I’ve lived in my beloved new abode for exactly one week. It hasn’t changed much, as I’ve been pretty tired and busy and not very much in the mood for manic unpacking and arranging, but that’s OK. The mad dash to meet deadline is over. As long as I can keep affording the rent on this joint, I have all the time in the world.
Truism: I have driven to work in one week as many miles as I would put on in an average DAY doing the D.C./Maryland/Virginia trifecta. I’ve used a half-tank of gas, whereas I would normally have used a tank and a half. With gas at $3.16 in my ‘hood (yay D.C.), well, you do the math.
Not to mention: eight hours saved, all told, for being able to sit in moderately light traffic and still make it home within 20 minutes of leaving the office.
What have I been doing with my extra time? Working. Blogging. Sitting on the floor and staring at the TV that’s also on the floor. I never promised I was going to save the world with my extra time. 😉
My only complaint is that I have to make a lot of left turns, and some without traffic lights/green arrows. And that there’s one left where I do get an arrow, and it only lets Two Cars Through. Yes, two. When you’re eighth in line, well, it’s a tad frustrating. But there are alternatives, which I never had before insofar as Highway A had to lead to Highway B so I could get to Highway C.
I might be nuts but … I admit to missing the interstate drive. Not for the near-death experiences or the traffic jams or the ridiculous repetitiousness of it all. But it was a scenic drive, one that allowed me to listen to about 20-25 of my favorite MP3s and allow me to get lost in thought for the better part of the drive. I made a lot of phone calls during that odyssey as well — I knew I had an hour to kill and I sure as hell didn’t feel social when I got home.
For the sake of sentimentality, I took these photos during my last commute from work to my apartment in Virginia. It’s too bad they’re from a camera phone, but it’s OK. They’re of I-395 South, heading out of D.C. toward Alexandria.
These were taken while I was driving at the speed of light, so I apologize for the distortion.
View from the HOV lane in Arlington
395 might be treacherous, but it is pretty
What I don’t miss? Alexandria’s plethora of “No Turn on Red” signs. Bugged the fuck out of me. Actually, the only time those brought me joy were when I had someone behind me who didn’t see the sign and who would scream at me to move. I would sit all serenely and shit and watch them go postal. I had to get my kicks somehow — that always did the trick. 😉 Lord knows I had my own meltdowns on the Beltway, so it all evened out!