Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cutting the Commute

I’ve ranted before about the length and stress of my daily commute, so you won’t be surprised that my blood pressure spiked this morning when I discovered the speed limit on virtually the entire stretch of highway I take to work has been lowered from 65 mph to 55 mph. Apparently the state of Arizona is adding an HOV lane to that section of the 101. Good news for the environment. Not so good for my mental health.

Not all the drive time news is bad, though. As the end of March approaches, more and more snowbirds are packing their bags and leaving the state. The congestion on the roads has already noticeably lessened. Maybe I won’t need my shields and photon torpedoes after all.

In addition, I’m looking for a new home in the area where I lived before meeting Barry. Although it’s only 10 miles closer to the office where I work three days a week, that 20 miles a day will save me thousands of miles a year of wear and tear on the car and hundreds of dollars in gas. It will also chop off the surface road section of the drive; on a good day that will cut my commuting time in half, and even when the highway is a mess I should save an hour a day.

Now if only I could telecommute one of those days…I have to start thinking of strategies to convince my boss that I could work better in the peace and quiet of my (soon-to-be) own home.

"A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man." ~Arnold Toynbee

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