GPS lends meaning to my Commute

I am generally a timid driver. I do not experiment. I learn a route and stick to it. I rarely change lanes. I rarely try alternates. This leads to problems when the route I follow is congested. I do not have any options but stew in traffic. A few years ago, that would have frustrated me. Ever since I have been able to connect my iPod to my car stereo, I chill with my music and accept this delay as the price to pay for working in the Washington DC Metro.

With the advent of GPS technology the game has changed. I wrote earlier how GPS helps in maintaining marital harmony. I now like it for more than its ability to keep peace. When earlier I would stay behind, stuck in traffic; now I change into side roads. The GPS after 15 seconds figures out alternates for me. Whereas earlier driving was a means to an end, now I am able to derive pleasure from my commute.

New neighborhoods like the one we live in have a blandness or a sameness. I guess they look cliched like my blog. On the other hand Northwest DC in particular has some really nice neighborhoods. Hundred year old homes set in winding roads with Oak trees so tall and thick they take your breath away. Each house looks different from the other. Of course they are not painted startling pink or flaming red as some houses can be in India, but they are different all the same; in a nice way.