Shortcuts - Mark Rasmussen

Car: 2006 BMW 530i

Previous cars: 1996 Ford Escort, 1986 Plymouth Voyager, 1986 Honda Civic Wagon, 1993 Honda Civic Del Sol

How’s your commute? About 18 minutes from El Cajon to Kearny Mesa.

Cheapest gas? I just pull over wherever I’m out of gas. I’m not worried about a couple cents here and there.

What’s wrong with your car? Nothing but a little weatherstripping drying up. Also, it just left warranty and it’s a BMW, so I’m worried.

What do you listen to while you drive? KPBS, mostly, also podcasts from my iPhone, including Radiolab, This American Life, Freakonomics, etc. Slacker Radio is an excellent way to consume music media.

Do you use your cell phone and drive? My car has built-in hands-free that works very well, so I never have to use any hands that should be on the wheel.

What cool cars have you driven? As you can see from my previous cars list, I’m pretty much driving the coolest car of my life right now.

Any good hitchhiking stories? I hitchhiked once in Europe. Nothing to report...we were all heading to the same youth hostel, so...pretty boring.

Tickets? I’ve never gotten a single moving violation. I must be a safe driver, but I’ve gotten many parking tickets.

Accidents? Nope! Not a single one. Again, safety first. I’ve had a few cars stolen, however — one from my aunt and uncle’s house while I was out of the country. They didn’t even realize it was gone until presumably weeks after it was stolen. It was found broken down on the side of the road not ten miles away. Bet that was inconvenient for those robbers.

Where do you typically experience the worst traffic in San Diego? I don’t like the intersection of the 15 and Aero Drive. Trying to get on the freeway from the 15 is just a pain.

What is your favorite drive? Going south from Del Mar up into Torrey Pines.

Your best ShortCut? When I’m leaving Fry’s, I take the back way out of the parking lot. You can make a right out of behind the Fry’s building and get on Ruffin Road and avoid that Aero Drive.

What is your dream car? I’d really like to have my old Del Sol back. They’re really hard to find in original condition, though: most have been “riced” out and ruined with big mufflers and graphics and crap.

What bothers you most about other people’s driving? When other people are talking on their cell phone and not paying attention to the task at hand.

Do you use any shortcuts in real life? Finding educational and useful ways to entertain the kids really leaves me with more time on my hands. I introduced the lot of them to Minecraft, which is loosely related to an architecture/building game. They love it; they’re learning something about mechanics, and I get to relax.