You Know When

You know when you spend too much time commuting in your car. At least in my car it is pretty clear. First my car floor disappears under food wrappers and map printouts. Then my bumper gets covered with stickers proclaiming my allegience to rescue, to peace, to whimsey, to zen koans. Then my rear view mirror looks empty so I put a blue dolphin air freshener on it. And finally, just today, I caved into a primal impulse and put a hula doll with a blue skirt on my dashboard to gently sway as I negotiate my way through the what we laughingly call traffic in the D.C. Metro Area. I say laughingly because in D.C. there are just two speeds -- murderously fast with people tailgating at 75 miles an hour in a 65 mile an hour zone or a parking lot.