So it is 2012, and the best commuter news of this winter so far is it hasn’t snowed. Well, not since the Halloween storm, anyway, which technically was in the fall. I worked the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was amazing the difference in the traffic and Red Line ridership. I trimmed from 10 to 15 minutes off my commute every day, and that actually started before Christmas, as I think many people take time off to shop or begin their holiday travel. One day last week I zipped in on Route 2 from Lexington and didn’t tap the breaks until I got to Route 16. I remember thinking, “this is how I thought it would be.”
Ah yes, last year at this time the hell of commuting had yet to commence. I was still full of the excitement of starting a new job. I told my boss when she hired me that I didn’t want to give leave where I was to just do the same thing someplace else. Sadly, that seems to be what is happening. I gave up 11 years of seniority, only to be hitting my head against the same wall. I commiserated with a friend on the phone yesterday who assured me that it’s not me--it is the nature of the working life today.
I have started to measure out my work life in increments: this week only four days. Next week will be a full week, but then it's MLK day, and another four-day week. Then I'm out of town for a few days, come back, short week, next thing you know it will be Groundhog Day and, worst-case scenario, only six more weeks of winter.
One good thing that will happen in 2012: Now that one of my major projects is past phase I, I will be working at home one day per week. I didn’t feel I could do it while supervising interns, but the last intern leaves this Thursday. I will miss her, but I won’t miss riding the Red Line on Thursdays.
