I've been very lucky with work commutes recently. In Japan, my commute was 30 minutes door to door. My office was in a building directly connected to the subway station so when it was raining or snowing, I only had to deal with the 3 minute walk from my door to the subway. Here, I kind of expected a hellish commute to the San Jose area, but I scored once again and have a 20 -25 minute drive to work. And I arrive at 10am so the traffic is light.
But I'm learning there's an interesting downside. I love listening to NPR and commuting is the perfect time for this. Or so I thought. Because unlike the morning news that gives you a decent overview of what's going on, at my commute time, I hear Forum which is an in-depth discussion/debate on a certain topic. It's a wonderful show, but a 20 minute ride always leaves me wanting to stay in the parking lot to hear more.
But even harder for me is sometimes, like today, the discussions can become quite heated. Name calling, interruptions, and biting accusations can be the norm. I have the utmost respect for the moderators who calmly steer the conversation away from downright fights. Usually this happens with controversial topics like gay marriage or immigration laws, and the discussions usually get my heart-beating fast too and sometimes mad! I'm just not used to hearing heated arguments, especially in the morning. I know that normal news wouldn't cheer me much either and at least in Forums you hear about activists working hard to solve problems, but I don't have tough skin in the morning and don't like hearing people being so mean to each other.
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