Context

Cheez-it, cheez-it.

One of the worse kept secrets right now is the continued rising price of gas. $4 a gallon right means to me that it costs me $12 a day for one round-trip drive to work (25 mpg, 76 miles round trip). And that's if it's normal and then I do no errand running during lunch or after work. $60 a week isn't too bad and thankfully, Michele and I are in a spot right now where it is affordable for us. None the less, I've been trying to figure out a way to car pool. Back in 2006 and the very early part of 2007 I was able to car-pool with a co-worker. You know back when gas was $2.50 a gallon! We took turns driving weekly back and forth to work. At that time we were working on the same team and were able to hold the same hours. Since then we've both been promoted. Me within my same team and she took a position with a new company that my company spun off. So both our hours kind of increased and she had to trvale more and then we had Seth and I needed to have a car in case I had to run home...so it has fallen apart. Now no one lives close enough to me to car pool.

So, I started looking into the bus system. It is very extensive system in Detroit actually. It's surprising actually. I live in Lincoln Park exit 42 off of I-75 (same house you and JP visited me Gary, way back in the summer of 2001). It's about 8 miles South from downtown Detroit. I work in Auburn Hills, MI (exit 79 off of I-75) about 3 miles from the Palace of Auburn Hills. My normal daily routine is that I leave the house no later than 6:45am (6:30 ideal). Arrive at work by 7:30 and then leave anywhere between 4pm and 5pm. Sometimes I take an hour lunch sometimes I don't. I prefer not to take a lunch and leave as soon as possible so I can be home. I kind of figured the bus thing would result in more time away from home, but would include some cost savings as well as the experience in public transportation. The ability to meet all kinds of people, see some different parts of the Metro Detroit area, even allow me to some work on my laptop as I occassionally have to do at home.

So I started to research the routes and potential pick-up and drop-off points, would I need a ride to the bus-stop or from the bus-stop, how much would I have to walk. All those details.

So what does all this have to do with Cheez-Its?

I'm getting there.

I was shocked at what would be required of me to use the bus system. The best I could find for my trip to work was to leave at 5:13am and arrive to work by 8:06am. This meant I would have to walk a total of 45 minutes, wait for a bus for 13 minutes, and ride 2 different buses for 2 hours combined. And that was just to get to work by 8:06am. But to get to the bus stop by 5:13 meant I'd have to get up at like 4:30am at the minimum. Not that ideal.

Then for my trip home, assuming I can leave after working a straight 8 only (not that likely). I would hop the bus at 4:18 and be home at 7:46.

Basically I would have less than 9.5 hours at home...throw in 6 or 7 hours of sleep and I'm down to a couple hours of awake time at home. My kid goes to bed now at 8:30 - 8:45, I'd see him for an hour a day at the best, thus leaving just an hour with the lovely and talented one and myself.

This idea kind of went out the window almost immediately.

And then I got to thinking....

Sometimes you need context.

Con-text, con-text.

No idea how I remembered this movie, and if you search YouTube you'll find a lot more on this movie. But we've all heard the stories from famous athletes, people on TV, and the kids down the street or in our Youth Groups.

Sometimes we all deserve a slap in the face.

Context, context