Like most off campus students living walking distance from the academic buildings, I choose to use my two feet to make my way to my overpriced classes. There is a certain monotony attached to this once you get in a rhythm of the semester. Through trial and error you learn how to budget your walk time down to the second of the start of class, or at least before the first iClicker question is blasted on the projector. For me, I know I can leave at 1:05 if I want to make it to Edwards in time, and 1:02 if I need to get to Holmes in time; however I have noticed that there are a few variables that prevent me from my time management goal.
These variables range from weather all the way to traffic volume. Weather is not that big of an issue because if you live in New York, you know how to handle every possible weather challenge that plague the campus. The traffic is not so easy to navigate. I have noticed something lately that has me thinking there is a higher power conspiring to make me late and more importantly, make awkward moments happen to me.
The traffic problem that I have noticed isn't the usual "12,000 cars going by and I can't get by." It is far less cognitively noticed. Have you ever been walking and had the situation where you get to the four way stop at the EXACT same time as the car does? This poises an interesting problem because the pedestrian assumes they have the right to cross and that is usually the case, but there is always that 3-5 second stare down with the guy in the drivers seat (who always has a dry, disdain look on his face) which leads to two different thought processes going on at the same time.
The driver (see fig.1) is staring at you. He wants you to cross, but won't just put his hand up to wave you on. In his head, he is thinking, "Hey, douche-bag, I have some fist pumping to do with my braaahs, I don't have time to play this game of sidewalk bingo with you." But his face stays perfectly stoic, as if you need to read his mind in order to solve the problem at hand, as well as to solve JFK's assassination.
The pedestrian (see fig.2) is staring at the driver. He has one hand in his
right pocket, and the other on his trapper keeper that holds the notes from his Anatomy and Physiology lab. In his head he's thinking, "OK, this is going to be OK. I am supposed to walk now, but why is this guy staring at me as if he's trying to read my soul?" But his face also stays stoic, not showing any of his terrified thoughts on his face.
This, to some, doesn't seem to be even a small issue. I want you to be aware that this situation (see fig.3) happens at almost every intersection. There is even that 10 seconds where I see the car moving and I can calculate that we are going to get to the cross walk at the same exact time, and what do you know, it always happens. I'm just asking you, fellow walkers, just pay attention next time you partake in a quest of foot patrol and you will notice this, too.
Goodnight, Readers.
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