Car Naps

So yesterday afternoon, I noticed several people sleeping in a minivan in the parking lot at work. It was a nice minivan, and we're next to a school, so I figured that these people were tired after a long day and waiting to pick up their kids. Still, it was weird.

But then I realized that every time I go to the beach there are a zillion people parked facing the ocean - and sleeping. From San Diego to San Francisco, this is the norm. Yes, a good proportion of these people look scary and on drugs, but plenty of them are normal too. What gives? Do these people sleep better with an ocean view and fresh ocean air and the sound of waves crashing against the shore? (It's debatable that the view, air, and sound are that good anyway from the stinky, loud, view-obstructed parking lot.) Do people enjoy the feeling of slumbering on valuable real estate? Why not get out of the car and go down to the beach?

I noted another stupid habit on my recent trip to Denver - the David Puddy airplane traveler. On my flights from Vegas-Dallas and Dallas-Phoenix, I was the ONLY person reading a book on the flight. Everybody else was either reading shwag like People or staring at the seat in front of them. Mindless! It was a breath of fresh air to get on my Phoenix-SF flight and instantly become the only person in my row not to be reading a recent hardcover (they were reading books I want to read too, Saturday and Snow).

Moral of the story? Red states do, in fact, suck.