Low Car Diet: 2 week update

As of today, we're halfway through the Low Car Diet. So how has it been going? Here's a break down:

Wednesday 7/15 - Launch of the diet. I took the bus to work early to set up for the event - it was a lovely morning, and I was amazed how easy it is to take the bus at 6 in the morning! That day I walked from SAM downtown to the Olympic Sculpture Park, back to Watermark Tower, back to OSP for a meeting, and downtown (again) to catch a bus to Bellevue. Whew! In Bellevue I met Fiance-with-the-mostest, and we got some dinner and saw Harry Potter. It was great, since Bellevue is on FWTM's way home from work, and we were able to carpool home after the movie.

Thursday 7/16 - I took the bus and walked to and from work. That evening I was packing for our trip to Hawaii (yay!). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend a very fun book club. Usually I carpool with friends, but those folks weren't attending. I thought about using a Zipcar, but I wouldn't be able to return it without a late night bus ride or keeping the car overnight. And I thought about using Dave's car when he got home, but that just didn't feel right with the diet. I decided it was a good lesson - that sometimes reducing your miles means choosing how many events you can handle - but it wasn't easy.

Friday 7/17 - Friday 7/24 - Maui! This week wasn't the most accurate test since I had a pre-planned vacation. FWTM and I joined my family for a wonderful and relaxing trip. While not the greenest, I did notice some sustainability choices associated with our trip. 1) We did use rental cars on the island, but had 2 cars for 10 people. 2) Dave and I were staying just down the beach from my family, and we walked back and forth about half a mile each way. 3) We did a great zipline course through a company working to be green. 4) Most of the time we stayed close to the hotels, limited our need for transportation. 5) We spent a lot of time enjoying the local flora and fauna. 6) We ate lots of locally grown foods.

Saturday 7/25 - We spent most of the day recovering from our trip. We did use FWTM's car for a trip to the Marymoor garden to water and to get food. It took us some time to readjust to life at home.

Sunday 7/26 - This was another day primarily spent relaxing and recovering. We didn't drive at all. We also tried the outdoor pool within walking distance for the first time, since I will need to use it during the challenge to continue my training for the Danskin triathlon. In the evening we walked to the Kirkland garden, and harvested some zucchini, lettuce, and peas.

Monday 7/27 - My first day back to work! I bused and walked in the morning, bused and walked to the library and a meeting downtown, and bused home. FWTM and I returned to the pool for a swim tonight. We decided to divide and conquer to get to the grocery store and the garden on foot before dark, which worked out great. We're lucky to have all these resources so close to home!

Tuesday 7/28 - A slow day. I bused and walked to and from work, and walked to the garden in the evening.

Wednesday 7/29 - So far I've done my normal commute to work (bus and walk). Iwalked to the downtown museum and back later today to stop by a colleague's baby shower. Tonight...well, I'm not so sure yet. I'm either going to soccer or to hang out with Fiance-with-the-mostest and his family. Given the temperature, I'm hoping for a game cancellation and option 2.

So far, I'm finding that my biggest limitation is stress. Here's something I've figured out about myself: I like to please people. I feel beyond horrible when people are upset with me, or I have to say I can't do something. I try to do everything, get stressed, have to say no to something, and then feel MORE stressed because I'm upset. Ugh.

How does this relate? Well, when I'm car-free and coordinating trips with FWTM, sometimes evening events are harder to get to. Take tonight. I can bus to soccer, but I have no idea how I'm going to get home. I can't think of any buses that run near there at that time, or at least not frequently. So, I could get a Zipcar, but I'd have to get it overnight (I'm still deciding). If I go hang out with Fiance-with-the-mostest, I will most likely hitch a ride with some of his family that will be carpooling over, and then ride home with FWTM. In any case, I have to PLAN these things. Normally I thrive on my detailed Google calendar (thinking color coding and syncing), but add in the stress factor...well, it's not pretty. My next "challenge" is obvious - find ways to manage stress, and my schedule, so they don't take away from the Low Car Diet.

We'll see how I do...