A radical shift in transportation

So Collyn and I sat down and had a "serious" conversation the other day. In truth, it was pretty serious, but the ease with which we tend to move things along just makes these sort of conversations seem commonplace. The upshot is this: Collyn is going to use the move to pick a pronunciation and my powerhouse earnings as a private sector educational professional to give the writing thing her full focus. In other words, she is going to give writing a legitimate go as a paying career.

So for the next significant while I will be the sole breadwinner. Collyn may try to convince you that taking on the full burden of providing for our family (We have a cat. It counts) while allowing her to pursue her passion qualifies me for a "Husbandy", but the reality is this is part of my updated investment strategy which requires taking on significantly more risk. In other words, this is my plan to make us filthy rich, because I'm sure not going to get that job done. The way it will work, or course, is that her first novel will sell millions of copies, be made into a movie, and then achieve that final pinnacle of literary success...being branded as a line of clothing at an upscale retailer.

A quick reference back to the title of this blog entry may have you wondering what this has to do with transportation. First of all, we should all observe a moment of silent reflection, as today I sold my motorcycle.

*silent reflection*

Our Louisville rental was chosen in part because of the commute. Sure, it seems rather short, but it is in fact much longer than is shown. Walking to the actual building across the parking lot more than triples the length. I should check alternate routes, such as leaving by the back door, as I think during morning rush hour this could save me valuable time. In an attempt to be "green" I will be leaving the car at home in favor of alternative transportation. Biking is an option but I would need to procure fenders, and the options for a road race frame are pretty limited. Since my other two-wheeled transportation comes stock with front mud guard and integrated rear fender/brake I will probably use it as my pimp wheels. By way of comparison, according to the g-map pedometer my previous walk from my office to the "west campus" portable science classrooms was .1723 miles, whereas now, if I go by way of the back door, it will be something like .12 miles from my home to my office door. I might as well hold office hours on my porch. Amazingly, I will not have the shortest commute in the family, as Collyn will simply walk to another room.

The neighborhood is also bike-able, as there are a lot of businesses located within a mile or two. As a result, we are not going to be doing very much driving and will likely get Collyn a bike as well to ride for errands and throughout nearby Cherokee Park (bike paths in green). She is considering something like this but with a basket on the front and maybe a rack on the back. Considering that at one point I was driving 1500+ miles per month and spending $200+ on gas by myself (Collyn was near the same due to frequent car trips to see distant friends) this will be a welcome change.

I will end this post with a challenge: For my siblings that use their cars a fairly limited amount due to convenience offered by D.C. Metro and life on base, keep track of your family's car mileage and let's see who does the least amount of driving. There will be no prize or bragging rights. The challenge is simply to track it because I'm curious and you should indulge me. You can start now, but I will start once we get settled in, so it's going to be a month or so.