Well, I figured now was as good a time as any for my first blog post because I commute everyday to American University, and in between classes I use the Tenley Campus Computer Room, which is where I am currently located. Speaking of being a commuter, I've decided that it is going to be the topic of my first post, and definitely a theme throughout my entire blog.

So, as the title of my blog states - I have been thrusted into this unknown world that includes a TON of traffic, an extremely crowded metro system, and highly priced transportation.

However, after doing some digging - deep into the hearts of Northern Virginia residents - I found a different, cheaper, incredible carpooling system.

This type of carpooling has been around for over thirty-five years, and it is called the Slugging System.

Every weekday morning, I drive to a parking lot in Tackett's Mill, and after parking my car, I approach a line of cars waiting for slugs. These drivers wait in line everyday for at least two people to enter their car, making it a High Occupancy Vehicle - therefore allowing the driver to enter the HOV lanes and get to work an hour earlier than usual.

The people who get in the car, like myself, are slugs. We park in the parking lot FOR FREE, and then hop into a vehicle FOR FREE. Now, I need to come to American University from Woodbridge, VA. There are only certain places that these cars go, so I choose to stand in the "Rosslyn" line, because it makes my metro commute much cheaper (since I do not have to pay for parking, or to ride from Franconia to Rosslyn).

Then, to get home, you get off the Metro at any of the provided places for slug lines, and they will take you back to the exact parking lot that you were picked up in!

There are MANY other places to find morning and afternoon slug lines, and it is all explained at http://www.slug-lines.com/.

*picture courtesy of http://blog.oregonlive.com/kympokorny