I got up with a plan to drive over today. (Or rather, as the clock passed 5am, I decided to just go with the flow instead of continuing the fruitless fight against persistent insomnia.)

Once I got outside, the air smelled so good that on an impulse, I decided to walk/jog over again even though daylight had not yet arrived. At a comfortable walking pace, it usually takes a little less than 45 minutes to get from Point A (mom's place) to Point B (dad's Laser Fortress, which he is rumored to be moving out of one of these days).

Breathing the morning air as light gradually crept into the eastern sky was invigorating.

As I walked, I happened to spot one of those things barrelling down Wadsworth. I made the appropriate gesture, and sort of wished I had a digital camera to document the event, but it probably wouldn't have done much good in the dark anyway. (From the bike trail 20 meters away under the shroud of night, I'm also fairly certain nobody saw my hand signal, but you never know for sure.)

As gas prices skyrocket to new highs, I suppose I have also been flirting with the idea of carless living. In my case, perhaps a more accurate term would be car-lite living. I have a car on hand when I need it, but why waste the wear, tear, pollution, and expense on a daily basis when it can be avoided?

Financially, this seems to make sense, until I tabulate my figures and realize that on average, over the past 6 months, I've been paying approximately 3 times as much for insurance as I do for gas, even though I've cut it back to state-required liability insurance only. Reducing my driving does absolutely nothing to curb what become by far my biggest car-related expense since I paid off the loan.

This this realization is honestly kind of depressing. I'd much rather keep my car around and drive it only when I need than get rid of it entirely. But in paying what amounts to a fairly hefty ownership tax (hefty for an semi-unemployed person such as myself anyway), I feel like I'm throwing money down the toilet if I don't drive very often. [sigh]

[Bitscape listens to the Democracy Now stream from KGNU.]

Anyway, on with the day!