Been a busy week, for all that I’m still a relative nonentity at work (i.e. no computer access). No access means that I can’t access the databases that I need to do my job, which is frustrating. On the bright side, everyone seems to have this attitude that they’re not expecting any productivity from me for about the first month, but that doesn’t make me feel much better.
I’ve tried taking the train to work a few days this week and I’m finding I really enjoy it. It takes a little longer, and it means that I have to leave for work at 6:30 AM and don’t get back until 6:30 PM, but even though it costs an extra 30-45 minutes, I’m not stressed all to hell when I get home. That’s worth it. And surprisingly, with monthly passes, the cost is actually cheaper than driving. This is a Very Good Thing, with a month of construction about to start on the Edens Expressway…
Meanwhile, evenings have been devoted to taking care of Midwest FurFest stuff. I’d forgotten how spoiled I’ve been for the last two years, having pretty much as much time as I want to work on con-related stuff. These next few weeks are going to be stressful, and there’s a whole lot of work to be done between now and mid-November.
Unfortunately, none of that work will be done this weekend. I leave directly from work this evening and drive down to O’Hare to fly out to Raleigh. Dan and I will be moving this weekend, from the place in Apex to Durham, about 20 miles to the north or so. It’s going to be a crazy weekend, and we’ll have the able assistance of zenwolph, along with our fabulous friends in the Triangle area. Dan has been busting his ass to get the house packed up and I’m certain he’s done a fantastic job.
FYI, our old house phone number (919-367-xxxx) will be going away after Saturday. You can reach Dan or me on our cell phones. I’ll post those as well as our new address in a friends-only entry after this (Mom and Dad, I’ll call you with the info).
Y’all have a great weekend!
The Train
I assume you’re taking a Metra line? Back before I moved to the research side, with the evil schedule from hell, I used to take the train every day, and really liked it as well. It was nice to actually have time to read, or bring a laptop along and write, or anything else along those lines…
Driving the Ike in rush hour just doesn’t match. :/
Re: The Train
Yep, I take the UP-N (Kenosha) line from Ravenswood to North Chicago. It’s about 45-50 minutes each way, and that’s a good amount of time to decompress and unwind after a long day. The fact that parking is only a buck at Ravenswood helps a lot – that means I don’t have to rely on a bus to get me to the station!
I’m glad you tried out the train. It looks like you’ve found all the benefits I like about it.
If you’re really good, you can nap on the train, and get up in time for your station.
And after the construction starts, I’m sure driving would have taken longer.
You have a great weekend, too. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Dan both at MFF, even if breifly. It’s always such a hectic weekend and there’s so much to be done! Maybe you two could slip out and howl to the moon with us? 🙂