Commutable Disease
Ever since my company moved from one end of Newton to the other, my commute has been ever so much tolerable, usually. While nothing can be quite has bad as the monstrous hellishness that is Rt 128 at rush hour, certain parts of my commute ain't no walk in the park. To help those who don't drive in and around the city every day allow me to put my morning commute in terms you may better understand.
Illnesses.
Quincy Shore Drive - a mild cold. Not so bad unless something goes wrong and then AWFUL
Neponset Bridge - Herpetic lesions. Nothing really pleasant about this.
Columbia Road Rotary - An unidentifiable rash. Either mild and forgettable or excruciating and painful.
The Expressway - Constipation. But only for brief moments at a time.
The Pike - The kind of slight malaise you have when you call into work but then go to the mall and out to lunch with friends. I.E. completely and totally manageable.
So there you have it, my morning commute if the highway system was an immune system. But what's amazing is how much difference leaving a mere 10 minutes early makes. I tend to leave my house between 6:50AM and 7AM and arrive at work around 7:40AM which includes a stop at Dunks. This is usually almost WHOLLY do to the herpetic lesion that is the Neponset Bridge at 7AM. I spend 15 minutes just creeping over that. And then that just kind of sets the tone for the rest of my commute because I try to make up lost time and when you are in the frame of mind that you need to get somewhere FAST it seems like the world turns against you. Slow moving school buses heave in front of you. You catch every light. Pedestrians kick your car.
That kind of thing.
Anyway for the past few months I have been leaving even earlier then that - around 6:40AM or 6:45AM. I am already up (I get up around 6AM) and I am not a lolly-gagger in the morning. If I am up I want to get ready and get the H out. So it hasn't been a hardship on me to leave that early.
And MAN what a difference it makes in my commute. Seriously. Its like the whole world waits until 6:50 to leave their house so if you leave before then you have the roads to yourself.
For instance today? Left the house at 6:45. Got gas. Got coffee. Was at work by 7:18.
Even "The Bridge" is smooth sailing. And when I get to work I am in a much better move. And I get my work done earlier which usually translates into getting to leave a little earlier...and I would rather come in early and leave when it's still light out any day.
So ten minutes seems to be my lucky number. It's the cure for the common commute.
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10 comments:
omg, this is genius! Can you please compare something new to various illnesses everyday!?
Love, jeannie
Love the analogy.
Totally agree about the timing, too. My commute is pretty much NOT a nightmare, but I do notice a huge difference in how long it takes if I leave right at 6 vs. leaving at 6:10 or 6:15 (leaving at 6 saves me 5-10 minutes on the road).
Soooooooo true about the ten minutes. When I leave work at 5, I get home at 6:10 but if I leave at 4:50 I get home at 5:30! If only I could sneak out ten minutes early every day.
I have the same deal with my commute. If I leave 5 minutes earlier, I get to work at least 10 minutes earlier. It's amazing.
Haha! Nice comparison! Tonight I begin my commute into Boston once again. I'm usually flying until I hit my exit. Then it's one of two things - head cold or total constipation. What a nightmare.
I also live in Quincy and work in Watertown. (I take 93 to the pike) I leave at 7:30 to get top work at 8:30. I HATE the drive.Is 128 faster? T
no 128 is TERRIBLE... I think you just leave at an unlucky time since between 7-8 the commute from Quincy to Newton /Watertown isnt much better.
Good for you! I totally understand. I used to leave my house at 8 a.m. and sit in traffic for an hour trying to get to work. About six months ago I said "screw it" and now leave around 7:30 so I can have a leisurely drive in (complete with a coffee stop). It's a much better start to the day.
Even the smaller cities have this issue. If I walk out the door at 4:50 I'm home at 5:25. If I walk out at 5pm I'm home at 6:20.
hahaha, OMG that was hysterical!
My commute is strictly 128, which is sort of like a stomach virus that just lingers and lingers and lingers...just when you think you've turned the corner and will gain a little speed - wham, you start hurling again. ugh.
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