OHW Presents: Slugging on the H.O.V.

BREAKDOWN
If you live in the Metro DC area then you arent a stranger to the congestion of traffic that will turn a 30-minute commute into a 1.5-2 hour commute at the blink of an eye. The geniuses at V-DOT came up with some extra highway lanes but they are only for cars with at least three passengers. Guess they want to promote carpooling and help out our environment.

WHY I SLUG
After a year of leaving my house at an ungodly hour just to drive 30 miles to the office in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I decided to give "slugging" a try. Slugging allows commuters to ride the HOV lanes without having to organize their own personal carpooling crews. It's simple! Riders (Slugs) park at designated commuter lots and then stand in line to be picked up by drivers (Scrapers) on their way to wherever.

PROS
When I first began slugging, I preferred to "scrape" because I felt safer and more in control of my time. I even joked that I was like a john cruising down the red light district. Sometimes I would start singing, Donna Summer's, "Bad Girls" when I picked slugs up, but many were not amused by my insinuation that they were prostitutes. Even still, I would say, "Toot toot! HAAAA! Beep beep! to friendly riders. They usually got a kick out of that.

THE SWITCH
Although I was most definitely enjoying an easier commute and could leave the house at a decent hour (much later than before) Eventually, I began riding. I found that being a slug did not control my time as much as I thought it would, and the benefits of slugging far outweighed those in scraping. I saved money on gas, wear-and-tear on my car and I wasnt as tired at the end of the workday because I wasnt the one behind the wheel fighting traffic! Oh, and if you're in the market to buy a new car but unsure which one to go with, slugging can definitely help you make up your mind!

CONS
Forrest Gump proclaimed, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get!" How true that holds for the life of an HOV slug. I've been in all types of vehicles with many different drivers. There are the ones who drive fast, those who drive too slow; radio listeners, non-radio listeners and then there are the drivers with political agendas. Oy Vey!

HOV ADVENTURES
The life of a slugger is an exciting one and oftentimes can be adventurous. Once I had a very smelly driver. I will never get into that black Mercedes again. And once I rode with a guy in a white Ford Explorer who wouldnt turn on the air conditioning during 90-degree weather!

Yesterday a fellow slug of mine and I got into different cars one behind the other. We (unbeknown to the drivers) had a race. My friend's driver passed us a few times, but in the end my driver was victorious and got me to the commuter lot first! We were texting updates the entire drive and criticizing the way our scrapers drove. And before that, an older lady jumped the line! Boy were people upset! There is an etiquette to slugging and some people simply refuse to follow along.

All in all, I hope I never have to drive on the main road again. I don't miss the longer commute and sitting in traffic all day!

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Things to do while stuck in traffic

If you live in an area where traffic is the bane of society, like I do, you can appreciate this list of things to do while stuck in traffic. Please add any ideas you may have in the comment section. The OHW gurus would love to read them.

1. Try to figure out what people's personalized plates mean
2. Take pictures of yourself using your cell phone camera and upload them to FaceBook
3. (since you're using your phone) take pictures of cars you like/dislike
4. Since you're bumper to bumper, roll down your windows and blast your music while singing loud as hell right along with it. (Hey, you're annoyed, why not annoy others?)
5. Do a Chinese Fire Drill
6. Roll down your window and ask the person in the next car whether they have any Grey Poupon
7. Organize your calendar/checkbook
8. Read your Kindle or something
9. Call your least favorite relative that you're obligated to talk to, but hate to, so you never do (now is a good a time as any)
10. Make a list of all the reasons why you commute every day