Monday, May 16, 2005

Yogurt

Driving in to work the other day, I found myself stopped at a red light, looking at the drivers in the adjacent cars. On my right was a man in a business suit, eating out of a yogurt container with a small plastic spoon.

I was raised in L.A., and have been in Southern California most of my life, so I've seen a lot of driver's seat shenanigans: eating, shaving, reading the newspaper, and so on, but something about this guy just seemed really sad.

How long does it take to eat a little yogurt anyway? Seven minutes? Did he really not have seven minutes to sit at home and eat his yogurt comfortably? You miss one light in this city and you're seven minutes behind schedule anyway.

We have become a culture that doesn't not have the time to do things; we choose to conflate every activity into one timeframe just because we can. Why eat yogurt and then drive, when you can do both at the same time? That's more productive, right? It's pretty sad that we are moving into a time when work and non-work meld into one -- we have the ability to keep in touch at any time, anywhere, and so we're never out of touch. If you check your voicemail every hour, you're not really on vacation, are you?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he has never heard of Gogurt.

Your last three posts indicate that you are clearly in need of a break. How about I bake you a wine cake? Then you can enjoy your favorite treat and drink at the same time.

By the way, I pay the cellphone bill, so I know that you check your voice mail more often than once an hour.

Anonymous said...

Wine Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 pinch of baking powder
4 eggs (beaten)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white wine (any will do, but my Great Aunt Eva who gave me the recipe said to use the cheapest stuff you can find at Pic-n'-Save)

Beat with an electric mixer for about 2 min.
Pour into a well oiled and floured bundt pan ( I use Pam with Flour spray or Bakers Joy with flour spray) and bake at 350 for 55 min.