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isn't that a positive?
Commuting (1 Viewer)
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I’ll echo other posters who have mentioned Sirius satellite radio.. it’s the best $13 or $14 /month you’ll ever spend, or in my case i do the thing where you call in every six months and threaten to cancel, and it winds up being $7 or $8 per month.
It’s made the difference between dreading a drive, and making driving an enjoyable experience.. Especially since I’ve spent most of my adult life living outside of New Orleans.. Living in Houston, before i got Sirius, i wanted to stab my ears having to put up with all the Astros/Texans/Rockets talk.. even when i did live in NOLA, there’s only so much WWL you can take.. With Sirius you get like a half dozen espn channels, Fox Sports Mad Dog Radio and others .. plus news channels and comedy, etc.. and i use the Sirius app on my phone to listen to their music channels when i go running.
It’s made the difference between dreading a drive, and making driving an enjoyable experience.. Especially since I’ve spent most of my adult life living outside of New Orleans.. Living in Houston, before i got Sirius, i wanted to stab my ears having to put up with all the Astros/Texans/Rockets talk.. even when i did live in NOLA, there’s only so much WWL you can take.. With Sirius you get like a half dozen espn channels, Fox Sports Mad Dog Radio and others .. plus news channels and comedy, etc.. and i use the Sirius app on my phone to listen to their music channels when i go running.
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From? No.
Algiers? Sort of.
My parents lived in English Turn for 20 years but I was already out of college.
RazorOye
carry all the groceries in in one trip
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I've been commuting from a western suburb of Toronto to the northeastern side of downtown for 7 years now. It's a 50 km/30 mile trip each way. Most mornings, it's a 40-45 minute commute. In the afternoons, it is often an hour or more. There are short days when I am done between noon and two, and those commutes home are heavenly. But in the middle of basketball season, when it gets dark at 430 and the snow could be flying... I *DETEST* my commute.
That said, these are the things I've learned.
1. Sirius - a lot of people here are talking about it and seemed to like it. For two years, I had it and liked it. But then it wore on me. I found that I wasn't actually listening to that many different radio stations. And it wasn't worth the money and I was listening to it less and less. So I haven't had it in the last five years or so and don't miss it at all.
When I got my new vehicle in October, it came with 3 months of Sirius for free but, again, I never found myself listening to it.
The new car also has Apple CarPlay which makes the listening and driving experience much nicer, but that's a separate issue, I know.
2. Waze - indispensible for me. I would download it if I were you - it has a few quirks that you'll learn when it's actually saving you time or when it's taking some other near route that won't, like getting off an off-ramp and then back on. But all in all, this app is absolutely necessary for me.
3. Spotify Premium - this is what I spend my subscription per month money on. I like it better than Sirius and it will build a 'commute' home playlist based on my listening and podcasting habits. But there's a ton of music that I can curate and listen to and I prefer it to Sirius, vastly.
I listened to a lot of full albums, as they were meant to be listened to. I would take key albums in a certain genre and give them a listen. Albums by artists I feel I should know.
I also listen to Spotify all over the house whereas with Sirius, I rarely ever did.
4. Podcasts - these are absolutely essential, too. I know people have mentioned this one. But podcasts are what I am listening to more often than anything else. Choose a genre you want to know more about and download a podcast. E.g. Philosophize This! is amazing for philosophy. Want to learn a bit more about the economy? I cycle through different ones. I'll listen to The Adventure Zone by the McElroys and it's hilarious (not the new season so much). Or Up First and The Daily for news. Or Money Planet. Or comedians. Serial is awesome. The Scene on Radio - Seeing White series is unreal. So informative. There's a great podcast on Cocaine and Cowboys that focuses on Cajun culture, music, and the Kershaw brothers.
So, I change it up. Right now it's mostly political stuff. But I find that I can cycle through different things depending on what I am interested in learning.
5. Back Support - as was mentioned, get a really nice foam (the stiffer the better, imo) pad for back support. It's absolutely true that you will shift a lot to get comfortable, but you won't always be able to hit the right spot. I know it's something like an old paw paw would have. But trust me.
