dispatches from the coffee shop: may is take your bike to work month

...or something to that nature. in the spirit of the non-holiday, i'll be attempting a hybrid commute.

i have the joy of 20mi, 45-50min one way commute, out of center city philly to a northern suburb. it's semi-nonsensical to do this, yes, i know. up until now, the joys of my job have countered the nonsense of the commute. at this point, the road rage is getting to me. i'm of the fiery tempered nature, which i keep in a bottle most of the day, unless i'm in a car, especially driving that car. when i drive and i'm not impressed with my fellow drivers on the road, i become overly vocal and way too worked up inside. it's not rational nor a pleasant way to start the day. it's the opposite of Folgers in my cup for me, and i don't drink coffee (regularly).

so, now that gas prices are upwards of $3.50 and climbing, my hot-headedness is getting the best of me, and it's 'stop driving your car to work month' or whatever, i will be embarking on the experiment of the hybrid commute.

here's my plan: i can leave for the bus at relatively the same time i leave for the office, bus it to the train station, train it to the 'burbs, with the car parked in the train station lot overnight - i pick it up for the remaining ~10min, 4mi leg of the journey.

i figure this gives me:

an added hour and a half of reading and/or blogging rather than time spend driving;

reduces the mileage on vehicle: one day of round trip commuting = one week of hybrid commuting;

leaving my car in the train station lot over the weekend saves me from weekend fear and loathing of the PPA & meter feeding / parking tickets / garaging fees;