I really want to get out of the rat race.
Not so much the 9-5 thing because I’m most alert during 11 am to about 3 pm and can get the most done during then but definitely the traffic commute. It takes me between 60 and 90 minutes to get to work in the morning and the cruel thing is: I live in Belfast and I work in Belfast (even more chilling is that I’m coming from South Belfast into the City so it’s about 4 miles as the crow flies).
Crawling along the roads at 4 mph isn’t going to do me or the environment any good and other than catching parts of the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1, it’s remarkably uneventful. Leaving the house at 07:45 usually gets me into the office for 9 or so.
If I leave at 07:00, I’m in the office for 07:15 when the sky is still dark outside. On the other hand, if I stay at home until 8:45, I can be in the office for 09:10. There’s something to be said for staggered work starts.
So let’s try to fix this, obviously avoiding the whole work thing isn’t going to wash – we need money to eat, keep a roof over our heads and buy iPods.
Moving far out of town seems reasonable as it would mean leaving extra early and then we’d miss most of the traffic (or miss all of it should we manage to downsize and not need the day job).
Phil said this morning:
Very few people ever want to be where they are.
and I wonder how much of that is true. Is the only reason most people work in these jobs because they pay money? Without work would we all become slovenly couch potatoes? I started this day job back in June because I was finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
The small villages on the peninsula and along the coast of Strangford Lough hold the most attraction. It’s rural which means a change of pace. They’ve got broadband so my work can continue. And they’d be a lot better for the kids.
If the village is the right size, I’d also be interested in working to build a community wireless network. After experiences with Belfast City Council and their preferred support of Big Business rather than community efforts, I’m much more inclined to look after the smaller community rather than the whole – they appreciate it more.