I would like to take this opportunity to thank whoever invented carpool lanes. Yes, trying to get out of LA on a Friday at 5:00 is a poor idea, noted. But imagine how much worse it was for couples and families making that same ambitious decision before the HOV lane was over there, to the left (thank you Beyonce, also).
Left me wondering, how many of these vehicles in front of or behind us are actually carpooling? As in, sharing one vehicle to work or school. Aside from soccer moms trading off chauffeur duties, how many people in LA really use the HOV for its true intended purpose, to reward high occupancy vehicles, and get more cars off the road, thus relieving congestion? I saw what looked like lots of couples, possibly family members, but not anyone I'd guess were co-workers.
Here's to a great weekend with a friend or two to make you HOV ready!
OK, it's just plain cliche to complain about traffic in LA, but this afternoon's travels from the westside to Sherman Oaks, took an hour and 15 minutes. We're talking about an 18 mile trip. What is that??? And the fun didn't stop there! Nope, when I arrived seven minutes late to my commercial callback (Yes, I had a commercial callback! First one in... some time), the casting assistant informed me she'd just called my agent looking for me. Yikes! Is that all? No! I always have had faith that this city does indeed weed out the wackos. Not fool proof, I'm afraid. Ran into the biggest wacko I've ever had to work with minutes later at the callback. I hate to name call, but I was in a class with her and she managed to piss off every single person there. Never seen anything like it. Talk about getting thrown a curve ball right before the big moment. She approached me, of course. (Why?) I failed miserably at pretending I didn't know her. Busted. Barf. Callback went pretty well, though!
If I book it, do I have to start saying I like the valley? Nah!
Happy almost end of the week!!
If you live in any city with traffic, well you probably just wish you didn't. It never ceases to amaze me how on my way to an audition at 11:30 AM on a Tuesday, I end up in gridlock hell. Why aren't these people at work? Well, we're probably all going to the same audition. On many a roadway, one incentive for disgruntled commuters, is carpool lanes. Personally I don't know a single person who carpools to work, but many, at least in LA, currently get to use the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane because they drive a hybrid. Soon, plans for stricter CA regulations will only allow qualifying hybrid vehicles (those that achieve city-highway fuel economy of 65 mpg or better or are powered by electricity, natural gas or some other alternative fuel) this very special treatment, knocking down the once awed after Prius to the silver medal podium. And while I applaud these very green efforts, I say, screw positive reinforcement! How about some punishment? I propose the SOLV Lane. The Single Occupancy Large Vehicle Lane would require all of the Range Roving, Escalading, Suburbaning, solo commuters to drive in one, and only one lane, the SOLV Lane. No longer will us compact car drivers be stuck in traffic staring at the behind of a giant SUV we can't see in front of or fearing that the morons changing lanes to right and left, will fail to see us, because... our cars are just too small to see! Oh how I long to fly past the ultra cool, over-sized sunglass wearing, road hoggers, bumper-to-bumper with their own kind in the dreaded SOLV lane as I cruise past on to my way to wow the ad agency for my Midol audition. Yay!
