scumble on 7/11/2008 at 10:34
Last time I was grumbling about losing my job, and it took me some months to find another one. Several months of unemployment didn't do the savings reserves much good either.
Well, the job I did find isn't too bad, as it's a small company with a relaxed environment, with significantly less corporate management bullshit. The only problem is that the job is in Putney (London), which means it takes me more than 2 hours to get there in the morning.
2 hours when I used to have a 5 minute walk to work. Now I have to get up around 5am to catch a train. What kind of fool spends more than 4 hours a day travelling to work and back? There certainly seem to be plenty of them. I also forgot just how insanley busy London is. It's been a while since I had to squeeze onto a train and feel like a sardine in an electrially-propelled tin.
It puts a lot of strain on my wife, because I'm suddenly not around for about 13 hours a day during the week.
So, the obvious thing is to move closer, but since I'm used to a small town I don't fancy living in the middle of suburban sprawl... Incidentally, I don't know if any TTLG Londoners can comment on decent areas in the huge web of interconnected towns.
All this for a job. Unfortunately, London is where a huge amount of my kind of work is, and in this case I've found a place where I feel I've at least avoided a lot of the tedious crap that plagues larger organisations. It seems that colleaugues actually appreciate me, which is another good change.
Will all this upheval it can be tricky to stay positive though. I have a lot of trouble getting up and not feeling exhausted, and looking at my fellow travellers in the morning, it seems most of them aren't really awake either. I'm not a morning person generally, but it would be nice to find some way to wake up and feel ready to face the day, rather than being in a sort of grumpy daze.
Are there any solutions apart from moving to Barbados?
henke on 7/11/2008 at 13:06
Perfecting teleportation. Failing that, I'd say the only solutions are either moving to London or getting a job closer to home. :erg:
scumble on 7/11/2008 at 13:33
I think it's just one of those cases when the reality of making a change turns out to be more difficult than you originally thought. Moving is a fairly major thing to organise, and going to an unfamiliar area can seem a bit daunting, but that's probably better than commuting.
fett on 7/11/2008 at 13:40
I wish 'scumble grumbles' would become a regular featured article on ttlg. :cool:
suliman on 7/11/2008 at 13:46
YOU WOULD HAVE HIM SUFFER FOR YOUR OWN PRIVATE AMUSEMENT
june gloom on 7/11/2008 at 14:08
I'd suggest moving; nothing is worse than a long commute. As someone who regularly spent 2 hours just going to and from school for several years I can attest that it fucking kills you. I think I'd probably either commit suicide or homicide or both if I had to rely on public transportation ever again. Especially around here where I'm likely to get mugged.
Starrfall on 7/11/2008 at 15:28
Look on the bright side, if you were in the States you wouldn't even be able to take a train, you'd have to drive!
It takes me 30 minutes to drive to the place I'll be working after I graduate. This is one of the VERY FEW instances where there is a train available, but it's amtrak so it's slow and can be unreliable. It'd be nice if they extended the light rail out this way but they'd have to build it across a large(
http://picasaweb.google.com/yolodave/FloodingInYoloBypass2008#5162993251795033170) floodway, so if they extend it any time soon it probably won't be out here.
Two hours is absolutely ridiculous, and I'm always amazed that so many people here do it. We're about 2-3 hours from SF with traffic, and LOTS of people make that drive. They're insane.
Obviously you should move to Barbados, but if you can't do that you should move closer as soon as possible. Look at it this way: it's probably not going to take you more than a week to move once you find a place. But right now you're spending 20 hours a week commuting. If you keep this up, within a year you'll have spent like FORTY DAYS commuting. There's no way it's worth it.
Have you tried asking your coworkers where they live? They're probably your best bet. Or you can let me pick a place from google maps at random. I choose Ripley! You should live in Ripley. (Note that I know nothing about the London suburbs)
BrokenArts on 7/11/2008 at 15:36
Like others have said, its either move, or find another job closer to home. Your commute is insane. That will get old real quick.
I've moved across country, bit daunting yes. Think of it as an adventure too. You'll have your family to do the exploring with.
If you do want to move, do you see a real future with this company? Would they possibly help pay for moving costs, and help relocate you?
Look at the school system there eventually, the economy, overall, would you be better off staying where you are at? Or relocating. Weigh the pro's and cons. Take it from there.
nickie on 7/11/2008 at 15:53
Just wondering whereabouts (roughly) you are now. It's a bit difficult trying to think of everywhere surrounding London. Know south and west pretty well but not a lot about north of.
SubJeff on 7/11/2008 at 23:34
The only way this is really feasible is if you can work on the train commute, your employers accept that you ARE doing work and thus include the commute in your work day some how.
Or else it's move time.
And if you work in Putney then may I suggest moving to the oh so fine Richmond.
Don't forget to try Chosan! Top Japanese restaurant in Putney.
