Yet another reason why long commutes are BAD!
 

It's amazing what people do for money. They have no time to even enjoy the 'things' that they 'need' yet slave day in and day out for it. That's why my goal in life is to work as little as possible.

theclencher -

That's me! All that stuff is happening to me right now. But, the article neglected the skin cancer studies on commuters. I have built an extra big sun visor to put over my visor, long sleeve extenders (white socks with holes in them to go over my arms), a window sill "shade shelf", and nose filter plugs so that I can "breathe" highway air without AC.

I used to be able to function on 4 hours of sleep, but now I need 8 to stay healthy. And I almost never get it.

CarloSW2

I experience the same thing. I used to have a 2-3 hour commute (total time) every day. It was done in a $4000 (price = new car) car. My back ended up feeling like it was going to die. I went to the doctor and only got temporary relief. I now have a hour and a half commute every day. My back is loving it. There are twists and turns, as I navigate one-way roads that accomodate two lanes of traffic. There are no traffic lights and no cars though, so it is a very peaceful drive. The scenery can't be beat either. I love seeing the road ahead of me, instead of some stupid rear end of a car.

Companies need to start offering more chances to work at home. When I return to America, I am pretty sure that I will end up in a sales-type job. Not sure which industry I will land in, but sales seems to be the best bet for me now. In other words, my car will be uber-important. I need to have excellent back support. I am looking at a 1998 Jetta TDI, and if need be I will replace the seat in it with something more supportive if my back demands it.

Oh, and my blood pressure doesn't suffer during my commte at all. It actually improves I think. When I get to my workplace, I have a 90/50 rate. Almost a little TOO low...

I have some anarchist friends in Lake Worth who really amaze me with regards to their ability to not work. There is a group of them who collectively own a house. They dumpster dive or grow all of their food, steal free water from the city with the help of a gray water filtration system, use almost no electricity, and as a result are some of the happiest people I know.

They have a friend who is a stagehand, and they will work with him for a few weeks of the year and then not do anything else for the rest of the year. Stagehands make $18 per hour. I met the guy when I was hanging out with them last weekend and he offered to get me into that once the busy season starts again. It should be pretty cool to make some quick cash and then relax for a while.

Me too! When I get a career in the future, I'm going to buy a regular 3 bedroom bungalow, Finish the basement with 4 more bedrooms, and rent out the extra rooms for rental income. Once the mortgage is paid for, who needs to work full time?

I got this idea after my exciting time living in an on-campus residence at the University of Manitoba. It was a blast, and you'd be surprised how well 25 people per floor can share just 4 showers, 4 toilets, one living room, and one kitchen!

Every month, each floor's rent totalled over $10,000 :eek:. And there were 9 floors in my building!

I'm not. The collective house I was talking about in Lake Worth houses 6 people, is about 1200 square feet, doesn't have a toilet (only a composting toilet that you can't pee in), and one solar shower.

They're anti-capitalists though.

I do it. "On a good day" my commute is 1.25 hours each way.

My wife and I do not live an extravagant lifestyle. We're doing it so I can make enough for her to stay home with the baby and own a ~2000 sq ft home in a small town.

We could move to Milwaukee but we're simply not interested at this time, since we spend most weekends in Madison. Also, I travel a lot, so when I travel I don't have long commutes typically.

Obviously I will not do this forever, but at this point in my life/career it's what makes the most sense to us.

I've moved from 70 miles from work to just over 7... traded my hour and 20 minute commute for a 20 minute drive across town. I'm keeping a log of my trips to/from work. I average 19 minutes to go the 7.1 miles each way. 0.2 gallons each way @38 MPG. Best so far was 41MPG with lots of OEC and clutch-in/neutral coasting down hills and to 60+ second stop lights. I figure I can get to/from work using 8 gallons of gas per month. Not bad, compared to filling my 12 gallon tank twice a week while commuting.

It's so true... Getting good MPG is great... Saving gas is even better!

So... with my highway driving virtually eliminated, I may not get the mid-40's MPG in town, but I'll certainly be saving $ and the gas it buys.

thats how i feel about my commutes. there less than 6 miles to work and involve about 3-4 lights. might not get in the 40's but i'm just as happy cause i use less gas.