Hi-ho Hi-ho, it's off to work I go!

You might remember that at the end of last July I was laid off from my job
I had for 15 years. Thus began the search for a new job as I am a tad too young
for retirement. Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to retire, but it's just
a bit too soon for my bank accounts. I won't bore you with the details
of finding a new job, but will say, my oh my, how the process has changed
over the years. The Washington, DC area traffic is notoriously bad, so I was picky about
how far I would commute. I wasn't willing to saddle myself with an hour and a half commute one way on a good day and worse when it rains/snows/or someone was texting! So at long last, the stars have aligned, and I was offered a position only nine miles from home. That's like winning the lottery! I started last week and on the first day I was to report in at 9AM. I know getting out of my neighborhood with all of the many, many, many people who leave at the same time can be a slow process, so I gave myself plenty of time. I left a few minutes after 8AM, and when I hit the main road leaving the subdivision, it was already stopped dead.  I still had two miles to hit the highway! Uh-oh! So I u-turned and headed for the very expensive toll road, $5.70 one way! I head down the ramp, and crap, this road is stopped dead as well! On my very first day of work, I finally arrived 30 minutes late. For this chronically on-time person, my stress levels were through the roof! Fortunately, after the first day I was able to adjust my arrival to a much earlier time,  thus avoiding a lot of the traffic.

Of course, this means after six months of sleeping in (to at least 7:30 but really any time I wanted),  I now need to haul my butt out of bed at 5:30 and even that is a bit too late. The dogs are no longer getting  a long, leisurely walk either. It is a 20 minute trip around the block....and for now it is in the dark. They do seem to love being out that early, having an extra spring in their steps, and high alert for any nocturnal wildlife. I, on the otherhand, would prefer the daylight. Poop scooping in the dark is always a challenge! I do have a small flashlight, but that means taking my heavy gloves off. As the days grow longer (and warmer!) this issue will resolve itself.

So, what does this new job mean for this blog? Well, until I hit my stride and have an easy routine  going, not much will be happening on here. The time constraints of my new morning schedule will mean no camera time. Hopefully, evenings and weekends will fill in the gap. It also means much less time for visiting/commenting on blogs, so please don't forget about me if you don't see me in your comments as often!

All in all, I feel very lucky to be working at a good job once again, especially one close to home.
I really enjoyed the six months of free time (the first in 28 years other than one-week vacations).
It was wonderful having so much time with the dogs. I can already tell they miss me!

Oh, and after nearly six months of extra exercise, yard chores, long dog walks and deliberate time spent at the gym, sitting back at a desk all day is almost painful!

Here is the weather forecast for this weekend. That ought to result in some good blog fodder, don't you think?