To carpool or not to carpool

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for going green. I love Mother Earth just as much as the next person, but I’ve recently found that there are some things I just can’t do for her, and one of them is carpooling.

My sister and I have been carpooling to work for the past two weeks until she starts her new job, and what seemed like an amazing idea and a great way to save on gas has taken a terrible turn for the worse.

Let’s just say, yesterday, we had a 20-minute fight about the air conditioning vents, and it wasn’t pretty.

That fight, plus the many others we’ve endured over the past 14 days, led me to write my top 5 do’s for carpooling for all of you eco-friendly folks considering this mode of transportation:

5. Do refuse to carpool with anyone who does not have dual climate control. Like I said, fights about air vents aren’t pretty, and neither are sweat rings on your favorite shirt.

4. Do bring an iPod. Yes, there are people who prefer to listen to gangster rap at 8:00 a.m. If you’re not one of them, better have your handy dandy headphones ready.

3. Do observe the old adage “never speak unless spoken to.” While I generally wake up on the cheerful, let’s-talk-about-our-day side of the bed, I’ve learned there are people who prefer not to speak before checking their morning emails. If you don’t believe me, chat with caution.

2. Do pack a lunch. There’s really only so much time two people can spend together without wanting to give each other a good slap upside the head. If the ride to and from work is getting to be too much, why add fuel to the fire with an added carpooler lunch. Brownbag it, and save your sanity.

1. Do carpool at your own risk. Yes, gas prices are rising, but are those few extra bucks a month really worth forfeiting the half hour of peace you could have before you walk into another work day? I’ll let you decide.