It's been awhile, kiddies. My first post of 2011 comes to you on the MLK holiday.. from my desk at work. Yeup, we are one of the rare few companies that do not observe the holiday. Most people's initial reaction is, 'Aww. That sucks.' And while it takes some getting used to, considering that I had all bank/federal holidays off at my previous job, I guess I can be half-full about this.
First off, in lieu of the MLK holiday, we did get the day after New Year's Day off. Which, for obvious reasons, was okay by me. [I'll take an extra day to recover any time.] Secondly, traffic was quite blissful this morning. I clocked in my morning commute time at 37 minutes. Not quite beating my record of 35 minutes, but damn close. The only comfort in my head as I lay down to sleep was, 'Well, traffic should be nice tomorrow morning.' It's sick, I know. It should be noted that that sentiment didn't do much to help me actually go to sleep. Not unusual for a Sunday night, my mind & body were not ready to shut down for the night at 10:30. And they didn't. After two rounds of Diner Dash and a glass of milk, I estimate my sleep time at 11:40ish. I've been doing my best to sleep early, and despite my best efforts, it just doesn't happen all of the time. C'est la vie.
This morning's commute was FOGGY. Right out of the garage, I was met by a thick fog. Well, this should be fun. Luckily for me, it wasn't all too bad. It probably helped that there maybe 50% less cars on the road. I will say that crossing the bridge this morning was an experience. The thick fog just enveloped the bridge. I'd never seen anything like it. Turn to the left, turn to the right, look straight ahead -- FOG. It felt a bit cozy and creepy at the same time. Cozy because it felt like the fog was hugging the bridge.. Creepy because it felt like Lenny [from Mice & Men] was the fog and the bridge (and by extension the cars on it) was that little mouse that Lenny 'loved'.
Well, then.. onward and sideways.. Happy New Year..!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Mental Exercise
This morning, I recited the alphabet backwards. Immediately following, I realized that taken out of context it would appear that I was practicing for the next Saturday night D.U.I. checkpoint stop. Hehe.
Kaiser Permanente ran an ad about exercising your brain and getting rid of that excess flag. It goes onto suggest doing activities out of the ordinary and engaging in mental challenges. Sodoku is my go-to daily brain activity. It's wholly addicting and neverending sometimes. The level of difficulty is insane sometimes. I then thought of the website mental_floss, a site "Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix". It's always a lot of fun to read, IMHO. So many random stories, fun facts and trivia.
So, my tip of the day: Brush your teeth and/or eat your cereal with your other hand. [Now, if you're ambidextrous, sorry - I got nothin' for ya.]
Kaiser Permanente ran an ad about exercising your brain and getting rid of that excess flag. It goes onto suggest doing activities out of the ordinary and engaging in mental challenges. Sodoku is my go-to daily brain activity. It's wholly addicting and neverending sometimes. The level of difficulty is insane sometimes. I then thought of the website mental_floss, a site "Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix". It's always a lot of fun to read, IMHO. So many random stories, fun facts and trivia.
So, my tip of the day: Brush your teeth and/or eat your cereal with your other hand. [Now, if you're ambidextrous, sorry - I got nothin' for ya.]
Thursday, September 30, 2010
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. "Man, it never fails. I just can't catch a break."
So, I stayed in Hayward last night.. a welcome break from the hellish morning commute that has somehow taken over my life. Typically, it's smooth sailing - get on the bridge and fly all the way to work. But this morning - nope. Just as I was nearing the end of the bridge, I was greeted by flashing brake lights. Lovely. My one day to have a traffic-free commute, thwarted again. *sigh* In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't be complaining. It took me 25 minutes to get to work today, including the alternate route I had to take.
25 minutes is nothing compared to what I've had to endure then past couple of weeks. September signals the start of another school year and another season. What I'm slowly starting to realize is that it also brings about a plethora of parents who've forgotten how to drive. And thus, my commute into work has been at least an hour. Three weeks ago, my commute was between 50 minutes and up to an hour. Now, it's an hour and then some. I'll never forget the shock I felt one morning when I did a time check and realized that an hour had passed and I still was not even at the toll plaza. Ugh. It's been brutal, I tell ya.
I realized the other day that I think I might be getting burnt out by this commute already. I'm going to start considering coming into work wicked early. I consulted with another co-worker who lives in the same area as I do. He leaves the house at 6:15. I'm sorry, but most of the time I'm still struggling to get out of bed at that time. But I'll give it a go.. next week. Gotta try getting to bed by 11.. and stick to it. My sanity's depending on it. ;-)
So, I stayed in Hayward last night.. a welcome break from the hellish morning commute that has somehow taken over my life. Typically, it's smooth sailing - get on the bridge and fly all the way to work. But this morning - nope. Just as I was nearing the end of the bridge, I was greeted by flashing brake lights. Lovely. My one day to have a traffic-free commute, thwarted again. *sigh* In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't be complaining. It took me 25 minutes to get to work today, including the alternate route I had to take.
