The Long Commute

My current job is a little north of downtown Seattle, so I am taking the bus to work again.  In fact, I am taking the same bus I used to take, but now I take it two more stops, then get off and walk 10-15 minutes, so my total commute is about an hour and twenty minutes, one way.

I decided a while back that I would not commute any more than one hour each way, but I am finding that I have to keep lowering my expectations.  It's part of the life of a contractor that you have to be flexible, and I have not exactly been overwhelmed with opportunities closer to home, so my options are limited.

I have decided that I can live with this as long as I am doing something constructive while I am travelling.  I'm stretching the word "constructive," but anyway.  I drive about 25 minutes each way, and during that time I listen to books on CD.  Right now I'm listening to War and Peace, believe it or not, and if my CD player holds out (it's acting badly, but not dead yet), that will keep me busy for a long time.  I am on disc 18 of 25 of part one.  Rumor has it that part two contains 35 discs.  It's not bad, by the way.

During the bus ride, I read.  I am reading the last book of The Belgariad now, and I have an Elmore Leonard and a random Sci-Fi/Fantasy cued up behind that.  I will probably finish all three of them before War and Peace.  After the bus ride, I walk, and it's good for me to get some exercise each day, so that's not really lost time.

I agreed to a couple of other jobs that maybe had better commutes but did not pay well at all, but fortunately did not get them.  If I have to choose one or the other, the long commute is better than crappy pay.

The job is for an indeterminate length and could result in something permanent, although I don't think the employer (City University) really has its ducks in a row to hire me.  Meanwhile, I am going to great lengths, literally, to stay employed, and getting used to the idea that that's the deal.  You do what you have to do.