Alarm: 4:30 am

Get Up for Real: 5:30 - 6:00 am

Catch Bus: 7:08 or 7:28

Get to Work 8:00 or 8:30

You would think I could set the alarm later, but if I set it until 5:30, then I sleep until 7.

On mornings I'm supposed to be at work at 7:00 (Mondays & Tuesdays):

5:40am alarm

5:50-6:00am get up. try not to futz around on the computer before I shower.

6:00-6:20am Shower, put the kettle on, get dressed.

6:20-7:00am Eat a bowl of cereal, have a cuppa. Futz on the computer. Floss & brush teeth. Put the rest of the pot of tea in a thermos, go to work. Try to get out of the house before 6:50, usually not successfully.

7:05-7:15am Arrive at work.

Mornings I have analysis (Used to be Fridays, now moving to Wednesdays)

6:20am alarm

6:30-7:00am get up, shower, put kettle on, get dressed.

7:00am-7:45am Eat a bowl of cereal, drink the entire pot of tea, futz around on the computer. Floss & brush teeth.

7:45-7:55am Get on the subway.

8:30-9:15am Analysis. Stop off at Jamba Juice afterwards.

10:00am Arrive at work.

Other days (now Thursday & Friday):

7:00-7:30am Wake up on my own without alarm.

The rest of the morning: shower, cereal, tea, futzing, etc.

9:30-10:00am arrive at work.

6am- alarm goes off
6:30am- out of bed, shower. Tom goes downstairs and feeds the cats and puts on the coffee
7:15ish- leave house for train station (Tom drops me off and then drives to work, he'll be there by 8am)
7:25ish- get on train
7:55ish- get to Boston train station
8:30ish- get to the office

Theoretically, up at 6:30, on the train by 7, at work at 8. (I pick up a bagel on my way in and eat at my desk.)

In practice, up at 6:55, on the train by 7:20, at work 8:15ish. Today I'm staying late to have drinks with a co-worker who is getting married on Sunday, so I arrived at the more leisurely hour of...8:30.

A little more Obama love - the girls held back so that the younger kids could win the race. And the puppy arrives today.

Hey, Sophia, check this out:

What your commute might have been.

One of my favorite things about living in college towns is the commute. I can't imagine needing an hour to get to work (twice a day! every day!). I can walk to my work in 30 minutes and by car (which is our usual method) it's more like 5.

Theoretically (and I emphasize the theory) up a little before 7:30, shoot the cat, read paper, shower, dress, coffee all before 8:35, in by 9.

Except it really goes: glare blearily at clock at 7 after the radio and light have been on since 6:45, decide based on imaginary things that I don't have to wake up, wake in a panic at 7:35, rush madly to shoot the cat, stare stupidly at kettle and stove to figure out how that works, boil water, make coffee while maybe reading the few articles with content in the paper, stumble to shower, spend 5 minutes face in spray until I remember I have a nine o'clock meeting, rush madly through shower while drinking coffee, get out, scramble to get into the car before 8:35, curse all the red lights and idiot drivers, scramble into meeting without having read email. And then wonder if I turned the burner off.

And they call me a grown up.

I can't imagine needing an hour to get to work (twice a day! every day!).

Yeah, it makes me bananas if I think about it. A not-long work day means I'm out of the house from 8 to 7 most days.

I like my commute - it's almost the only time of day I get to me alone inside my own head. No toddler or clients demanding attention, just me and my headphones.