traffic jam hell

*inspired by the 'turning down your music in public' post.

What is worse then being in heavy stop and go traffic, on like a 3-4 lane highway/freeway. Literally hundreds of people (with nothing to do but look around) slowly rolling along aside of you. Strangers 2 feet to my left, and 2 feet to my right.
This was how my ride home from work was today. For 28 !!!!! miles, bumper to bumper,crawling along. Living in NJ, I should be more than used to this, but every once in a while, i just start up with the 'why is everyone looking at me' thoughts, and there is NOWHERE to go, you are stuck.
Then those thoughts inevitably lead to the thoughts about "am i making a weird face?" thoughts, so i try to look normal, aka do the 'Mona Lisa' (a fellow SAS poster coined that phrase and I think its hilarious)


Horrible. How I can create an hour long anxiety torture session out of nothing....is crazy to me.

Am I alone in this, or were you two lanes over going through the same thing as me?

Yeah, I hate when I pull up next to people on roads and high ways. I just stare straight ahead. I've never been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, though.

If ppl stare at me in public I just stick out my tongue or make a weird face until they go away. They'll eventually learn not to do it LOL. And if you drive where you know you will have alot of traffic jams, take alot of stuff with you (portable games, magazines, books, etc.) that you can do while you wait that will get your mind off the fear that you are being watched and/or judged.

I was in a traffic jam at noon when the lift bridge went up for a huge three mast sailboat. I had to open my windows, and turn down the music, because everyone was almost on top of me. They usually won't lift the bridge at busy traffic times like 8 am, noon, and 5 pm.

driving is a tedious chore.

it is unforunate that the us is a car-centered asphalt wasteland.

Tinted windows? Sunglasses to hide behind?

When I was in school,I would study for my tests in the car during rush hour traffic. The other drivers left more space around me because they could see I was distracted. That and I don't think they liked my country music.lol

I couldn't do the traffic hell crawl. My bladder won't hold for that long!lol