Weird stuff to do while driving in rush hour traffic?

[Questor]

While driving at 55 to 65 mph during rush hours I've seen people putting on eye makeup, reading newspapers, brushing teeth, doing elaborate hairstyling,  reading unfolded travel maps, and gesturing wildly with both hands while looking the passenger in the eyes and speaking animatedly. All of those seem like they are situations with a distracted driver.

With smart phones, I'll bet there are people surfing the web while driving.

What can I do to simplify my day while driving? Something not too distracting or dangerous. I was thinking of the following, for on the drive home:
1) Making a salad
2) Peeling potatoes or carrots
3) Learning to play harmonica
4) Drawing portraits from photographs

Give me a few ideas!

True story of commuting: I tried listening to books on tape for a while. One day I realized I felt bad and angry when I got to work. I had been listening to A Tale of Two Cities. Shortly after that incident, I quit listening to the books on tape.

[Brett]

A Tale of Two Cities!!!  It's a wounder you didn't intentionally drive off a bridge listening to that.  How could you ever manage to stay awake.  I had to read than darn book 30 something years ago when I was in high school and I can can still remember how gosh dang boring it was. 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."   

That's just the opening sentence...  119 words... in one sentence!       

[Questor]

I didn't find it boring, it was depressing.

The most boring classic books I know of are Moby Dick and Pilgrim's Progress. Great stories, but tediously written.

[SHOOTALL]

Well at last count i believe i have driven over 1300000 miles + for work . The things i have seen , lets see eating ( a hungry person driving is worst than a drunk sometimes ) , book reading , porn movie watching , girls and guys doing everything guys and girls do - you know , slapping kids to correct them ( this one put the daughter in hospital when the car hit a pole ) , Girls doing stuff to get guys to watch , guys doing stuff no one wants to watch , make up being put on by both men and women , both changing clothes ( yep while driving ) , drinking , drugs , playing cards , writing , using computer , using adding machine , reading blue prints , reading playboy , reading news paper , map reading , GPS use , fiddling with radio/tape /cd , pouring coffee in a cup , mixing drinks , shaving - both face and legs . putting curlers in hair , removing them , plucking eyebrows , nose hairs too and picking nose ( was a doctor driving ) there was more . cell phone and texting !

[SHOOTALL]

OH YEA ! I used to clean brass with cleaner and a cloth while going down the interstate , but there was no traffic back then . Still ain't much at 5 am .

[Questor]

Shootall:

That gives me the killer idea: I've never been one to do case trimming, but I do have the RCBS case trimmer that came with my Master RCBS kit. I could bolt it to the dash and do my case trimming that way. 

You should write a magazine article about what you've seen. Your anecdotes are funny.

[SHOOTALL]

If this wasn't a family site i could keep ya laughing with what we see . If you can think it someone might have done it !

[Questor]

Have you seen a dash-mounted reloading press?

[SHOOTALL]

I did trim cases with the lee case trimers and a bat. drill , reamed them also . Forgot about that . primed some to . Dash maybe better to get a van and mount on the engine cover 

[Brett]

I got into Moby Dick but have to agree it was pretty tedious at times.

Once looked over and say a kid taking a bong hit while going down the highway. 

And I cant tell you the number of times I've seen people with a bottle of booze or a beer in their hand. 

Guess some people don't give a %#%# what happens to themselves or anyone else they are sharing the road with.   

[Oldtimer]

Some things to avoid while driving:
Playing the bass fiddle.
Umpiring a baseball game.
Trolling for bass.
and,
Going about it bass-ackwards.

[SHOOTALL]

Had a limo pass us one day with a young lady hanging out the window less clothes .

[rockbilly]

All one needs to do is hitch a ride in a t4ractor trailer rig to see what goes on with people during their commute.  I have seen women putting their panty hose on, changing clothes from the underwear up, having sex, working on a laptop and the list could go on, and on!

And folks wonder wwhy ther are so many rear-end accidents on the freeways................

[mcwoodduck]

I have seen people get ready for the gym on the L A freeways.
ladies taking off suits and putting on sweats.

[Hodr]

When they were rebuilding the Benicia Bridge I could spend an hour or so sitting on the freeway going about 6 miles.  I got to looking around and saw a guy who must of got off work when I did taking out a coronet and blasting away with the windows up and the air conditioner on.  After thinking a bit I scrounged out a marine band harmonica that I had in the army 20 years earlier and never really learned to play.  Seemed like the thing to do. By the end of a year delays I had a full set of Lee Oscar harmonicas and have played well enough for me ever since.  I just like the sound of a blues harp. I also have learned to play native american courting flute, but not on the freeway.  When they started a brand new bridge across the Scaramento river, I retired and moved to Arizona.  There have not been a lot of bridge delays up here at 5000' but every once in a while I think about a litlle bflat coronet.  It's like a Big Mac, You know it's going to be just as bad as the last one but, it still calls.

blindhari

[Questor]

I've seen people with big teddy bears in the passenger seat while they were driving in the two-people-minimum-during-rush-hour lane.

[mcwoodduck]

One of the drivers of the Orange county cornors van was pulled over while in the car pool lane and was given a ticket for driving with 6 bodies in the back.
he contended that they were people and cop said they were not.  the Judge agreed with the driver for this ticket only.

[Singleshotsam]

I've done some STUPID stuff growing up as a teenager in a vehicle going down the road.  I have no idea how I made it as far as I did without getting injured or killed.  The good lord must look out for stupid people I suppose...

[Empty Quiver]

Driving and playing a trumpet to sheet music was a new one to me. Similar miles to shootall and there just is no such thing as seen it all. Witnessed a fella cartopping a 15' V-bottom boat and trailer... wheels up on a slide in camper rig, I can't imagine how that thing got up there at the lake when the fishing was over. Another classic was the guy towing the small boat by wraping the chains around the spare tire in his trunk.