A man’s job and lifestyle

In my quest to find a route to the caltrain, I debated endlessly about biking, driving, barting, busing…it was a combination of comfort, cost and efficiency. I couldn’t figure it out.

But Chris brought up a good point. That if he was in my position, he would have already been biking the entire time. Fearlessness.

When I do bike, I notice that all the bike commuters around me are male. The hipsters with tight pants and fixies. The old grayed hair commuters with a mirror on the helmets and folding bikes. Then the yuppies with the timbuk2 bags. And of course the facebookers with jack spade bags with the imprinted facebook logo. All male.

Where were the people like me?

Then even on the caltrain. I would lie back in my seat settling into my pseudo-nap. But I would have to always catch myself before falling onto a guy next to me. It was always usually a guy. Today, I scanned the train and the people who got off at 22nd and Pennsylvania. Predominantly male.

What is going on?

I thought maybe there were several factors:

1. Females are not daring enough to take a job south of the city or out of the city. Like many of them, I am willing to sacrifice greatness for proximity.

2. Females prefer driving. Having a car this week has made my life easier (getting to places).

3. Females are a little more sensitive about shared spaces. Sure, I hate sitting in a warm seat, because I automatically assume there are cooties present.

4. Females don’t like biking because not only does it get in the way of the day’s outfit, the shoes don’t work, and who wants to carry 10 lbs on their back. I know I don’t.

So what is it then…a delcration of feminism that I bike, take the caltrain, and do this “reverse commute” from the city? Am I trying to be different, breaking the ground? Or in the end, am I just like the guy on the macbook pro next to me typing furiously with headphones plugged in from his iphone. I can’t help but look at his screen.

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