches. I think the average commute for people on that side of town is at least an hour each way, always into the sun. In Houston they have High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes which are restricted to vehicles with 2 or more people or motorcycles. They've recently allowed folks to buy their way onto it with just one person in the vehicle. Between the traffic and the blinding sun I'd never want to live there. Plus it's all just cookie cutter houses, apartments and shopping centers. It's like a sea of blandness. New and shiny blandness.

humm, you might trying driving backwards, just a thought morning hypia

>>High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes>>

Interesting - the only equivalence we have here in Stockholm are bus lanes, to encourage people to use public transport. It actually feels kind of luxurious to glide past all those little cars (with usually one single male in them) during rush hours.

The HOV lanes are for buses, taxis, carpools and motorcycles. At least in Houston the police know that motorcycles are allowed on them. In many areas around the country there's a problem with police wrongfully ticketing bikers even though there's a national mandate allowing them in such lanes.

I hate having to drive into the sun. Sorry you have to do so in both directions. I never thought about the problem in relation to being shortish. Maybe tall people do have less of a problem.

I know, just mount your sun visor to the dash board so you can tilt it up instead... I can't foresee any problems that this might cause.

BG, you say that because you know my arms aren't long enough to reach through cyberspace and thump you.

heehee