B E B E R E

Recently, got to talking with my coworker one cube warren down, JoAnn. She was mentioning a Hummer owner/driver tendency to look like an "a$$hole." Now, my whole take on driving/car ownership in Cambridge and Somerville is, hey, come on. This is the city, you're all supposed to be environmentalists or something. How's about practicing what you preach? I've been living pretty happily without a car now for 16 years and do not foresee buying *anything* other than a new set of innertubes for my bike so long as I'm here.

Anyway - as there do seem to be quite a few hummers around here, I got to get a good look at them. You know what? I think that JoAnn might be onto something. Whether they be your typical office worker guy, a fifty-something woman, a teenaged girl, they seem to be driving while talking on a cellphone or doing some other activity that requires more attention than one can safely give while driving in the city. And yes, if you are driving while talking or otherwise engaged, you look like an a$$hole.

This isn't limited to hummer drivers, though. I think that some of the worst and nastiest drivers I've dealt with on my morning and evening commutes are Saab/Volvo drivers, followed by Jetta or Passat-driving 'creative talent.'
It's largely these folks who make my morning/evening walks into work the 'baby sea turtle commute' that it is.