Volume 14 - Day 284/81, 2022 - Tuesday

Beware of the phantom traffic jam...that happens when a car on a freeway slows down, causing the car behind it to slow down, and that continues until the ripple effect eventually causes all traffic to come to a halt. The word 'traffic' originally meant 'trade' and it still does, technically. It comes from the Italian verb 'trafficare.' The earliest known use of the tern 'rush hour' to describe daily peak traffic times was in the 1890s. It was originally considered a literal 60-minute hour in most cases. I don't believe 'rush hour' refers to the same time period these days. Yes, I was stuck in traffic today for the first time in a long time. It added at least 45 minutes to my typical 35 minute commute home from the office, but everything worked out in the end. I had taken my car in for service yesterday, and I needed to go pick it up this afternoon, and Jay once again came to the rescue, and schlepped me to go and retrieve it. Tomorrow will be a longish day. I expect to leave the house around 9ish, and return about 7ish. A meeting, a lunch, and then an 4:30 appreciation event. It will all be okay!