Alison says:
Spoiler alert: It’s all first world lessons here.
‘Twas more like “move into my car” week. My carbon footprint
may not have been reduced by giving up the townhouse with its utilities and
cable internet. Sharing the boat with Kurt truly was refreshing after having
always lived apart, and he did good on his promise to have dinner ready for me
when I returned from work. The new appliances in the “kitchen” (what IS the marine word for that? I can’t
remember, and apparently people care about correct vocabulary.) work quickly
and efficiently. But most of the week was really just about jumping up at the
alarm 5:00 AM, taking 11 minutes to get dressed, teeth brushed and rolling into
the car. Pit stops at the well-lit bathhouse are easier now that I know where
to turn in the predawn darkness. That took until Wednesday to get clear into my
geographically challenged self. My average time to school this week was an hour
and thirty minutes. Afternoons led into evenings quickly with racing out of school
as soon as the last student leaves at 4:20ish which gets me back in time for
dinner. Tuesday night’s math class was painful, but the trade off was zero
traffic at 7:00 PM. And the darkness at 7:30 PM is really the same as the
darkness at 5:30 PM this time of year. Pollyanna lives!
When I reset the odometer Monday morning my goal was just to
figure out what an average week’s worth of gasoline would look like. I had
absolutely no idea that it would turn 1,000 MILES in one week. ONE THOUSAND,
FIFTY-TWO miles to be more precise. Pulling into the marina parking lot this
afternoon after today’s staged reading gig in DC and a girls’ day near Charlottesville,
Virginia yesterday, marked the end of a really long week of driving. Next week
should be significantly less, but I had to refill my 13-gallon gas tank every
other day. Grrr. Thank goodness for cheap gas averaging $2.00 a gallon these
days. So this month of baseline budget data collection is going to be more
complicated than I expected. I am sure there will be variations in my driving
pattern and I am sure I’ll get used to it. But I’m not sure I can reconcile the
fossil fuel consumption. Is this Tiny Living offsetting it and making the
commute a less horrific impact on the earth? For now, I have to focus on
getting this down payment savings started. The good news is the commute does
cost less than renting in Arlington, so there will be significant savings this
month. In fact I have paid off one outstanding debt and am ready to knock
another out. Those are two goals I have been chipping away at for months, and
now they are purged! Kurt and I will even have money for Christmas gifts
without going into debt. So my decision to do this crazy live-aboard project
IS like having a second job as Kurt has suggested. Only my second job isn’t like
my colleagues’ moonlighting jobs of tutoring, babysitting, retailing, dog
walking or marrying well. My moonlighting job is to drive long distances and
live with my love. Sure wished Kurt and I lived in a country that actually
cared about the people who care about the children. But we don’t live there. Looking
on the bright side and ignoring the gasoline consumption, it was a good week.
Random things I learned this week:
It takes 10 miles driving in normal I-495 (Beltway) traffic to
consume a peppermint Tootsie Pop.
“Tell the Bartender” is the preferred, story telling podcast
in the morning, but “On Being” works well to unwind in the evening, with the
grand exception of Krista Tippet’s interview with John O’Donoghue from 2008. I
listened on Tuesday morning (when an accident extended my commute to two hours
and fifteen minutes) and it inspired me to find one of his quotes as soon as I
got to school and use it for my daily poetry inquiry with my sixth graders! An
awesome conversation ensued.
The guy at Starbucks in Lusby thinks I don’t know that he
filled my cup with regular coffee on Monday when I was still in shock for my
first commute day. It took me until Thursday to figure that out. I ordered an
Americano. I needed espresso. The Friday barista got the order correct, so I
will continue to order Starbucks on the mornings I don’t need gas. Or maybe
I’ll start experimenting with life the way my sister lives and not be so
dependent on coffee. Not any time soon, Heidi.
On the mornings I do need gas, I have learned that Wawa
coffee isn’t very good, but it can be doctored without too many calories. As a
trade off to bad coffee, their sausage, egg and cheese croissant keeps me happy
for at least 30 miles.
It’s very good to come home to my husband.
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