Commuting
I absolutely hate commuting. At the moment of this writing, I am sitting in a subway car destined for the last stop on the line. My laptop is not being entirely cooperative, and it seems there are a lot of St. Patrick’s day revelers or something… maybe just party-goers. I don’t mind the people, really, but I have been commuting for so long now that I hardly remember what it was like to have a normal life. And now things are worse than ever with regard for the commute.
It takes me almost two hours and sometimes more than two hours to get to work now. Every day, in the past, it’s been a bus ride or a long drive or a subway ride or some combination of the three. You might think that this would be time I could use to get things done (like, say, write blog entries). Yeah, sure I can use the time for odd little busy work, but in general the commute is too long, too boring and takes a huge bite out of what could be a more normal existence. My commute right now: I leave home in the morning, before 10 a.m., and I don’t get home until at least 12 hours later. By that time, the gym is closed and I rarely have energy to do too much. Even if I did, I could start a project and then get focused on it for a couple of hours. Then, after eating dinner, it might be 12:30 or 1 a.m. Then up at 8 a.m. to get ready for the next day.
Such has been my life for more than a decade. Caught up in circumstances I have little control over, losing time and then finding I have little time or energy to devote to other activities I would choose. Yes, I want leisure time. My ideal situation right now would be to work close to home… or even telecommute… and then have time to go to the gym or on a nice run or bike ride, followed by some quality family time. It seems I am spending so much time in travel and at work that I can’t find much time for even the critical tasks like finalizing my divorce or finishing my tax return.
So I’m looking for even more change in my life; a complete life makeover. A new job when my job was the last vestige of my former life. I would like to stay in the employ of Uncle Sam because my benefits, 401K and retirement would all transfer nicely, but at this point I’m considering all options.
The trip is not over; I haven’t reached my destination yet. I’m just going to keep at it until things fall into place. Hopefully the wait won’t kill me.
It takes me almost two hours and sometimes more than two hours to get to work now. Every day, in the past, it’s been a bus ride or a long drive or a subway ride or some combination of the three. You might think that this would be time I could use to get things done (like, say, write blog entries). Yeah, sure I can use the time for odd little busy work, but in general the commute is too long, too boring and takes a huge bite out of what could be a more normal existence. My commute right now: I leave home in the morning, before 10 a.m., and I don’t get home until at least 12 hours later. By that time, the gym is closed and I rarely have energy to do too much. Even if I did, I could start a project and then get focused on it for a couple of hours. Then, after eating dinner, it might be 12:30 or 1 a.m. Then up at 8 a.m. to get ready for the next day.
Such has been my life for more than a decade. Caught up in circumstances I have little control over, losing time and then finding I have little time or energy to devote to other activities I would choose. Yes, I want leisure time. My ideal situation right now would be to work close to home… or even telecommute… and then have time to go to the gym or on a nice run or bike ride, followed by some quality family time. It seems I am spending so much time in travel and at work that I can’t find much time for even the critical tasks like finalizing my divorce or finishing my tax return.
So I’m looking for even more change in my life; a complete life makeover. A new job when my job was the last vestige of my former life. I would like to stay in the employ of Uncle Sam because my benefits, 401K and retirement would all transfer nicely, but at this point I’m considering all options.
The trip is not over; I haven’t reached my destination yet. I’m just going to keep at it until things fall into place. Hopefully the wait won’t kill me.
posted by Louis at 10:53 PM
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