Blogging Through Team Cartus's Carpool Adventures

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Carpool Log: Monday, July 21, 2008 – Late Already, The Cold and Robert Goulet

So it turns out that Patrick drives neither an SUV nor a minivan, but instead, a rather sporty red Subaru Impreza.

Naturally, I didn't expect him to handle it quite like the numerous Japanese imports you see today being driven by various idiot adolescents permanently channeling The Fast and the Furious, but to his credit, we made it to work with plenty of time to spare—"plenty of time to spare," that is, if work started half an hour later, which it doesn't, which means we were late.

Of course, we might actually have arrived on time if he hadn't forced me to read and memorize a list of "mandatory carpooling suggestions" before we left the commuter lot.

Look, I'm all for driving together in semi-companionable silence, but no touching the climate controls? It was like an icebox in there! Aren't old people always supposed to be cold? Oh well, I suppose the environment is worth the occasional bout with frostbite and a hairy eyeball from your boss.

Plus, who knew that the resonant strains of Robert Goulet's silky baritone could possibly prove so revivifying, even at eight o'clock in the morning? Granted, it was kind of weird listening to Christmas music in July...

Carpool Log: Monday, July 21, 2008 – Smooth Sailing... With Jimmy Buffet

OK, so Day One wasn't so bad.

Since I was in a pretty good mood this morning, I relaxed some of my "carpooling rules." Not sure why I was so upbeat this morning. Maybe it was teaching my four-year-old daughter how to ride a bike over the weekend (she's a natural). Maybe it was the musical stylings of Robert Goulet.

Or maybe it was because I felt slightly bad for being seven minutes late and receiving an "Um…where ARE you?" call from my carpool mate, Trevor. Ooops.

And I thought it was supposed to be ME who was crabby in the morning! That's the trouble with kids these days, always in a rush to get somewhere. Other than that, it was smooth sailing -- a little light conversation, Trevor respected all climate control, audio, and window/door-lock restrictions, and I had complete freedom because I drove.

The only downside to the trip was the second-degree corneal burns I sustained from looking directly at Trevor's, um, "colorful" Hawaiian shirt. That thing is so loud it makes Jimmy Buffet look like a pilgrim. I'll wear a welder's mask next time. We'll see how things go when I lose control of the situation tomorrow. Trevor is driving …!

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Carpool Log: Sunday, July 20, 2008 – Questions of Freedom and Rules to Live By (While Carpooling)

For one thing, I'm not a "morning person"…never have been, never will be. As much as I love my wife and children, I don't do a whole lot of speaking to them in the morning, and they've learned not to expect it. The last thing I need is some young whippersnapper going on and on about this great new alternative literary newsletter he found, or this really great off-off-off-off-Broadway play that he read about, and I certainly don't want to hear about the Red Sox being in first place.