Thursday, October 1, 2015

Unclear on the Concept

So I'm staying with my sister while attending a conference in the city where she lives. Her place is on the north side of the city while the conference is on the south side. Since it starts at the time the normal workday starts, that means I make what for everyone else is a normal "workday" commute.

I've done this before. and find it interesting that sometimes as little as a three-minute difference can separate zipping down the highway from the dreaded Interstate Parking Lot. It's kind of random, too, because the clogs don't happen at the same exact time every day.

Which means that there's no set time to leave that guarantees a smooth commute. It's a roll of the dice, and the problem is this: If you "lose" and leave too late so you get stuck in traffic, then you're stuck in traffic. That's just plain annoying and may mean you wind up late if the stuff is particularly thick that morning.

But if you "win" and leave early enough that you miss the traffic and cruise along fine and dandy, then you cover the distance in quick time. Which is not nearly as much time as it takes when you're stuck, which means that your "win" is that you get to work early.

That's a funny kind of win.

2 comments:

CGHill said...

On the downside, if it happens on the way home, the delays are interminable no matter how many actual ticks of the clock are involved.

fillyjonk said...

Shoot, even given my short commute home, I rage slightly when I get behind That Idiot who is going 20 mph in a 40 mph zone, because whatever cell phone call they are on is so much more important than actually, you know, driving.