Gee, Think.

My work schedule is demanding. The work load has increased recently.  My work day lasts about an hour longer each day, which translates into an hour less at home enjoying the domestic scene. Is it worth it? Is it necessary? Will sacrificing those extra hours now pay off for me and my family in the future?  These are the questions I’m asking myself. I have not yet come to the conclusions. There is no doubt that the extra hours result in extra compensation. In certain ways, that makes our lives easier. At the same time, although I am compensated additionally for the extra hours, I am not as able to keep up with the household chores or get enough rest.  This puts strain on my relationships and health as I become less rested, less energetic, and have less time to get everything done. So how do I find the balance? I expect there to be some amount of sacrifice and toil in my life. From
what I hear, life is not just a walk in the park. Actually it’s quite hard to get by, even in a land of opportunity. So the question really is: how hard is too hard? I don’t want to sacrifice my health, physical or mental, for success and
comfort. I don’t want to sacrifice my realtionships either. Those things are worth much more than a salary. That’s definitely true. At the same time I accept gladly that life is not all peaches and cream. I take my work seriously and work hard to get it done. But how will I know when I am working to hard? I’m guessing it’s like love; when you know you just know. It’s nothing someone can give you a formula for. For the time being I am going to keep on working hard because I don’t think I’ve quite reached that danger point where work and personal life are imbalanced. I’m going to
be conscious of the trade offs and strains that I see forming. If I get too wrapped up in it I hope I’ll see it before it creates problems.

So now it’s been about four weeks since I’ve been commuting with the Dell E1405. I’m really liking it. It’s not too heavy to carry around.  It’s not that light either, but it’s okay. The screen is big enough and that helps me avoid bad posture and eye strain on the train. I am able to actually get work done during the commute. The train ride is just long enough to allow me to edit some photos, write up a proposal, compose a blog post, or just arrange music on my ipod. Using my laptop on the train has given me an extra 90 mins a day or productivity. During this time I’m able to make progress toward my professional goals and it feels great. I am enjoying mobile productivity so much that I’m now going to look into mobile internet access for my laptop. Currently I’m thinking of getting hooked up via a verizon motorola Q phone. The Q phone looks really cool. It’s so thin and seems to have a decent screen size. It also has a qwerty keyboard which is a must for me now. I want all my letters to have their own keys! But the phone is not the real issue, I
just want to get my latop online during my commute.
I’ll write a review of that process as well.

Today is the first day of a new habit for me, taking my laptop to use on the commuter train. I’ll lugging my laptop around over the next week in an effort to be more productive with my time on the train. Lately I’ve
been using my time there to read, and I’ve turned that into book review content for my blog. Currently I compose the majority of my blog posts on my sidekick II and then cateogrize them from a desktop computer. I think that I could better monetize my blog if I was composing on a
laptop. For unstance, it would be possible to include a link to amazon for the book that I’m reviewing if I am using the wordpress post composition page, which is impossible to do with my sidekick. That’s just one of many benefits.
If I can manage this week lugging my laptop around and working offline, then I may purchase an edge capable phone which I can use as a wireless modem for my laptop. Then I would really be in mobile business.

For those of us not familiar with subways…. This is what it looks
like when you’re waiting for one. In the summer, the platform has a
temperature of about 90 degrees and 70% humidity. The train comes and
the inside is nice and cool inside. The ride is rock. You never know
what kind of people you see on the subway.

Commuters standing on thr newark platform in the heat.

This concludes another week! Yea!
That vaction to Maine really gave me some perspective on the kind of
life I’m living. When I’m in the routine I don’t really think about or
realize how hectic the schedule is. I’m still enjoying it though. It’s
not easy, but it’s not hard. It’s something that I can stay interested
in.
Almost one year has passed since I started the commuter lifestyle. So
far, so good. Most days I’m either reading a book, blogging, and
reading webpages. It’s not as if my train time goes by wasted.
Sometimes I just take the time to relax from my day. I like to have the
train ride on those trying days because it gives me a place to
decompress before hittin home.
I don’t want a life of leisure. I always want to have work to do. I
think seeing the product of your efforts is one of the great joys in
life. Of course it comes behind the love of companionship or family,
but it’s still up there. I’m still feeling like I really found a great
place for myself.

I had to take this discrete snap because these women looked like
opposites. Now I just said looked like because who knows, maybe they
have some real inner similarities when it comes to personality or
values. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, right?
Well the one on the left had all kinds of tattoos. She had then on her
arms, fingers, and feet. All over I’m sure. She was sitting by herself
at first. Who should decicde to sit down next to her at the next stop
other than miss traditional conservative style. They just looked so
didfferent. One wearing light pastels and a white belt, the other
wearing dark clothes and tattoos.
It’s a good illustration that all kinds of people ride this train and
you never know who will sit down next to you.

I’m back from a much needed week-long vacation. This coming week should
prove to be a busy one, and the next one even busier. I’m going to try
and exit that options position I opened last week if the market keeps
moving up. If I have to do that I’ll be locking in my most humbling
losses yet. Oi vey!
The first day back is always a shock. When I’m coming back from Maine,
I’m coming from the wilderness. I wake up in a little house overlooking
the penobscot. It’s home to eagles, osprey, deer and moose. 24 hours
later I’m in the mix on broadway in the morning rush. I’m weaving
through the crowd on my morning commute, toward my office in a
skyscraper overlooking the New York harbor. The amount of change that I
see in those short 24 hours is a real trip.
Back at ‘em today!!

Waiting to arrive. Who knows where.

Do you ever wonder where the term frontrunners came from? I did but I
don’t have to wonder anymore.
It was coined to describe the small group of commuters who consistently
crowd into the first mid car compartment of the train so they can be the
first to step onto the station platform.  These guys never quit. They
don’t care to sit because sitting means they are ten minutes later for
their next train. It doesn’t matter if they are tired, there is a wall
to lean on. They are silent. Silently knowing the faces of their
fellow frontrunners. They are the morning mutes who read books or
papers and have little gadgets for distraction.