To My Dearest Fellow Boston Drivers:

You make it really difficult to be a pleasant road companion. Between unnecessary honking, cutting people off, and refusing to use your blinker when you squeeze your large vehicle into a tiny space between two others, I'll admit- I get a little frustrated.

And I was wondering- is it too late to change our driving culture?

I get it, nobody likes to be stuck in traffic like we were (I was listening to WBZ1030 and they said we were ranked 13th in worst traffic in the US). Sure, it makes us a little cranky. And after a long day of work, or play, we really just want to go home and relax and watch whatever Boston team is playing that night. Really, I am there with you.

But seriously. Wouldn't your blood pressure be a little lower if we all actively tried to play nice with one another?

"Oh I see that you have had your blinker on and are trying to get into this lane, here let me make some room for you."

Wouldn't that be nice? Or wait! Let's change perspectives:

"Hmm I need to get over to the right lane but it looks like I would be squeezing into the personal space of my beautiful fellow Bostonian's brand new car, maybe if I am considerate and put my blinker on and they might give me room to get in!"

I get it. Not everybody is going to let you in, or even see you when you put your blinker on. But there is another virtue that you can practice called patience that might help you in this situation where you have to wait for 2 more cars to go by before you meet your fellow friendly driver who will let you into the lane. 

Sometimes we are in a rush. We've all been late for something, but is refusing to use your blinker and cutting someone off, nearly causing an accident, really going to help you get to where you are going any faster?

Goodness I feel like I am preaching to a Driver's Ed class:

MassDot... I kind of love you.

Anecdote time!
You want to hear something interesting? I went to China last year, and their driving culture is only about a decade old as opposed to our century of driving. And Beijing has some of the worst traffic I have ever experienced in my life. BUT!...

But they use their blinkers and beep their horns appropriately to warn other drivers that they are getting a little too close, rather than in rage that someone isn't taking that left at the light where a steady stream of cars is coming from the other direction. What a foreign concept!

---------------

We aren't perfect. We are going to make mistakes. You, me, and that other guy in the big truck that thinks he's better than us. But practice makes perfect, so... maybe... try to be pleasant on the road? And perhaps, together, we can reduce stress induced hypertension across the city!

//end rant.

It's not that I don't love you Boston, but right now I just don't like you.

Cleaning Out the Bookshelf

I love to read- being able to leave the real world, and enter one that allows my transgressions and mishaps of the day to fade away. I often feel a sort of people-claustrophobia caused by social-anxiety. That isn't to say I dislike being around people, rather that I often over-analyze and work myself up about minor interactions and sometimes I just need to unwind.

I'm also a disorganized bookshelf keeper.

Recently, I found that my "unwinding" time is spent on the internet (Facebook, tumblr...), which still ends up in some sort of social interaction, even if indirect. I have begun to turn to video games, all the while my bookshelves of many unread promises are collecting dust.

I have 2 bookshelves in my dorm packed with books, and another, larger, bookshelf at home stuffed, and overfilling with many unread books.

With my last semester of college winding down, my goal is to begin reading these books, and create a collection that I wish to keep with me forever (Harry Potter, all Jane Austen novels... to name a few). I realize that because I will be moving out of my house (sorry mom, sorry dad, lovers you!)  in the near future, I should probably cut back on the number of books I hoard. My plan is to donate some of my books as I finish them- to give other people an opportunity to read, rather than have something that is going to collect dust on my shelf.

Don't get me wrong- I will one day have a large collection of books when I finally settle down. But that will not be happening soon. There is still too much of the world to explore.

With all that being said, I am beginning this clean out with a book called, Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes by Albert Jack. I don't know how long I've had this book... I think I bought it back when Borders (RIP) was closing.  

I likely won't publish something about all the books I read, but inspiration often leads to writing. There are also a few milestones fast approaching in life that I am sure I will have a lot to say about.