I’ve been meaning to write about the books and music I’ve been in love with lately but there’s a bigger topic I must get to first. Let’s talk about how annoying public transportation is. Don’t get me wrong, public transportation is a wonderful & necessary thing. It gets cars off the road, makes you walk more which is good for your health and it’s convenient in that you don’t have to worry about parking or traffic (at least not directly).

I think the thing I enjoy the most about my commute is that I get to read books and actually get through them within a month and not pick them up and put them down over the course of many months. So I actually feel productive during my morning commute, that’s a definite bonus.

On the other hand there are drawbacks that annoy me, the foremost of which is being available to people. Think about it, when you’re in your car no one can talk to you or call after you, or sing whatever it is they’re listening to on their iPods in front of you because they can’t get to you. When you’re walking down the street or sitting a train with a bunch of strangers there’s no buffer.

I hate the guys that tell me to smile (read this article for more on that subject), or the inconsiderate nudniks that take up two seats with their crap, or the people that don’t bother with deodorant. I’m totally fine helping out some clueless tourists that have no idea how to buy a ticket for our transit system, but I’m OVER people who walk slowly out of a train knowing full well that the doors are about to close when there’s an announcement saying that the doors are about to close.

Yes, it’s fun to tell my boyfriend about the family with the 5-year-old boy who had a meltdown on the train that day (I said NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NOOOOooo!! I WANT ICE CREAM!!!!) but it’s also decidedly not fun wondering how many people have touched the same handrail/pole I’m holding at that very moment.

All of this makes me love my car that much more. It’s my favorite place to sing out loud, contemplate life and come up with new ideas. When it comes to commuting a long distance, longer than 10 to 15 minutes away, there are bound to be issues/drawbacks regardless of whether you take public transit or are in your car but if I had to choose, my car would win EVERY time. 🙂

In other news…

[highlight]BOOKS[/highlight]

— I finished reading “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn awhile ago and I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I sincerely hope she writes a sequel. If you don’t know, the book is about what happens when a wife goes missing and the husband is the main suspect. I can’t tell you more or else it would ruin it. Just read it!

If you’re married or in a relationship with someone right now it’s definitely going to make you think about your significant other in a totally different way. If anything it made me really think about the things that I say to my boyfriend and HOW I say them. While I don’t think either of us are as insane as the people in the book it’s still a great way to check yourself in terms of the demands you place on the people in your life, the things you do say versus the things that you don’t and how important it is to be honest and truly communicative.

— Next I read Tiny Fey’s book “Bossypants” which is autobiographical and also includes tips on life. It’s insanely funny. I was literally laughing out on while reading it on the train. I’m sure people thought I was crazy. I dare you to not laugh. While it’s completely funny, and super easy to image Fey’s voice speaking the text, it’s also insightful and gives some good advice on dealing with dudes in the office. I hope she writes another book, about anything.

— I am now in the process of finishing up “Committed” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She wrote the wildly popular “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Committed” is the follow-up to that which chronicles her road to marriage with the guy she met at the very end of EPL. Gilbert and her man HAVE to get married, even though they don’t want to, because he’s not an American and she is and if they want to be together in America she has to marry him so that he can stick around legally. So Gilbert writes about coming to terms with marrying someone again after her first marriage ended so horribly while also exploring in a depth (but with ease) the subject of marriage in general, how it’s changed over the decades and what it means for women. I am learning SO MUCH from this book that I intend to apply to my own relationship. As someone who wants to go into marriage with a very realistic and holistic view, and look beyond just the wedding day, this book has been a true breath of fresh air. It’s created a bunch of new questions for myself but I feel like I’m so much better off for discovering them now instead of 10 or 20 years from now. If you’re a woman, married or not, or wanting to be married or not, or wanting to have kids or not, READ THIS BOOK.

[highlight]MUSIC[/highlight]

— “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift: It’s kind of crazy how much I love this song. It’s replaced Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” as the song I keep on repeat. It’s catchy and fun and I even like the spoken word part where she says “We’e never getting back together, like, ever.” It’s just fun.

— “+” by Ed Sheeran: Mr. Ed Sheeran is from the U.K. and his debut CD is so yummy I implore you to check it out. The best songs are “The A Team,” “Lego House,” “Kiss Me,” and “Small Bump.” “Small Bump” wrecks me. It’s so wonderfully sweet and emotional — he’s singing to his unborn child — and then at the end it just breaks your heart. You have to listen to that song. Itsogoodyouguys!! I want to make a slide show collage of photos for my unborn future children with that song (except I’d cut out the very end of the song). I’m nerdy that way. 🙂