That moment when you wonder...

I'm not in a Final Destination movie, am I? 

I should have never watched that movie... and yes, I only looked at the first one. Horror movies are not my thing. The scenes stick in my head and pop into my mind at the most inopportune moments. 

Went to bed last night thinking that I'd get a full night's sleep. I haven't had that in... forever. My dad woke me up at 1:30-ish in the a.m. to tell me that my brother had gotten into a car accident. 

He'd gone out with his friends for the first time in a long time. On their way back home his friend went around a corner a bit too fast and ended up crashing into a post. Ergh. My brother and his friend are fine. Bumps and bruises and the possibility of a concussion (...am now wondering if the possibility of a concussion can be labelled as 'fine'). His friend feels horribly guilty... and the friend's car is now in great need of repairs. 

They're both okay. Praises be.

During those moments in between waking up to the news of him being in an accident and him arriving home with the wrecker... my dad and I were not okay... though perhaps to the outside world it would have seemed as though we were perfectly calm. We freak out on the inside. Mostly. 

I'd like to wrap everyone I know in bubble wrap. Be safe. I can't handle anything major happening to anyone I know right now. Unless it's something really fabulous. Exciting. Positive. Uplifting. Then I'll celebrate with you of course. 

But... nothing negative. 

I'm not sure what counts as negative since everything can be a positive learning experience. I guess I mean nothing harmful? I'm not sure exactly.

Oy. Am trying to breathe and be centred. It's been a long day.

peace,

Ren

Traffic woes...

"Each year it seems to take less time to fly across the ocean and longer to drive to work."  ~Author Unknown

Amount of hours in the day: 24

Amount of hours spent in traffic today: 4

I know this may not seem like a lot of traffic time to some of you. It is for me. I know that on a really good day it would take me 8 minutes from my home to my workplace. Yes... 8 minutes (driving). I know this because I've timed it. Over the past few years this time has gradually (sometimes not-so-gradually) increased. On a really good day it now takes me approximately half an hour to get to work. On a really bad day? Hours (upon hours).

It is frustrating and tiring and gets on people's nerves. I live on an island. If you look us up on a map of the world we're basically a dot... If one wanted to see the island the drive would take at most two days (48 hours). To be stuck in traffic for hours then is something that we're generally not happy with. 

It's the price of progress I think. We've got more cars on the road... more people needing to move around... it's only natural that road works/improvements would be needed. What's not needed? Accidents... which is something else that causes traffic... either due to the accident having to be cleared up or due to everyone stopping to watch the accident being cleared up.   

I got to work late today... am really glad that I wasn't driving as I may have just turned around and gone back home. Perhaps the traffic is really a test from the Universe... how dedicated are you to get to work?? Anyway, my mom, my brother and I were in the car... some questions that came up:

Q: when does a 10 minute drive turn into 2.5 hours? 

A: when there's an accident/road works/random crazy driver...

&

Q: when does a pedestrian get somewhere faster than the flow of traffic?

A: see above.

&

Q: have you ever noticed how many mango trees there are on the way to work?

A: no mom, I usually focus on the road whilst driving to work. 

It is stuff like this that keeps me sane... as well as discussions on telecommuting proposals to my workplace... and videos like the one below (Mr. Bean is now an honorary Trini in my book after seeing this vid).

Safe travels all.

peace,

Ren

I'm a driver.

"Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." ~Jason Love

Although I've had my driver's license since 2005 (yes, I was late getting it), I only really started driving last year. As of November 2009, I am the owner of a car... which explains really why I started driving. When you don't have your own car you tend to drive less simply because it's easier to either travel where you want to go or ask someone with a car to carry you wherever.

I like travelling... via taxi, maxi or bus... when I'm abroad I like travelling by subway and train... It is entertaining and eye-opening - there is so much one can discover about a place by travelling with public transportation. It's also really useful to know, in case you get stuck somewhere, how to get home without much assistance.

Having a car opens up a new means of transportation. It is more solitary. You are part of the hustle but yet separate... cocooned in your own metal bubble. I've discovered that I enjoy singing more - maybe it's cuz I like music... maybe cuz I want voices to fill the space and the only one there is mine (usually... sometimes my girlfriends are in the car and then we all sing along). Then there's the question of manners. How polite are Trini drivers? It's been said that we're the worst in the world... with all the bad drives and road rage around it's hard to be polite at all times. It's a question of staying centered... and balanced... 'yes, I shall let you through but not you... don't push... flash a smile and please, let me through'... It's not about male drivers or female drivers but about people trying to get from one place to the other.

I arrived late to work this morning - two accidents on the northbound lane of the highway... I know the roads in Central pretty well though ... so while a lot of people were stuck in crawling traffic I was making my way through the back roads... I confess - I didn't reach to work late because of traffic but because I found myself with some time to go to the bank and whatnot - I actually arrived before a lot of my work people.

It's still a strange experience having a car... less worry of how to get places... more worry about the cost of gas... mileage... fans and belts and how often do I need to check oil again? It's freeing in a way - more responsibility in a way... I wonder what other people think. Road hogs and responsible drivers... T&T has so many vehicles now.

Saying a prayer for whoever was involved in those accidents this morning... Saying a prayer to protect myself and those I love, care for, like, know... just about everybody really ... to be safe on our roads.

peace,

Rtr