snowhio

I had a rather lengthy commute the other day thanks to heaps and heaps of snow falling on under-salted cobblestones. Thankfully my fellow travelers were all cautious and responsible. We crept along, offering me ample opportunity to ruminate on two things I adore:

1. Watching other drivers drive. This American Life once devoted an entire episode to the concept of a million people in their insulated "million bubbles". Voyeuristic, yes, but it's rather awesome to be able to peek behind the public/private curtain when it's made only of transparent safety glass. Suddenly you are privy to a snapshot of the intricacies of the lives of others - a world rife with joys and complexities you'll never know about (but probably share at some basic level).

Over the miles I've seen people laughing, crying, screaming, fighting, rocking the air drums. Sometimes I wonder what provoked the reactions. Maybe they just received word of something really terrible or really wonderful. Or maybe they're just listening to a really good song by Yo la Tengo.


2. I love it when we get a proper snow and it's faster to walk than drive. It forces observance of things normally missed when whizzing by in one's vehicle. It never fails; I always go into tiny ecstacies over the stark contrast of white snow on black branches.