25 minutes is nothing compared to what I've had to endure then past couple of weeks. September signals the start of another school year and another season. What I'm slowly starting to realize is that it also brings about a plethora of parents who've forgotten how to drive. And thus, my commute into work has been at least an hour. Three weeks ago, my commute was between 50 minutes and up to an hour. Now, it's an hour and then some. I'll never forget the shock I felt one morning when I did a time check and realized that an hour had passed and I still was not even at the toll plaza. Ugh. It's been brutal, I tell ya.
I realized the other day that I think I might be getting burnt out by this commute already. I'm going to start considering coming into work wicked early. I consulted with another co-worker who lives in the same area as I do. He leaves the house at 6:15. I'm sorry, but most of the time I'm still struggling to get out of bed at that time. But I'll give it a go.. next week. Gotta try getting to bed by 11.. and stick to it. My sanity's depending on it. ;-)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Inagural Post + Happy Anniversary
So, today marks the date of two occasions. The first -- my first post on my newly created blog. w00t. The second, not quite as exciting, but still notable -- 7 months as a commuter. I guess I'd say that makes me official. Officially crazy, maybe. ;)
In any case, of the two events occurring today, it's safe to say that the former fed from the latter. I had been meaning to start a "commuter's" blog for quite some time now. It seems that thoughts run through my head even more abundantly when I'm on the road. And I'm on the road a lot. Sure, many people have worse commutes than I do. But in my life prior to this, my "commute" was a 15-minute drive door-to-door. Needless to say, I was spoiled. I knew I'd never have a better commute, unless I found a job right down the street from my house. Obviously, no such luck.
But - glass half-full, my job is rather enjoyable. It makes commuting a lot more tolerable. And truth be told, I don't mind driving. I actually enjoy long drives on occasion. What irks me.. what really gets to me.. is the TRAFFIC. Ugh. I'll save that topic for a different post. Maybe on a day when it's really bad. Hey, it just might provide better commentary (heh. just sayin'..).
Hmm.. so let's go over some stats this morning.
Breakfast: Eggwich (turkey ham + egg) on a Spinach Asiago Bagel from Bagel Street Cafe
Coffee: Sm. half-caff (blend of hazelnut coffee & decaf coffee) from Bagel Street Cafe
Out the door: 6:35a | Pulled into parking spot: 7:56a
Mood: Not too shabby. One of those It's-Tuesday-but-feels-like-a-Monday days. Might be a long one. We'll see. Head feels a tad bit foggy. Sipping on morning coffee and ice water. [Wish that line read: Sipping on gin and juice. Ah well.]
Well that's all I have for today. Thought I'd peep in and say Hullo! But, alas, the grind is calling. I hear the faint call of client meetings and data analysis.. (sigh) Is it Friday yet..?
In any case, of the two events occurring today, it's safe to say that the former fed from the latter. I had been meaning to start a "commuter's" blog for quite some time now. It seems that thoughts run through my head even more abundantly when I'm on the road. And I'm on the road a lot. Sure, many people have worse commutes than I do. But in my life prior to this, my "commute" was a 15-minute drive door-to-door. Needless to say, I was spoiled. I knew I'd never have a better commute, unless I found a job right down the street from my house. Obviously, no such luck.
But - glass half-full, my job is rather enjoyable. It makes commuting a lot more tolerable. And truth be told, I don't mind driving. I actually enjoy long drives on occasion. What irks me.. what really gets to me.. is the TRAFFIC. Ugh. I'll save that topic for a different post. Maybe on a day when it's really bad. Hey, it just might provide better commentary (heh. just sayin'..).
Hmm.. so let's go over some stats this morning.
STATS
Alarm succeeded: 5:30a | Up and in the shower: 5:45a Breakfast: Eggwich (turkey ham + egg) on a Spinach Asiago Bagel from Bagel Street Cafe
Coffee: Sm. half-caff (blend of hazelnut coffee & decaf coffee) from Bagel Street Cafe
Out the door: 6:35a | Pulled into parking spot: 7:56a
Mood: Not too shabby. One of those It's-Tuesday-but-feels-like-a-Monday days. Might be a long one. We'll see. Head feels a tad bit foggy. Sipping on morning coffee and ice water. [Wish that line read: Sipping on gin and juice. Ah well.]
Well that's all I have for today. Thought I'd peep in and say Hullo! But, alas, the grind is calling. I hear the faint call of client meetings and data analysis.. (sigh) Is it Friday yet..?
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