Commuting vicariously

I am working the night shift, so this morning I have been completing some chores while listening to KNX 1070, a Los Angeles radio station, live online. You can visit the Web site here.
I laugh every time the traffic reporter assures listening motorists that there is only "normal slowing" on the 405 Freeway coming out of Orange County. I have cousins in Orange County, so I know there is really nothing "normal" about the slowing on the San Diego Freeway... particularly compared to the roads here in Iowa.
This morning a SigAlert continues in Glendora, where a big rig flipped over the side of the 210 Freeway at the 57 Freeway interchange. The truck landed on a surface street ("Auto Center Road" -- now *THAT'S* a perfect name for a Southland street!) and caught on fire. The interchange has been closed for more than two hours now.
I have experienced my own commuting nightmares: For more than a year I drove from Sonoma County into Marin County via the hopelessly overcrowded U.S. 101.
This morning, I have been wondering why anyone would live in a place where it takes more than four hours to get to and from work each day.
Then, as I gaze out the window and watch the light snow flurries fall here in Dubuque, the KNX forecast answers my question.
Highs in the 70s this week.