I left college poor and under debt, so for awhile I crashed in my father's basement. He lived on Long Island. Each day I took the train to the city to write advertisements and ghost articles for Prudential Securities. I loved the commute. I read a book a week and enjoyed the empty time.
In 1996 when I started commuting, cell phones were not yet ubiquitous. By 1997 they were everywhere. People got rude; lazy and rude. They stopped even trying to show courtesy. In a matter of months, the commute to the city became intolerable.
"I'm on the train. THE TRAIN. What? I can't hear you. WHAT? I can't hear you. Can you hear me? HELLO? I'll call you when I get home. Seven minutes. No, six and a half."
Read Full Article »