6. Tension ball - this is a great thing to have. You can use it to squeeze when traffic is jammed or you are frustrated after a crappy day. It can also pinpoint pressure for a soar spot. My neck and shoulders and lats will get soar and this really does help. Melting the muscle over the ball is an effective use of your time.
7. Sunglasses - Get a nice, comfortable pair of polarized sunglasses. The ones I have are amazingly comfortable, but I do look sorta like a dad who played juco baseball and I'm on my to coach my son - whom I've poured all my pressure and dreams and missed opportunities into - and his All Star team as an assistant to the real coach who never actually played himself. But I don't give a damn, because they are comfortable, I wear them for long periods of time, and they block the glare really well.
8. Phone holder - I have a telescoping iOttie One Touch and it's awesome! I've had a few holders over the years. But this is the best one. Easy in and out. Lots of extension. You can turn and angle it easily. I used to place it in the middle of my windshield, where I always placed my Garmin GPS back in the day. But I find that it's not a good spot. So now I place it on the driver's side window between the steering wheel and the driver's door. I can see it much more easily and I have it scoped out so that I can touch the screen without even moving my hand off the wheel, just by extending a finger. The only negative is that the charging cord will go over the steering column, but it's a minor thing compared to all the pros of this placement.
9. Snacks - I actually keep a few different type of snacks in the car, but nothing big. Gum, obviously. But in traffic when I am annoyed or restless, I find having mints to chew on, or something like that, really helps. The small mentos in the tin can, Altoids, Ice Breakers, Jones Soda drops, etc. I also like Hi Chew because they are super flavorful and take a while to chew. Grape, Lemon, and Mango are my favorite. Strawberry and Acai on the second tier.
Alright, I want to add one more to get to 10, but I gotta get to a massage in 20 minutes. So I'll probably think of a 10th on the way there as I drive and report back.
That said, these are the things I've learned.
1. Sirius - a lot of people here are talking about it and seemed to like it. For two years, I had it and liked it. But then it wore on me. I found that I wasn't actually listening to that many different radio stations. And it wasn't worth the money and I was listening to it less and less. So I haven't had it in the last five years or so and don't miss it at all.
When I got my new vehicle in October, it came with 3 months of Sirius for free but, again, I never found myself listening to it.
The new car also has Apple CarPlay which makes the listening and driving experience much nicer, but that's a separate issue, I know.
2. Waze - indispensible for me. I would download it if I were you - it has a few quirks that you'll learn when it's actually saving you time or when it's taking some other near route that won't, like getting off an off-ramp and then back on. But all in all, this app is absolutely necessary for me.
3. Spotify Premium - this is what I spend my subscription per month money on. I like it better than Sirius and it will build a 'commute' home playlist based on my listening and podcasting habits. But there's a ton of music that I can curate and listen to and I prefer it to Sirius, vastly.
I listened to a lot of full albums, as they were meant to be listened to. I would take key albums in a certain genre and give them a listen. Albums by artists I feel I should know.
I also listen to Spotify all over the house whereas with Sirius, I rarely ever did.
4. Podcasts - these are absolutely essential, too. I know people have mentioned this one. But podcasts are what I am listening to more often than anything else. Choose a genre you want to know more about and download a podcast. E.g. Philosophize This! is amazing for philosophy. Want to learn a bit more about the economy? I cycle through different ones. I'll listen to The Adventure Zone by the McElroys and it's hilarious (not the new season so much). Or Up First and The Daily for news. Or Money Planet. Or comedians. Serial is awesome. The Scene on Radio - Seeing White series is unreal. So informative. There's a great podcast on Cocaine and Cowboys that focuses on Cajun culture, music, and the Kershaw brothers.
So, I change it up. Right now it's mostly political stuff. But I find that I can cycle through different things depending on what I am interested in learning.
5. Back Support - as was mentioned, get a really nice foam (the stiffer the better, imo) pad for back support. It's absolutely true that you will shift a lot to get comfortable, but you won't always be able to hit the right spot. I know it's something like an old paw paw would have. But trust me.
6. Tension ball - this is a great thing to have. You can use it to squeeze when traffic is jammed or you are frustrated after a crappy day. It can also pinpoint pressure for a soar spot. My neck and shoulders and lats will get soar and this really does help. Melting the muscle over the ball is an effective use of your time.
