End of the week

Not much to write. It was a week of getting adjusted to working (without desk or computer...) and trying to figure out the best way to get to work. Although the office is not far from where I live, there is no quick way to get there. I work half-days in the afternoons. I'd been considering trying the bus system and was prodded along when my car started stalling out on the drive home on Wednesday. The mechanic couldn't replicate the problem, so he replaced the fuel pump, filters, etc., anyway, having fixed a vacuum leak last week.

The bus trip, including walking a couple blocks to and from the bus, takes from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes with one transfer. Driving myself, including parking at a remote site (yes, the company has a few space issues), takes almost an hour in the evenings. So I'm trying to figure out how to be more efficient at home and then use the bus riding time for reading, eating lunch, planning, etc. There certainly is less stress taking the bus than driving myself on crowded streets with lots of stop lights now that I've figured out which buses to take and where the appropriate stops are. After I see how work goes (with desk and computer) I might see if I can adjust my schedule and come in four days a week.

On the ride home tonight, I overheard a passenger talking with the bus driver and saying that the route we were on may be discontinued this summer. This is one of the reasons why LA's public transit system has such a bad reputation—they make it more inconvenient to take the bus, not easier! However, the proposed change is due to the new extension of the rail line, so I'm sure it will be useful to some people. Perhaps I'll go to the hearings at the end of the month and see what's up.