Ah, that makes sense! I hadn't even thought of the nausea issue, which is silly of me, because it's why I learned to read maps at a very young age. My mom couldn't so much as read a map from the passenger seat without getting queasy, so if Dad was doing the driving, I was the designated navigator, going back as long as I can remember.

ETA I do get a little queasy if I try to read while being driven rapidly down a road with trees casting shadows over the page, but that's not an issue on the bus.

The SO is like you, Susan. He's always got a book or his laptop or something going on trips.

I, on the other hand, love traveling and to me part of the fun is sitting and staring out the window. Views are different every day, even if they're a part of the commute. And I like to use the time to dream or think or process. Or just veg or just "be," you know?

What surprises me a bit that only 1/4 to 1/3 of bus riders on an average day are doing anything to occupy themselves, be it book, iPod, paper, conversation with friend, or whatever.

I'm usually planning something or rehashing a conversation or wandering off in my own little world. Oh, and trying not to get nauseated. Bus rides are a little tricky for me. I'm just glad I don't have to take the ferry.

Also, since there's always construction or something going on, I like seeing the progress & change.

I often see people waiting in doctors' offices for a long time without reading or doing anything else. It would drive me mad.

That's so cool about Annabel and her book. I think that one reason so few people read is that they have no role models. Their parents don't read; no one on television reads. Television homes rarely have bookshelves.

I often see people waiting in doctors' offices for a long time without reading or doing anything else. It would drive me mad.

Yeah. It was really annoying to spend hours in a waiting room with my eyes dilated so I couldn't read.

I'm usually planning something or rehashing a conversation or wandering off in my own little world.

That makes sense, as does Liese's just being. And it's not like I never look out the window. I mean, there's this one stretch of my commute with water and, on a good day, mountains, that doesn't stop being spectacular just because I've seen it before. I'm just so addicted to reading--I get twitchy if I don't have a book or two readily at hand. Plus, and I know this is lame, I'm in a race with myself to see how many books I'll finish this year! I'm on pace to beat last year's total of 120 easily (thanks to now being a bus rather than a car commuter), but I want to see if I can hit 150.

The downside of being a bus commuter is I'm much less informed about what's going on in the world now that I don't get 30-45 minutes of Morning Edition/All Things Considered each way.

I often see people waiting in doctors' offices for a long time without reading or doing anything else. It would drive me mad.

This is how I feel about lying on the beach.

When I go to the eye doctor, they'll dilate your eyes and then stick you in a nice dim room ... with stacks and stacks of reading material. um ... NO.

Happy Birthday, Erika!

and meara - soon you'll be able to vote for a Congressional representative who actually, you know, represents you!

I used to not be able to read on the bus at all. Lately I have found that if I sit in a sideways seat the nausea doesn't bother me nearly as much. I do have to look up from time to time and sometimes if I get engrossed in my book I forget and then I do still get sick.

What kills me is when I'm getting my hair done (which takes hours and hours) and I can't read because I can't keep my glasses on. Except that I've gotten to the point where I can actually nap in the chair while she's doing my hair.