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[petunia621]

All,
I searched for a thread on long commutes, and it appears to have been a year or so. Who else has a long commute? Mine is 165 miles round trip, including a commute between campuses. This is my first full time instructor job (yey!), and I'm surprised at how exhausting the trip is. It's five days a week though, so it's a grind.
What does everyone do to pass the time? Any good audio book recommendations?

Petunia

[marigolds]

I'm applying for a job with an hour and twenty minute commute, so I'm thinking about this very issue!

I love the app "Audiobooks" for the iPhone--it connects to Librivox, which is a great crowdsourced project for public domain audiobooks read by volunteers.  So, of course, some suck--but they are free, and it's a great way to engage with books you wouldn't have time to read.  (I have LOVED all the Robert Louis Stevenson books--The Black Arrow and Treasure Island are both tremendously exciting, and have a great reader!) 

I also love comedy podcasts.  I'm a comedy nerd anyway, and I'm working my way through all the back episodes of fantastic ones like Jordan, Jesse, Go!, Stop Podcasting Yourself, Roderick on the Line, Uhh Yeah Dude, The Pod F. Tompkast, etc.  There is tons of interesting material out there for non-comedy nerds, too (Radiolab, The Best Show, etc.) 

[burnie]

I don't have a long commute anymore, but it used to be 90 miles round trip.  I found that audiobooks were hit or miss (Sarah Vowell is my favorite narrator, though).  I subscribed to a ton of podcasts and would just let them play.  My favorites were the longer ones so a full episode took the entire drive - it made the time go faster.  So: 60 Minutes, This American Life and Fresh Air were my go to's, but longer comedy specials were also amazing.   After I got an iPad I got a This American Life app which gives you free streaming access to their entire catalog (which means you need Internet in the car or 3G for it to work).   Short podcasts that I really like included Story Corps, Radiolab, The Nerdist, The Onion...and there's one more I'm forgetting.

If you're tired, never underestimate the power of political talk shows you disagree with.  I hate to say it, but Dr Laura may have saved my life through pure hatred.

[drdata]

My current commute is about 100 miles round trip, 5 days per week. Luckily scenery is beautiful and traffic is light.  I find that having a big selection of favorite music (CDs and music loaded on hard drive such as the entire Beatles oeuvre) eases the commute.   I can't do the sudiobook thing...I would end up pulling over to listen more closely.

The biggest improvement for me has been getting a really good, comfortable car with cruise control and sufficient muscle and road holding and a quality sound system. That makes all the difference in the world.

[melba_frilkins]

Yes to podcasts. But also music, get to know a genre you've always been interested in but aren't super familiar with. And singing. My singing skills are near zero, so it keeps me well occupied to do simple vocal exercises and work on singing easy songs. I especially like to sing on the way in to work because then my voice is warmed up for lecturing.

Burnie: I will join your commute any day. Those are all my favorites too!

[amlithist]

I do an hour each way, 5x/week.  For me, it's the local news station so I can keep track of traffic, and/or the local NPR station.  For the past couple of years it was the local country station, but I've gotten pretty burned out on them.

[mountainguy]

A former colleague of mine who did ~3 hours each way 2 or 3x per week swore by Satellite Radio. I don't envy her gas bills, but she somehow made it work without much complaint. (It was a one-year "this is necessary for my career"-type deal).

[fiona]

You can have your students do all their assignments by audiotape, and you can grade them while you're driving.

Oh, joy!

The Fiona, who knows people in foreign languages who do an adaptation of that

[wanna_writemore]

I have about an hour commute each way, and listen to the radio.  I switch stations when they start talking too much.  Luckily, I don't have to deal with much traffic.

[dr_prephd]

I've had hour-drive-across-the-mountain-going-70 mph-three-time-a-week commutes.

I've had two-hours-each-way-by-car-bus-train-and-foot commutes.

I've had comfortable one-mile-walk commutes and fifteen-minutes-in-traffic commutes and zip-down-the-road-in-two-minute commutes and half-hour-drive-on-country-road commutes.

I've had move-from-the-couch-to-the-desk commutes.

Some have been better than others. Some have been more productive (I wrote an article during my train commute and had it published). Some have allowed me to have more personal time (zipping down the road in two minutes, working at home). Some have gotten me to exercise more (walking commutes). I've been able to read books, eat breakfast, listen to NPR, check e-mail, nap, sing a song, listen to a book on tape, find new music on Pandora, etc.

But, more than anything, I find myself "zoning out" during commuting time. It's me time. Down time. Shift from home to work or work to home time. There are so many aspects of my life where I'm forced to feign productivity or else suffer guilt. I feel fine doing nothing at all during my commute. And if I want to do something, I do. Otherwise, I stare out the window.

[prytania3]

A former colleague of mine who did ~3 hours each way 2 or 3x per week swore by Satellite Radio. I don't envy her gas bills, but she somehow made it work without much complaint. (It was a one-year "this is necessary for my career"-type deal).

I don't have an arduous commute, but I love Sirius XM.

[lightningstrike]

Earworms language CDs. You will be amazed at your command of new languages. Seriously. Do it. Start with French if you have not already learned French. Then move on to Spanish, Italian, and German. Then go after the Asian languages. These are great for morning commutes when your brain is fresh.

[petunia621]

Thanks all! Great advice, particularly the language podcasts.

So here's a crazy question: Because of my schedule I have to eat breakfast in the car. That's kind of an adventure! Any suggestions on portable and handheld food? There are only so many bagels one can eat.

[gennidad]

Thanks all! Great advice, particularly the language podcasts.

So here's a crazy question: Because of my schedule I have to eat breakfast in the car. That's kind of an adventure! Any suggestions on portable and handheld food? There are only so many bagels one can eat.

I have been known to take pop tarts (a lot).  I also take the frozen you bake biscuits and make those and egg patties up over the weekend and take one or two out of the freezer, pop them in the microwave and out the door.  I also have a friend that would scramble eggs and mix in sausage, put them in a tortilla shell to take with him.  He would make a dozen or so at a time.  Again, from the freezer to the microwave and out the door in less than two minutes. 

[scotia]

Thanks all! Great advice, particularly the language podcasts.

So here's a crazy question: Because of my schedule I have to eat breakfast in the car. That's kind of an adventure! Any suggestions on portable and handheld food? There are only so many bagels one can eat.

I have been known to take pop tarts (a lot).  I also take the frozen you bake biscuits and make those and egg patties up over the weekend and take one or two out of the freezer, pop them in the microwave and out the door.  I also have a friend that would scramble eggs and mix in sausage, put them in a tortilla shell to take with him.  He would make a dozen or so at a time.  Again, from the freezer to the microwave and out the door in less than two minutes. 

Scrambled egg can be very difficult to get out of suits (short of dry cleaning - and there isn't usually time for that before a meeting with the dean) and car upholstery. If you must eat while driving I suggest something very simple (I speak from experience here). If it is an option, I would suggest a banana en route and have cereal or microwave some oatmeal when you get there.