I worked in the States some years ago, and my drive to work was about half an hour. Too long for just listening to music on the radio. I decided to be productive, and learn a language - Japanese!
It turns out that I can't concentrate very well on two things at once. Either I paid attention to the tape and learned something (Konnichiwa Scott-san), and risked blowing through every red light on the trip, or I paid attention to driving and totally tuned out the tape.
well, I couldn't resist the overwhelming and dangerous urge to correct the grammar of drivers when I drove a truck...could be why I wasn't altogether the most popular guy at my company.
A few years ago I passed a few days travelling listening to a 24 hour lecture series on Ancient Egypt, even now I irritate my wife by dropping little nuggets of unwanted Egyptian knowledge into the conversation..
Yes! I am in Seattle, and was from Spokane. I have made that drive hundreds of times, and it's exactly too close to fly, but still takes about 5 hours to drive. (6 with small children. 4 if a young man is driving & doesn't get pulled over.) This made me very happy.
It's all cool, man . . . same thing happens to me: either you listen to whatever it is and tune out the teacher, or listen to the teacher and kill the music.
i did the same thing for the year i drove a truck, the whole time, with the bible on CD as read by James Earl Jones...it got to where not only could I spew biblical knowledge at unwitting passersby (and my family), but I could do it nearly perfectly in Darth Vader's voice!
Of all the Instructions I've read (actually...that is all), this one is by far my favourite. All I need to do is think about it and it cheers me up within seconds. No matter how many times I read, it I'm in stitches every time. Absolute genius.
If you're feeling like a break this would be one to repeat ad infinitum. :D
February 18, 2009
Reader Comments (50)
I worked in the States some years ago, and my drive to work was about half an hour. Too long for just listening to music on the radio. I decided to be productive, and learn a language - Japanese!
It turns out that I can't concentrate very well on two things at once. Either I paid attention to the tape and learned something (Konnichiwa Scott-san), and risked blowing through every red light on the trip, or I paid attention to driving and totally tuned out the tape.
[...] Basic Instructions by Scott Meyer: Your all-inclusive guide to a … [...]
well, I couldn't resist the overwhelming and dangerous urge to correct the grammar of drivers when I drove a truck...could be why I wasn't altogether the most popular guy at my company.
This is a great satirical comic, you have a marvelous sense of humor.
A few years ago I passed a few days travelling listening to a 24 hour lecture series on Ancient Egypt, even now I irritate my wife by dropping little nuggets of unwanted Egyptian knowledge into the conversation..
Yes! I am in Seattle, and was from Spokane. I have made that drive hundreds of times, and it's exactly too close to fly, but still takes about 5 hours to drive. (6 with small children. 4 if a young man is driving & doesn't get pulled over.) This made me very happy.
It's all cool, man . . . same thing happens to me: either you listen to whatever it is and tune out the teacher, or listen to the teacher and kill the music.
i did the same thing for the year i drove a truck, the whole time, with the bible on CD as read by James Earl Jones...it got to where not only could I spew biblical knowledge at unwitting passersby (and my family), but I could do it nearly perfectly in Darth Vader's voice!
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Of all the Instructions I've read (actually...that is all), this one is by far my favourite. All I need to do is think about it and it cheers me up within seconds. No matter how many times I read, it I'm in stitches every time.
Absolute genius.
If you're feeling like a break this would be one to repeat ad infinitum. :D