This blog has moved to The Modern Ethical Eater. Please update your bookmarks: by the end of the month I will be deleting these entries.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Heart of a Place
I had an odd experience recently.
It happened when I began volunteering at Peace Abbey in Sherborn, in November, 2011. Despite living in the MetroWest Boston area since I was 5, and all but 1 year since I started driving, I had never driven in Sherborn before.
Cautiously, I navigated the roads, transitioning from what I considered to be normal sized roads, to side roads, to a dirt road. I'd driven on dirt roads during my cross country trip, but hadn't realized there were ones in this part of Massachusetts. I decelerated to the posted 15 miles per hour and bounced slowly down the road. Eventually, another car -- one built better for this type of terrain -- turned onto the road behind me. Per my accustomed habit, I watched the car in my rear view mirror, prepared to find a place to pull over when they got too close and started weaving, flashing lights, and/or honking. To my astonishment, none of these things happened. They approached to a safe distance, then decelerated and patiently hung back until we cleared the end of the road and were able to return to normal speeds.
Initially, I assumed this was just one unusually patient individual. However, the same thing happened the next day, and the next, and every time I've been there since.
I thought, "well, maybe people are extra careful with this section of town because it's a dirt road, or they know the area, and know there are a lot of kids around here or something." Shrugging, I continued onto the "real" road, eventually pulling out to the awkward left turn onto Rt.16.
I settled in, preparing to wait however long it took for traffic to clear so I could make the left turn, and something strange happened: a car stopped and waved me on. Startled, I waved a "thank you" and turned. This sort of thing kept happening the entire time I was driving in Sherborn.
It turns out, my lifelong impression of the stereotypical Massachusetts driver did not apply in Sherborn. You know what I mean: there's even a term for it. It rhymes with "gas tolls." I know the factors that contribute to road rage -- long commutes, congested traffic, construction, other drivers reacting poorly to the same conditions, honking, tailgating, etc.
I assumed anywhere within 25 miles of Boston would have the same sort of issues: the majority of the population commuting to work in Boston, dealing with the stress and tension of the worst Massachusetts rush hour traffic, and compounding the problem by acting out toward other drivers in a vicious cycle. I saw it every day in Wayland, Sudbury, Framingham, Marlborough, Natick, and Ashland. How did Sherborn escape this vicious cycle?
Perhaps it's something unique in the character of Sherborn. Home of Peace Abbey, roads somehow set apart from the hubbub of the modern world... have the inhabitants made a conscious decision to reject the chaotic stress addicted lifestyle of the rest of the MetroWest Boston area?
A small aside: I watched an episode of MythBusters recently where they tested the myth that gas consumption increases when you're stressed. They had 3 drivers test this by getting a massage and cuddling puppies before driving through a track, then checking how much gas was used. They then repeated the test, after giving them coffee and doing other things to stress them out. All 3 used about 1/3 more tank of gas on the same course while stressed, even though they were explicitly trying to drive well and obey speed limits (some of it was obvious, like sudden acceleration and deceleration and some was surprising, like they had a harder time make smooth turns).
What I took from this experiment is: pick up one of those cheap $90 shiatsu over-the-chair massage chairs from CVS and sit in it for 10 minutes before your work commute, and you'll be relaxed, drive better, and as a bonus, save gas. It makes me wonder: does Sherborn have some morning meditation program, or more massage therapists, or something? Is that why so many more drivers are patient and helpful than most of the other towns in the 25-mile-from-Boston radius?
Are there other towns like Sherborn?
Are the towns in which I lived and worked the exceptions?
Have you had any surprising, positive experiences? Ones that gave you hope for MetroWest Boston? Please comment: I would love to hear your stories.
It happened when I began volunteering at Peace Abbey in Sherborn, in November, 2011. Despite living in the MetroWest Boston area since I was 5, and all but 1 year since I started driving, I had never driven in Sherborn before.
Cautiously, I navigated the roads, transitioning from what I considered to be normal sized roads, to side roads, to a dirt road. I'd driven on dirt roads during my cross country trip, but hadn't realized there were ones in this part of Massachusetts. I decelerated to the posted 15 miles per hour and bounced slowly down the road. Eventually, another car -- one built better for this type of terrain -- turned onto the road behind me. Per my accustomed habit, I watched the car in my rear view mirror, prepared to find a place to pull over when they got too close and started weaving, flashing lights, and/or honking. To my astonishment, none of these things happened. They approached to a safe distance, then decelerated and patiently hung back until we cleared the end of the road and were able to return to normal speeds.
Initially, I assumed this was just one unusually patient individual. However, the same thing happened the next day, and the next, and every time I've been there since.
I thought, "well, maybe people are extra careful with this section of town because it's a dirt road, or they know the area, and know there are a lot of kids around here or something." Shrugging, I continued onto the "real" road, eventually pulling out to the awkward left turn onto Rt.16.
