Monday, September 13, 2010

One Year Carfree!

Another anniversary this month is the fact that I've managed to live without a car in Phoenix for a whole year. Hooray, Kerry!

I've found that some of the benefits of being carfree are over-stated. Although I walk a lot, I haven't lost tons of weight, less than 10 pounds. However, I haven't changed my eating habits much and I am on 2 medications that are known to cause weight gain. My legs are more muscular though.

Strangely, last winter the nice weather and being without a car actually increased my propensity to go out and do stuff. I do miss that for the past several months I have been so busy that I haven't had time to do fun things. There were some good art exhibits and shows (Edward Sharpe, damn it!) that I missed.

I miss public transportation. I like the time to listen to podcasts and NPR shows, and the reading I manage dto get done. Even if I'm reading in snatches, I get a lot read. And the people-watching! I've also had some fun conversations with cab drivers.

All the money I've saved has gone to therapy, by the way. I think it was a good trade-off. I saved money not only on gas, insurance, registration (and car payments), but because there's no shopping or going out to eat on the spur of the moment. It all has to be planned out.

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