Ship Me Some Words

My writing is grinding to a near halt. I’m at 22,477 words, which is not that much further than I was last time I checked in. I aim to do some catching up this weekend but I fear that 50,000 word by the end of November is out of the question at this point. Only time will tell if I achieve the goalbut I will not consider my NaNoWriMo experience a failure under any circumstance. I have almost half of a book already written, which is quite amazing in and of itself. I’m not saying it’s any good but still, it’s written. Go me.

The time for buying lots of crap is upon us. I was thinking about the cost of shipping good versus going to the store to buy them. Tell me if this makes sense. Isn’t it more efficient for someone already out making deliveries to add one stop to his route instead of a consumer making a special trip to the store to buy something? I’m thinking that if goods are already being shipped from Point A to points B1, B2, etc . . . what’s wrong with adding Bx to that list? I live in a 100-unit condo building. The UPS guy is there every day. Is it more efficient for him to stop in front of my door in addition to the other dozen or so units he visits or for me to get in my car and drive all the way to Best Buy to get something?

I know I’m not considering the packing and freight implications but the merchandise still has to be shipped to a destination, whether it be a retail chain or a residence. Granted, shipping in bulk to Target is more efficient than individually delivering packages but what’s missing from that equation is that the goods are of no use if they stay in Target. It takes thousands of people in thousands of cars driving and increasing traffic and parking and idling to complete the chain.

We need to make packing more efficient and environmentally friendly, to be sure. But, if we can make delivery vehicles greener then I can see home delivery of goods paralleling public transit. My home would be just another stop on a daily traveled route. This logic holds up more in urban areas than in suburban and rural areas but hopefully you can see my point. Why if I live in a dense area that’s already served by shipping companies would I create more carbon monoxide by firing up my car? And, the more the UPS guy delivers in my building, the higher his “packages per gallon of fuel” becomes.