carpool

Posts Tagged ‘carpool’

Week six: Carpooling is killing me!

August 20th, 2009 |

I have to admit I am starting to get a little restless. I’ve worked out transportation for the basics, like grocery shopping, yoga (though I need to find a nice gift for the gal who picks me up three times a week), and even my newfound spa regimen. But as summer comes to a close, our social life is starting to wiggle its fingers and toes. Soon, the party monster will be in full swing and we’ll have lots more on our calendars than neighborhood pool parties and double dinner dates. Sure, I could cut back on the fun stuff, but after being cooped up with no car for six weeks, I am kind of ready to get out!

This isn’t New York — I can’t just hop on a train. I can’t even walk 20 blocks (just a stroll in the city) without slathering on the sunscreen and getting soaked to the bone in sweat. I’d call a cab, but they’re probably not super fuel efficient.

And the hubs — who is a totally wonderful guy, don’t get me wrong — has been less than flexible on the car-sharing thing since he thought it was ludicrous for me to sell my car in the first place. After all, the arrangement was going to be more of a burden on him than me, so it’s not really in his best interest to make this easy for me. I get that. I invented that.

For example, he has plans for a night with the boys on Saturday night, and I have dinner plans with my girlfriends. Can I drop him off at his destination and drive to my dinner? Nope. He wants to have his car wherever he is. It’s a guy thing, he says. And my destination on the north end of Palm Beach is kind of too far away for him to taxi me to and fro, ’tis true (and would burn enough gas to defeat the purpose of me not having a car). So I’m going to have to drop my hostess a note and find out who’s coming so I can hitch a ride. Not that big a deal, I know, but it’s just another thing I have to do EVERYWHERE I GO!

Al Gore was right: Global Warming is inconvenient.

The car-free life

August 3rd, 2009 |

Author: Aime Dunstan

Carpooling has been super easy so far. I don’t think I’ve lost any friends yet, and I’ve managed to get around. Granted, it’s summer, and life is pretty much moving at a snail’s pace. I only left the house today to pick up Thai takeout for dinner (probably not organic – ack!).

Tomorrow morning I have a committee meeting for Young Friends of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, and I’m not sure how I’m going to get there. The hubs and his hubs-mobile will be in Boca for work, as will his fleet of trucks.

The last time I rode my bike, my combination lock froze and it took bolt cutters to free my Schwinn (hooray for husbands with tools)! So I could ride it to my meeting, but I’m not sure it would be where I left it when I was finished. Bicycles have a way of disappearing in West Palm Beach.

I’ll call around for a carpool in the morning. Hopefully it works out!

Auf wiedersehen, mein SUV

July 10th, 2009 |

Author: Aime Dunstan

You didn’t think I would do it, did you?

I just dropped off the Mercedes at CarMax in Boynton Beach and am feeling free! Free of fuel prices, oil changes, auto maintenance, car loan payments and insurance fees! Of course I’m also free of motorized transportation.

No worries. I work in a home office, and I live in a downtown historic district that has just about anything I might want within a mile. I can carpool with neighbors to grocery shop and to my yoga studio, which is about 2.5 miles from my house, and I have my trusty Schwinn beach cruiser for quick trips to the convenience store or to Green Market in winter.

For those weekend trips to my beloved Costco and Target, I have my husband’s Land Rover LR3, which, according to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ averages a languid 14 miles per gallon.

OK, so I’m not weaving hemp dresses and dancing around a compost pile just yet, but it’s a start. Stay tuned…