7. Sunglasses - Get a nice, comfortable pair of polarized sunglasses. The ones I have are amazingly comfortable, but I do look sorta like a dad who played juco baseball and I'm on my to coach my son - whom I've poured all my pressure and dreams and missed opportunities into - and his All Star team as an assistant to the real coach who never actually played himself. But I don't give a damn, because they are comfortable, I wear them for long periods of time, and they block the glare really well.
8. Phone holder - I have a telescoping iOttie One Touch and it's awesome! I've had a few holders over the years. But this is the best one. Easy in and out. Lots of extension. You can turn and angle it easily. I used to place it in the middle of my windshield, where I always placed my Garmin GPS back in the day. But I find that it's not a good spot. So now I place it on the driver's side window between the steering wheel and the driver's door. I can see it much more easily and I have it scoped out so that I can touch the screen without even moving my hand off the wheel, just by extending a finger. The only negative is that the charging cord will go over the steering column, but it's a minor thing compared to all the pros of this placement.
9. Snacks - I actually keep a few different type of snacks in the car, but nothing big. Gum, obviously. But in traffic when I am annoyed or restless, I find having mints to chew on, or something like that, really helps. The small mentos in the tin can, Altoids, Ice Breakers, Jones Soda drops, etc. I also like Hi Chew because they are super flavorful and take a while to chew. Grape, Lemon, and Mango are my favorite. Strawberry and Acai on the second tier.
Alright, I want to add one more to get to 10, but I gotta get to a massage in 20 minutes. So I'll probably think of a 10th on the way there as I drive and report back.
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I have this phone holder that mounts on your dash easily, and i really like it:
Amazon product ASIN B07613LFQN
.
Also, I’ve seen a few people mention Waze, and i like Waze for longer road trips.. but for drives under say, 1 hour, I prefer Google Maps.. i find that Waze doesnt change course or recalculate as quickly ..also in my experience i get a lot of pop up ads with Waze.. of course, your mileage may vary (pun intended)
Amazon product ASIN B07613LFQN
.
Also, I’ve seen a few people mention Waze, and i like Waze for longer road trips.. but for drives under say, 1 hour, I prefer Google Maps.. i find that Waze doesnt change course or recalculate as quickly ..also in my experience i get a lot of pop up ads with Waze.. of course, your mileage may vary (pun intended)
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ohhh ok.
so they were there long after we would ride in there, play a few holes at night.
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Ask him about hand-held personal massage devices. He'll talk your ear off.
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Everything about College Station gives normal people a headache.
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You didn't mention, or I missed it, are you driving or riding mass transit?
I did the mass transit (bus and train) for a commute that took 1.5 -2 hours each way. I had a little 10" tablet for web surfing and getting some work (e-mails) done. Had my laptop and wi-fi if I had to dig into a problem. I usually had music going from my phone. Tried the audio books, but couldn't get into it.
Get a good water bottle and keep some snacks handy.
I did the mass transit (bus and train) for a commute that took 1.5 -2 hours each way. I had a little 10" tablet for web surfing and getting some work (e-mails) done. Had my laptop and wi-fi if I had to dig into a problem. I usually had music going from my phone. Tried the audio books, but couldn't get into it.
Get a good water bottle and keep some snacks handy.
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He's driving. You're right, it's a big difference - and if you're just riding, technology opens up so many options.
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You should probably check out pints with Aquinas podcast. Get a good water bottle for drinking and peeing. (Not kidding). Keep some nuts or granola bars around for emergency. Avoid developing a candy habit out of boredom. Check your tire pressure regularly and make sure your spare is in good shape.
OP
OP
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good stuff
i used to make my own trail mix for long trips, i might get back into that again
I have this phone holder that mounts on your dash easily, and i really like it:
Amazon product ASIN B07613LFQN
.
Also, I’ve seen a few people mention Waze, and i like Waze for longer road trips.. but for drives under say, 1 hour, I prefer Google Maps.. i find that Waze doesnt change course or recalculate as quickly ..also in my experience i get a lot of pop up ads with Waze.. of course, your mileage may vary (pun intended)
I've got the wizgear that grabs hold of the a/c vent. It keeps the phone a little more reachable.
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