"Write now is good."

Six-word commuting stories: Where are the straphangers?

Photo: Telecommute by myelectricsheep

A couple of weeks ago, I asked readers for six-word stories of their commutes. Fuel prices are rising and more are taking public transportation, so I expected to get mini dramas of packed subway cars, missed commuter trains, and lurching buses.

I didn't.

Instead, I received tales by telecommuters and a bi-coastal jet-setter—opposite ends of the commuting spectrum. They are:

One mile to Starbucks, then home. — Lily

Foot floor clothing coffee hallway laptop. — Cathryn Hrudicka, Chief Imagination Officer, Creative Sage™

Was an hour. Now ten feet. — Steve Woodruff

Sometimes LA. Sometimes Boston. That's it. — Ann Handley

Thank you to everyone who submitted one! And if any straphangers out there would still like to play, drop a comment and I'll add you to this list.

UPDATE: I received a slew of additional six-word commuting tales today. Many thanks to all! They are:

-- "Twenty years? Twenty minutes? I forget."
-- "Could canoe to work. Or not." And its companion piece, "Going home all upstream. Bad idea."
-- "Jerk on bumper. Flash brakes? Ahhh." And its companion piece, "Must drive faster! Brake lights? AHHH!" — All written by JohnH60

Used to straphang. But it sucked! — Ann Handley   

My commute: Coffee, couch, baby, boob. — Rachel Levy

Books and buses, grad school salvation. — Laura

Writing exercise: Your six-word commute

Photo: Early rush hour Subway crowd, homeward bound [015/365] by Lab2112

The price for a gallon of gas continues to rise in countries worldwide.

In this New York Times article, the writer describes how additional riders are flooding mass-transit systems in the U.S. Increasing amounts of commuters have stopped driving to work as they feel the financial strain from high fuel prices.

Commuting via mass transit? Grab a notebook, pen and a seat (perhaps).

Your assignment: Write ten six-word stories about your commute.

Focus on precision. Fit as much as you can into those six words. Search your surroundings for strong images, dialog, sounds, sensations and smells. Tune in to what is around you as you craft your micro stories ... and please keep an eye on your personal belongings.

If you post any of your stories on your blog, leave a comment here with the permalink. I'll link to all stories in an additional post about what you all eventually create.

Have fun! These are just drafts. You can always edit them when you arrive home.

Turkey traffic solutions

I rarely rant on my blog, but I thought this one could have many environmental and societal benefits.

My family and I were stuck in traffic for 4 hours (the trip should have taken 1-1/2 hours) the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The extra time gave my husband and I lots of time to discuss traffic solutions, especially when we discovered that our jam was caused by cars waiting to go through tolls. We came up with one, which I shall put to a haiku (5-7-5 style):

Mandatory E-
Z Pass! Mandatory E-
Z Pass — no toll jams!

No mention of a season in that haiku, I know. Not subtle either, forgive me. But when you and your nearest-and-dearest are stuck in a barely moving vehicle, surrounding by other barely moving vehicles, for such a frustratingly long period of time, poetic license and structure are left far behind, like the toothbrush you forgot to pack.

So, here are some benefits of a mandatory E-Z Pass system. All drivers who go through tolls would benefit:

1. Saves time. (More-enjoyable car trips, fewer traffic jams = more people on time for work, more business productivity.)
2. Saves gas. (Less idling and time on roads from traffic, saves families money and puts less pollutants into the air and land.)
3. Saves wear-and-tear on cars. (Cars last longer, fewer car repairs needed.)

The time- and environment-saving benefits alone could be enormous, especially when calculated over millions of cars and billions of gained hours and conserved gallons of gas.

I know traffic can be caused by a variety of other factors not related to highway toll booths, but if all cars manufactured had an E-Z Pass chip built into them, then it could be programmed to activate only if it went through tolls. This could seriously alleviate toll-plaza-induced traffic jams...

...which leaves more time for writing!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled writer's blog. Thank you for your patience.

The RETURN of "The smell of the future"

In my June 3rd post titled "The smell of the future,"  I wrote about my family’s first encounter with biodiesel during a lovely day in the country. We mused about its distinctive smell.

This Sunday's New York Times has provided answers for our lingering questions. An excerpt from “Grease Is the Word: Fill It Up With Fry Oil”

“Now, after more than 2,000 miles on veggie oil, there seem to be few disadvantages to the transformation. My car seems to get slightly better mileage, it seems to run a little more quietly and it has just as much zip as it does on diesel. According to test results I’ve seen, vegetable oil burns somewhat cleaner in most categories than diesel fuel, and emits absolutely no sulfur. What a veggie car does emit is a smell faintly redolent of the kind of oil being burned — or, in the case of used oil, the scent of whatever it might have cooked previously..."

The Biodiesel we met was probably using recycled donut-frying oil. Or popcorn-cooking oil. Or both!

And another very interesting note:

“I was surprised to learn that Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the combustion cycle bearing his name, originally intended his engine to run on vegetable oil. In 1912, seven years after he introduced his engine at a Paris exposition, he said: 'The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as the petroleum and coal tar products of the present time.'"

It looks like that time is now.

I can't wait to see what will be invented so people can collect and recycle the veggie oil in their lives for their veggie autos. Will fast-food restaurants have auctions at the end of each day, giving away the contents of their grease traps to the highest bidders?

Ready to get your conversion kit? Two manufacturers of them are (in alphabetical order):
• Frybrid Diesel/Vegetable Oil
• Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems

The smell of the future

Today we took a day trip north into the mountains. Enjoying our adventure, I eagerly took in all of the sites and sounds...

...and aromas.

My husband rolled down the window. "Hmm. It's coming from outside."

"You smell it, too" I stated. He nodded and rolled the window back up.

It was a curious odor. Strong, yet light. Not entirely unpleasant at the start but which made us feel more nauseous with each passing minute. And its mysterious source worried us. We'd been driving for miles, and we couldn't escape it.

"Is there a really big donut factory around here?" I asked.

"It smells like cooking oil," he added.

"Is it popcorn?" I inquired, still stumped, imaging a gigantic, freshly made yet-overcooked bowl of buttery fluffs sitting high on a hill just around the bend.

We slowed down for a red light and came face-to-butt with a Mercedes sedan in front of us.

"Bio-diesel!" my husband shouted.

Its two bumper stickers explained it:
1. "Bio-diesel"
2. "Bio-diesel: This vehicle burns a cleaner form of fuel!"

The metalic "DIESEL" detail which rests on the trunk's right-hand side had been modified. It now proudly proclaimed, "BIODIESEL."

We were both silent.

"Does all bio-diesel smell this way?"

My husband shrugged.

"Maybe they made their own. I think Willie Nelson makes his own," I said, hoping that such a promising alternative fuel source could not actually make me long for parfum de burning gas.

My husband kept his eyes on the road. We took the next exit.

"Maybe we're just not used to the smell," I added, envisioning roadways clogged with bio-diesel burners as I'm stuck in traffic; I pass out eventually and need to be rescued by helicopter because the ambulance can't make it through.

Is there any way to make biodiesel smell better?