Driving Dangerously

Michael is into all the new gadgets whereas I am all about being a "fast-follower" - true to my philosophy in small molecule drug discovery, I never like the idea of adopting a novel device.

But now that we have a Nissan Leaf, I have to drive it, since Michael either bikes or takes the shuttle to his office, which is about 1 mile away on campus. This morning, as I read that there were 72 miles left, I figured that it was enough for me to drive to San Mateo to have lunch with a friend, with a stop on the way to do some shopping.

The minute I started driving towards the freeway, I noticed that I already lost 5 miles, when I certainly had not driven more than one mile. By the time I got to 101 southbound, I only had 55 miles left! Of course I did not dare to make a shopping stop, and went straight to San Mateo, making sure that I did not brake suddenly or accelerate fast. It was reading 26 miles when I finally pulled into a garage in downtown San Mateo. How could I get home? I called Michael, who told me that in Redwood City there is a Nissan deal where I can charge the car before coming home. I asked him to email me the directions.

When I finished lunch with my friend, I started gingerly driving the car, making sure that I was the smoothest car on the street. By the time I got on the freeway, I never went above 60 mph, making the grandmas on the freeway all too impatient for me. And I could not find the exit that Michael wrote in his directions. Needless to say, I could not afford the electricity to search for a Nissan dealer, so I decided to gamble on it and drive home. I was holding my breath all the way until I reached the intersection between Embarcadero and El Camino Real, by which time it was reading still 13 miles. Yes, I would definitely be able to drive this car home to be charged. This car is driving me nuts!

I miss the good old car which I can refuel almost anywhere. I think we can only take so much risk in our lives. With my startup effort, to some extent I already "live dangerously". I don't want to "drive dangerously" as well...