So let's talk more about this commute

taken from our 3rd floor window

D has changed from being a total rule-follower into this weird person who actually leaves work early.

I have always kept my own hours. Basically, I always just work til I'm done. Most days that is far longer than what is "required" but Fridays, in my view, are meant for 4 pm departure times.

I think this may be due to having worked flextime for 19 of my 20 years, and technically the 20th year was also flextime except those teammates were super "structured".

I think all Jhb drivers feel a bit smug when the traffic is at a standstill in the opposite direction

I asked D today on the way home what's got into him because I get these emails from him at 3.45 ish asking what time I want to leave, and today I said, "RIGHT NOW" because I worked really well in the morning and was super, super productive. And I was out of there at about 4.15.

He says he feels bad having me wait, and I said I don't feel at all bad that you feel that way :)

on the way to work

As we were driving, I said, "how do people do a one-hour commute every day?" and he said, "well, remember most people are not like you - some of us LIKE time to ourselves in the car".

!!!

So do you like alone time in the car like D?


I keep thinking, "there's SOOOOO much more I could be doing if I were somewhere", so much so that I whatsapped Nanny S from the car to tell the kids we were going for a walk when I got home.

First they told me they wanted to stay home and so I bribed them with yoghurt pops (I will write another post on those pops) and that got them out of their laziness.

jacaranda bloom

These days I "amuse" myself in the traffic (when I'm not driving myself obviously) by taking photos of interesting things.

I have a list of about 4 places already that I want to go back to with the kids to take pics!



We've discovered that the time we leave work doesn't make a bit of difference if it's anytime between 4 and 5:15 - it still takes about an hour to get home.

Now I know why all my colleagues fly out of there anytime from 3 - 3:30.

Granted, D and I now play a little game (all my idea to make life more exciting) to set personal best times to get home. Our fastest time is 39 minutes. Today's was 42 minutes. Our longest was 54 minutes.

How do our commute times compare with yours?

PS one of my pet peeves is when I ask people this question and they say, "oh, when there's no traffic it takes me 15 minutes. And I say, "well, when is there no traffic?" Um, never? You're always travelling to and from work in traffic. Unless it's the once every 6 months when you go to the dentist and you go in to work at 10 am!