I'm Turning Into an Angry Driver

7/13/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No Ride Today

I don't know if it has to do with age or what, but I'm discovering that my anger level is starting to increase while I drive. Today, when on the way home from Church of all places, I responded in anger to a driver and almost got her and I in a crash. Details of the situation are not important: She did something wrong and I responded in a manner that almost hurt both of us.

Also, as my wife Bonnie can attest, I'm not a very good driver any more. My mind wanders, and I lack attention to detail. I drive slower than all the other cars and am scared to drive faster than I do now. Last night, we went up to White Sands National Monument, and on the trip home I kept scaring her, even though I didn't do it intentionally.

For some time now, I have been going back and forth in my decision whether to go car-light or not, by starting to use bicycling and/or the bus as my main forms of transportation, and leaving the car at home. I remember in the late Summer through the end of 2011, when I was car light, the personal stress I was experiencing was a lot less. Not worrying about traffic was the most relaxing feeling. And now, we live in a different home in what has to be described as the most ideal of locations for a car-light lifestyle.

The two primary attractions are the closeness of local businesses and the proximity of the Eastside Bus terminal. Only a 10 minute walk away, the #59 Eastside Express runs every 14 minutes between this terminal and downtown with no stops. I walk 10 minutes to the #59, then two blocks from where it stops downtown to my work. The cost would be a mere $12 per week instead of my $40 per week I'm paying in gas. Door-to-Door time (from when I walk out my front door to when I arrive at work) is less than 30 minutes. These #59 buses run from about 4:45am all the way to 8:15pm. Think of it - Little to no stress, save a bundle of money, it just seems like a no-brainer.

Plus, there is every imaginable business within safe bike riding distance from my home. Two great bike shops (Crazy Cat and another new one whose name slips my mind now) are less than ten minutes away by bike. There are three malls (Cielo Vista, Basset Place and The Fountains at Farah) within cycling distance, and two of those are actually an easy walk away. Not to mention 10 or 12 little strip shopping centers that have all kinds of shops. Plus a bunch of stand-alone storefront businesses (like a pair of Walgreens) and there's also a K-Mart and WalMart nearby. All accessible with two wheels. A library is close by, too, that has a very active chess club.

And restaurants? I'll try to list what I remember, all in my neighborhood and all within easy cycling distance:

1. All the restaurants in the food courts at the three malls mentioned above.
2. Pizza Hut
3. Village Inn
4. Jack in the Box
5. a Mexican restaurant on Montana that I can't remember the name of now
6. Weinerschnitzel
7. Tastee Freeze
8. Chili's
9. KFC
10. McDonald's
11. Denny's
12. Sonic
13. a gourmet Burger place (I can't remember the name)
14. Two Wendy's
15. Two Burger Kings (one in the Airport, about 12 minute away by bike)
16. Dunkin Donuts
17. Two Arby's restaurants
18. Long John Silver's
19. Elmer's, a greasy-spoon coffee place
20. The restaurants in a Marriott Hotel nearby
21. Applebee's
22. Cattle Baron (a high-end steakhouse)
23. La Chocolat'
24. Carlos and Mickey's
25. Another Carlos and Mickey's in the airport
26. At least four Subway restaurants
27. Souper Salads
28. Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors
29. a cool Yogurt place
30. Luby's Cafeteria
31. Panda Express (opening soon!)
32. 5 Guys Burgers
33. Papa Burgers (bestest burgers in El Paso)

And I've probably forgotten a dozen more.

With my past, specifically my history of commuting by bicycle and using public transportation, along with my deterioration in driving skills and my growing anger issues, along with the supremely convenient area of town I live in, is it not silly to try to continue to drive my car all the time?

I think my anger incident today has pushed me over the edge. I think it's time to go car-light. There's at least two trips per week that I can't - that would be to music practice and church, because I carry my guitar(s) and gear and need a car. But other than that, I am starting to not see the point of driving the car any more.

We start tomorrow morning. We'll see where it leads.