2 weeks worth of groceries

so my girlfriend just bought a car. we went and did some grocery shopping, and i can tell you, after using a grocery cart (as opposed to a basket) for the first time in a year, it is A LOT easier to do your shopping with a car.

Which sort of puts me in a predicament as I'm a huge advocate for public transit.

Today I was on the bus and 2 thoughts occured to me:

(1) most of these people (on the bus) don't have cars. of course there were some government workers who just find it easier to take the bus, especially with their subsidized "Eco Pass" (cheap bus pass). but apart from that it was sort of comforting to know that im not the only one. CONCLUSION: perhaps i can get by without a car.

(2) "public transit" means PUBLIC transit. you share the space, the odours, the stares, the seats, etc. with the PUBLIC. i suddenly realized why my older friends (35+) have cars and drive by themselves and live their own lives. the guy that sat down beside me had something similar to Tourette's whereby he was continually tapping/touching/rubbing/poking at, places on his face. suddenly i wasn't so sure i would mind having my own vehicle. CONCLUSION: as you get older you get a little more cynical and closed off to the world and the public. you like your own space and you dont like to have to share it. in 15+ more years i'll probably be the same way - i'll have my own vehicle.

As for grocery shopping, can we get by without a vehicle? Balancing bags precariously on my bike's handle bars, while riding through rain and snow and crossing 2 busy intersections, means getting to and from the nearest Loblaw's requires more concentration and acrobatics than a Cirque du Soleil performance. and after all that you only have 4 day's worth of groceries. im not complaining. many villagers around the world still trek miles for a jug of water. but in canada time is money.


thus today, my girlfriend's gas guzzling, carbon emitting 4 door Grand-Am got us there and back in 25 minutes with two weeks worth of groceries.

the way our cities are developed (big box stores, roadways, etc.) means we need a car to get by. we don't live in Europe: we have real winters here with 2 feet of snow and howling wind, our cities are spread out over dozens of kilometres, and thus the car seems at times, as essential as food and water. we live in a "Fordist Economy". the only way to decrease our reliance on the car will be to return to "local economies" (eating, shopping, living, partying in one's own neighbourhood); until then a car is almost a necessity.

thus public transit (as a concept) is perfect for getting to and from work, school, the hockey rink, etc. but when you need to drop the kids off at daycare or pick up groceries you need a car.

i'll have to re-evaluate my thoughts on public transit a little bit.