I worked from the office this morning, but I’m telecommuting in the afternoon. It marks the first time I got to drive home from Westwood outside of rush hour traffic. I set the stop watch on my phone when I punched out. I wanted to time the trip from my desk in the office to my desk at home.
Considering that I’ve had a bunch of two hour commute since moving to Westwood, this is astounding to me. And it makes each morning and evening commute that much more insulting.
In the office park I work in these days there are two buildings. The cafeteria is in one building, and my desk is in the other. Twice today I have walked to the cafe. Once for a drink at about 10:40am, and then later to get lunch at a little after 1:00pm.
During both walks outside, the building was being circled by a helicopter.
There are two possible reasons for this. One, given our close proximity to the traffic nightmare known either as state route 128, or US route 95, there may be a traffic situation nearby that is being constantly monitored by local news networks.
The other possible explanation for the helicopter is that Henry Hill works in my building.
Always remember, don’t call from the house phone and make sure you keep stirring the gravy!
It’s the traffic again, of course.
It’s been a little more than two months since my work group moved from Framingham to Westwood and I am so fed up with it. To get to Framingham I was leaving home at 7:50. Westwood is closer, but if I am lucky I get to leave at 7:20. This morning my beloved wife Jen left home at 5:55. I shit you not, 5:55. She called me at 6:30. She’d made it one exit down route 93 South. Maybe a mile or two. I sped up my morning routine, skipped breakfast, and headed off to work at 6:58. I managed to avoid the traffic on route 93, but I hit some on route 495 and then somewhat heavier than usual traffic on both route 3 and route 128. I made it to work in a touch more than 90 minutes. It pains me to say this, but 90 minutes isn’t bad. 44 miles and I am pleased with 90 minutes. It’s ridiculous. It’s insulting. It’s affecting my personality.
By the time I get to work in the morning I am furious. By the time I get home, and I must admit that the drives home are not nearly as bad as the drives in although they are still pretty awful, I am just beaten down. I’m exhausted. Last week my step son asked me to help him hang a poster in his room. I was so beat I almost said no. Can you believe that? I was too worn out from the day to push four friggin’ thumb tacks into his wall. Yesterday the polls in Methuen were open from 7:00am to 7:00pm. I couldn’t go before work because the traffic was so bad. I had to go after work, and despite leaving work at 5:30 I almost didn’t make it in time. I got to the poll at about 6:45. How happy would I have been if the traffic was just a little worse and I missed my chance to vote? Not happy. Not happy at all.
I’m sorry to keep venting about this to you, internet. I just need to get it off my chest. Unloading should make me feel better. It doesn’t.
My car has a gauge on the dashboard that is a timer and an odometer. Ever since losing the backroad route to work I have been in the habit of zeroing it as I start a drive to or from work.
This morning the 43ish mile drive took 52 minutes. That’s fantastic. I never get in that fast in morning. It was beautiful.
This evening I did not go home. I went to my parent’s house. That shortens my drive by about 10 miles or so. The drive took two hours. At one point I looked at the gauge and saw that I was exactly one hour into the drive. I had gone nine miles. Do the math, kiddies.
Foggy Monday traffic jam:
Blue sky Tuesday traffic jam:
Oh how I long to see what Wednesday brings.
No, I don’t.
ADDENDUM:
Well whaddaya know? The picture from today caught someone looking down from the overpass, laughing at all of the pathetic travelers.
Did I mention that evening traffic seriously sux?
Have I mentioned that morning traffic seriously sux?
I haven’t checked the time and distance on a commute that follows dropping off the kids in the morning. It’s also September now, so the times are going to be drastically longer.
Case in point. On Friday evening I pulled out of my parking spot at about 5:40 and pulled up to the house at about 6:30. That’s 50 minutes, and is the best time I could possibly hope for.
How’d I do this morning?
Four minutes shy of double the time from last Friday. This is my life now.
It’s definitely September. Last week my average commute time was about an hour. Both rides on Friday were more like 50 minutes. It was flat out glorious.
This morning, the first commute in September, was close to 90 minutes.
It is definitely September now.
Inside the Red Head's Head 