Traffic: the new weather
Sunday, April 30, 2006
What do people small talk about in a place where the weather in generally good?
Having just recently moved to LA, traffic has taken on a whole new meaning. It is not merely a phenomenon that takes place on the freeways, but rather a way of life. It rules what you will do and when, how grumpy you are that day, and how much cramping you will have in your lower extremities.
Having now been through 2 weeks of training at my new job, I found that the one thing that everyone talked about was the traffic. “Where did YOU come from?” “Oh I hear the traffic is terrible coming from that area!” “I spent three hours in the car this morning. I had to leave at 5 am!” This is the likely conversation during our breaks. Hey, it sure beats talking about the weather. It always comes down to comparing how bad your commute is compared to the other person’s. It ends when everyone grumbles that their commute is just too awful and why do we have to drive so far.
Probably the most “LA” thing to happen recently is that there was horrible traffic last Thursday. It prevented many people from actually making it to work at all. What happened, you ask? Well there were two things. The first was a huge big rig accident that took out 3 of the 4 lanes on the 5 freeway. Everything was covered with gravel. Not good. The other thing was a shooting and pursuit at the junction of the 405 and 110 freeways (or something like that). How LA is that? It’s very much like Steve Martin’s movie, “LA Story.”
“Why were you late for work?”
“Shooting on the freeway.”
“Oh not again. Ok, just make a note on your timesheet.”
Apparently it closed down both sides of the freeway and people were stuck for a very long time. And the funny part was everyone who mentioned it to me said it in a matter-of-fact sort of way that made it seem completely normal and usual. “What a bother. People shooting on the freeway again? There should be a law about not starting high speed chases or shooting people during rush hour.”
Luckily i have moved close to work and do not have to deal with that much traffic. Phew! I don’t think i would have survived the 2 hour commute i was doing before. Well, that’s the report from LA today! Over and out!
Hey, anti-camera girl, break it out and show us pictures of your new digs!
Posted by laura on 05/01 at 06:44 AM