On Time and Distance

November 26, 2013

I spent a lot of time in the car today. A mind-numbing amount of time. With just me and my cat to keep myself occupied (aside from the occasional car full of college kids that managed to make me feel stalked while driving 80 mph on the interstate), this left an excess amount of time to dwell on many things... Mostly all the problems in my life. However, I devoted a good thirty minutes trying to pretend that those problems don't exist, so instead I'm going to touch on some of the other thoughts I had that aren't directly related to all of my personal issues.

Thought #1: The aforementioned stalking incident. A ghetto truck filled to the brim with college students (or college-age young adults, if we want to be technical about it) spent a good half an hour "stalking" me on the interstate. I really can't think of another word for it. First they zoomed up behind me and passed me going at least 10 mph over the speed limit (awkwardly turning in their seats and staring at me as they passed), then they slowed down until they were right next to me (I was doggedly facing forward pretending they didn't exist, so I can't say whether or not they were still staring), and finally they proceeded to slow down and sit on my bumper for the next thirty minutes until I got sick of it and sped up until I lost them. 

Thought #2: Apparently, all ruminants are not always friends. Sometimes you wonder what it would be like to be the lone deer in a herd of over thirty-five antelope. This is a true story. I was driving, looked over into a wheat field, and saw a huge herd of antelope all staring at one mulie buck that was nonchalantly picking his way through the herd and across the field. I thought, Is this the Great Prince of the Wheat Field?

Thought #3: Is it easier to think of your trip in miles or in minutes (or seconds, or hours; whichever unit of time suits your fancy)? I guess I never really thought of this before, but all my life I have thought of travel length in terms of time rather than distance. I wonder what this says about my concept of space? 

Thought #4: In Montana, it is a given that if you're trying to get anywhere that's worth going, you are going to be in a vehicle for at least an hour, minimum. A four to six hour car trip is regarded as a fairly typical drive, and is really nothing to brag about. I don't think it occurred to me until my senior year in high school that this was not how everyone in the world regarded car trips. My aunt had an agricultural exchange student from the UK who was staying with her a couple of years ago, and when he heard that I had a three and a half (almost four) hour drive home, he almost fell out of his chair. While I might think nothing of driving a six to seven hour round-trip in a day, to him it was utterly astonishing. So I guess what I'm saying is that the world isn't always as big as it seems when you're in Montana, which is sad, in a way. 

Thought #5: I could never, ever, ever, EVER, consider trucking as a career option. Aside from the fact that I have a tendency to become extremely carsick if I'm not driving, and have been known on occasion to get carsick WHILE I'm driving, there is also the boredom factor. Let's face it, you can only listen to so much music and books on tape. And unless you have a mega-chair, after about three hours your butt is pretty much permanently cramped. 

Since I have plans to do a lot more driving over my Thanksgiving break, I will have ample time to revisit these thoughts of mine, along with those problems that I'm currently pretending don't exist. Safe travels to all of you out there on the roads or up in the airways this Thanksgiving holiday.