I settled in, preparing to wait however long it took for traffic to clear so I could make the left turn, and something strange happened: a car stopped and waved me on. Startled, I waved a "thank you" and turned. This sort of thing kept happening the entire time I was driving in Sherborn.
It turns out, my lifelong impression of the stereotypical Massachusetts driver did not apply in Sherborn. You know what I mean: there's even a term for it. It rhymes with "gas tolls." I know the factors that contribute to road rage -- long commutes, congested traffic, construction, other drivers reacting poorly to the same conditions, honking, tailgating, etc.
I assumed anywhere within 25 miles of Boston would have the same sort of issues: the majority of the population commuting to work in Boston, dealing with the stress and tension of the worst Massachusetts rush hour traffic, and compounding the problem by acting out toward other drivers in a vicious cycle. I saw it every day in Wayland, Sudbury, Framingham, Marlborough, Natick, and Ashland. How did Sherborn escape this vicious cycle?
Perhaps it's something unique in the character of Sherborn. Home of Peace Abbey, roads somehow set apart from the hubbub of the modern world... have the inhabitants made a conscious decision to reject the chaotic stress addicted lifestyle of the rest of the MetroWest Boston area?
A small aside: I watched an episode of MythBusters recently where they tested the myth that gas consumption increases when you're stressed. They had 3 drivers test this by getting a massage and cuddling puppies before driving through a track, then checking how much gas was used. They then repeated the test, after giving them coffee and doing other things to stress them out. All 3 used about 1/3 more tank of gas on the same course while stressed, even though they were explicitly trying to drive well and obey speed limits (some of it was obvious, like sudden acceleration and deceleration and some was surprising, like they had a harder time make smooth turns).
What I took from this experiment is: pick up one of those cheap $90 shiatsu over-the-chair massage chairs from CVS and sit in it for 10 minutes before your work commute, and you'll be relaxed, drive better, and as a bonus, save gas. It makes me wonder: does Sherborn have some morning meditation program, or more massage therapists, or something? Is that why so many more drivers are patient and helpful than most of the other towns in the 25-mile-from-Boston radius?
Are there other towns like Sherborn?
Are the towns in which I lived and worked the exceptions?
Have you had any surprising, positive experiences? Ones that gave you hope for MetroWest Boston? Please comment: I would love to hear your stories.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
I am an LoTR Nerd
In 2003, my sister got Lord of the Rings monopoly (which is retired and sells for an average of $80 now, depending on the edition and condition). It came with 6 little pewter figurines and a poor quality but totally passable One Ring .
At the time, a lot of catalogs were taking advantage of the surge in popularity after the release of the movies to sell One Ring replicas for prices ranging from $30-hundreds. The lower price range ones were/are silver colored. The one that came with the game was gold plated and, on close inspection, obviously very cheap, but looked better than the silver rings, and a much better deal for costume jewelry than the $130 tungsten rings.
Soon, I discovered Hasbro has an option to order "replacement" parts: you can get the a bag including all 6 figurines and the One Ring replica for only $6.00! Pick up a cheap chain at a craft store and you have a great present for the LoTR fan in your life.
Since I can no longer find the order forms (and don't know if they still carry the replacement parts, I have scanned the order forms for anyone who needs them: I included not only the forms for the monopoly set but also LoTR chess and Risk. If they still have the replacement pieces it's a great way to get a unique but affordable gift.
And really, until they actually can get one that does this:
who needs to spend the $130?
At the time, a lot of catalogs were taking advantage of the surge in popularity after the release of the movies to sell One Ring replicas for prices ranging from $30-hundreds. The lower price range ones were/are silver colored. The one that came with the game was gold plated and, on close inspection, obviously very cheap, but looked better than the silver rings, and a much better deal for costume jewelry than the $130 tungsten rings.
Soon, I discovered Hasbro has an option to order "replacement" parts: you can get the a bag including all 6 figurines and the One Ring replica for only $6.00! Pick up a cheap chain at a craft store and you have a great present for the LoTR fan in your life.
Since I can no longer find the order forms (and don't know if they still carry the replacement parts, I have scanned the order forms for anyone who needs them: I included not only the forms for the monopoly set but also LoTR chess and Risk. If they still have the replacement pieces it's a great way to get a unique but affordable gift.
And really, until they actually can get one that does this:
who needs to spend the $130?
Thursday, November 10, 2011
SEE NEW LOCATION
This section has relocated to my new blog, Ask Not. Please update your bookmarks or references accordingly, as this placeholder will be deleted soon. Thank you!
Monday, November 7, 2011
SEE NEW LOCATION
This section has relocated to my new blog, Ask Not. Please update your bookmarks or references accordingly, as this placeholder will be deleted within a month. Thank you!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
SEE NEW LOCATION
This section has moved to my new blog, The Modern Ethical Eater. Please update your bookmarks or references accordingly, as this placeholder will be deleted within a month. Thank you!
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