A nice intersection of “new job that gives me a bus pass for free” and “Holy $#!^ my tiny car just cost twenty eight bucks to fill” means I have almost fully forsaken the commute via car. (Finding out what it costs to park a car downtown was icing on the commuting cake.) I drive once or twice a month to work now, and only if I need to do something during lunch or after work.

For the most part I like the bus commute: I live near a high-frequency line that goes right downtown, and the ride gives me time to wake up and work on my scarf. In the evening I get time to ‘decompress’ after work (and work on my scarf) and there’s no traffic for me to deal with since I’m not driving.

I have been thinking twice about going places too, like to visit my parents (~200 miles each way) and even like the store (can I wait till I have more stuff to buy?) or across town to Uwajimaya or the outlet malls…