In the car on the way home.

Yesterday afternoon, while driving home, I started thinking about driving. The light had begun to darken and rain started to splatter the windshield. There I was, travelling 100 kilometers an hour - a speed unheard and incomprehensible the vast majority of humans who have ever lived.

Sensors inside the car sensed it was dark and provided me with blueish light so I could lightly see the interior controls. The headlights had switched themselves on, creating a pool of bright yellow light making everything bright and clear. Mechanical wipers swished water out of my way, allowing me to see unobstructed.

The car blew warm, de-humidified air into the cabin, making me feel comfortable, despite the unfriendly elements of wind, rain and cold outside the car. I adjusted the fan so that it blew warm air onto my feet, which were a little cold.

I listened to a audiobook read by a professional narrator, created in a studio thousands of miles away. When I tired of this, I tuned the sound system to music - a reggae-type music from a CD I had borrowed from a massive catalogue of CDs held in our library.

My left show was off, and I rubbed my foot, massageingly, at red lights. I thought, "I'm in a bubble of comfort, surrounded by tons of steel and metal, hurtling me efficiently toward a destination."

Imagine what historical humans would have thought

I'm not rich. Not noble or Kingly or important in any major sense. I'm just a regular human. Look at this luxury I have. I was inside a tiny and comfortably enclosed, speeding home.

I can see how road rage happens. Someone crashes into you, hurts you, disturbs your peace. Hell yeah, you could easily become aggressive or offended. The car wraps around you and shields you from personal contact. Other vehicles are similar machines, driven by nameless, faceless people.

Jake sits forward now in the car.

When you have a kid you start noticing small milestones of growth. The latest one for Jake was that we turned his car seat around. Now he faces forward like a big boy!

When we first put him in the car seat, he looked around, confused. He knew something was different and was pretty excited about facing forward.

We started driving and a huge smile broke out over his face. He could now see out the windows, and he could see Dad and Mom in the rear view mirror. I enjoyed watching him in the rear view mirror as I drove.

When I reach behind me I can grab his foot and give his leg a shake. He also leans forward against the straps because he wants to see better. He hasn't figured out that he can lean back and still see the same amount.

How to tell if someone is a good driver.

As a commuter, I've become great at judging drivers based on the car. Here we go:



BMW convertible or sports car convertible, top down

Balding, middle-aged man going through mid-life crisis. Generally safe driver but anger issues. Don't make him mad or he could rage.



Small hatchback from 1980s, Rabbit or civic

Bad driver car! Stay away from these people. They speed and change lanes without signalling and cut you off.



Old pick-up truck, burned out tail lights

You see this a lot where I live. Men in their 20s, aggressive, wearing no shirt. Into drugs or booze. They drive fast and sloppy. They'll hit and run because they don't care about the condition of the truck. Give them lots of room.



Huge pick up truck. Washed and clean. Gleaming black.

Okay drivers but they tailgate. Anger issues. The men driving are bald and angry. Will yell at you and finger you. Think they own the road and rarely stop at stop signs or yellow lights.



Small sporty car, red, a few years old.

Teenage girl, blond hair, not paying attention. Texting her friend on twitter and facebook. Chewing bubble gum. Dance music playing on radio. Fast, sloppy driver.



Huge new, clean, SUV, tinted windows.

Drug dealer or gangster. Not bad drivers, but be polite around them. You don't want to get shot. Also, don't park near them in case another gangster does a drive-by shooting and you get caught in cross fire.



Huge SUV, untinted windows

Tiny female, suburban soccer mom. Driving kids around. Husband works as lawyer or accountant in Vancouver and she's home all day with kids. Harried. Blond hair. Generally an okay driver, but drives fast and impatiently.