My first week at the BSNJ** is behind me. It went well and I feel that I am off to a good start. I have learned the basics of all of the software modules and tested a few upgrades. I also found a few bugs that no one knew were there. Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to find things. So what exactly do I do now that I am no longer "playing" with toy trains for a living?
Apart from missing my former co-workers I am back in the world of software testing & quality assurance, support and training. My primary duties right now are to learn the software and the business. As soon as I am 'up to speed' I will run the software making sure it does what it's supposed to do and find and report bugs. The people, pay, benefits and perks are really good. Going from the SLJ* to the BSNJ** increased my yearly salary by 33%. That's a good raise. The commute however is not so good. I went from a nine mile, twenty minute commute to a forty-seven mile, sixty to ninety minute commute. Recall what I said about the pay, benefits and perks. Below is a breakdown of my commute for last week. Keep in mind that I was experimenting last week with different routes to and from work to find the best and alternate ways to get from point A to B and back again.
Monday 04.26.04
To work (leave 7 AM, rain): South on MD Route-29 to west I-495 (Capital Beltway, AKA circle of death) around to the Dulles toll road west = 1:10
To home (leave 5 PM, rain): East on the Dulles toll road to I-495 North around to Route-29 north = 1:20
Tuesday 04.27.04
To work (leave 6:50 AM, sunny): East Route-100 to I-95 South to I-495 west and toll road = 1:30
To home (leave 5:30 PM, one spot of rain on I-95): Toll road to I-495 north and east around to I-95 north and to Rte-100 west = 1:35 (spent 30 minutes on the toll road just because traffic was slow)
Wednesday 04.28.04
To Work (leave 6:45 AM, sunny): South on 29 to 495 around to the toll road = 1:20
To Home (leave 3 PM, sunny): Left work at 3:00 PM to pick up Jenne and go to see my niece in her school’s Spring Musical. Toll road to I-495 around to Rte-29 north = 1:10
Thursday 04.29.04
To Work (leave 6:40 AM, sunny): South on Rte-29 to west on Randolph Road to south Rte-355 to I-495 west and south to the toll road = 1:35
To Home (leave 6 PM, sunny): Across the back country to Old George Town Pike east to I-495 to north 355 and east across Randolph Road and north on route-29 = 1:40
Friday 04.30.04
To work (leave 6:35 AM, sunny): South on 29 to I-495 to the Dulles toll road = 1:00
To home (leave 4:50 PM, sunny): Toll road to I-495 north and east around to I-95 north to Rte-198 west to Rte-29 north = 1:35
Monday 05.03.04
To work (leave 7 AM, rain): South on MD Route-29 to west I-495 around to the toll road west = 1:05
What I determined is - until Geren gives me directions for the route he used to use - that the best way in the AM is south on Rte-29 to I-495 to the toll road. In the PM the best route is the toll road to I-495 around to I-95 north and west on 100. The other routes have far too many traffic lights that stay red for five minutes at a pop. To help ease the commute, pass the time and do something productive while crawling through traffic I picked up a German Language CD set. Soon I'll be able to converse in German and know exactly what they are saying in all of those World War II movies I watch.
* Shitty Little Job
** Brand Spanking New Job
Just wait until you get into reflexive verbs, modals, past, present, and future perfect tense, passive voice, etc. Combine those with noun genders and the shift in definte and indefinite articles and possessive pronouns... and even Germans get them mixed up. Oh, and don't neglect your subject/verb/object word order.
I wash - Ich wasche (infinitive)
I wash the car - Ich wasche das Auto (present)
I wash (myself) - Ich wasche mich. (reflexive)
I wash my face - Ich wasche mir das Gesicht. (reflexive with object)
I drink beer - Ich trinke Bier. (present)
I am drinking a beer - Ich trinke ein Bier. (same verb form for present perfect)
I drank beer - Ich trank ein Bier. (simple past)
I'd like to drink a Bier - Ich möchte ein Bier trinken. (modal verb mochte - to want/like/desire).
Very useful phrase - Entschuldigung, mein Herr/meine Frau? Bitte, kann ich zwei Biere erhalten? (Pardon me, sir/madam... can I have two beers, please?)
Another vital one - Mein Herr/meine Frau, wo ist die nächste Toilette? Vielen Dank. (Sir/Madam, where is the nearest bathroom? Thanks much.)
Holy Shit, that is a long haul. Dam...
Posted by: Dave on May 3, 2004 10:18 AMGuten Morgen :)
I am glad you like the new job even though the commute sucks. :(
Hello Will, the wild american tester of the software is a fiend of mine.
Will, we now share much the same is the background as i the habid is once the tester of the software. Many times I would test the test plan and the reboot of the computer would make much the difference. If only the reboot was not the long as the software is to be of the test.
As to the commute, I to must ride from my home in the hill country into the city of software the support each the day of sun rising. my cammel just today hurt its toe on the long commute.
habid
Posted by: habid el sharif on May 3, 2004 12:14 PMWhoa, that commute's not getting any shorter... If there's ever a big accident someplace and you need a place to crash, don't be afraid to call.
Posted by: Jeff Stoner on May 3, 2004 02:25 PMI think the German language tapes are a good idea. Anything that can help you turn grueling commute into relaxing "downtime" is worth it. I know it's hard with all the crazy people on the road. When traffic is stopped I always make up stories for the people in the cars around me. I take bets with myself on the gender and age of the really crazy driver ahead of me in bad traffic. Call friends on the cell phone. Books on tape are good, too. I've given myself an entire makeover in stopped traffic - not that that's something I see you doing, but still, you get the idea. Life, in this case, really IS about the journey, not the destination.
Posted by: Lynn on May 3, 2004 09:06 PMBro Will- Go a few miles out of your way and eliminate the cf (cluster F).
Go out 70 to 15 south to the toll road. That is a peaceful drive and you can see little flags being waved (albeit Confederate ones). Time should be 1:10-1:15 without the jacka@@#@ trying to put on makeup while they drive the minivan to work.
Coming home is even faster!!!! especially on a rainy Friday. Trust me, I've done the DC/NVA thing many times. Let me know how it goes.
Will- If you get tired of the German tapes, you can borrow my Iron Butterfly CD and listen to Inna-Gadda-da-Vida, three and 1/2 times. That should get you primed for the BSBJ (figure that one!!!) Waving my little Dora star!!!!
Posted by: Lt. Dan on May 3, 2004 09:51 PMMy fiend of will wild te american.
Forget the language of the Jerman. Pakastani is the new language of the world. Imagae you call the help is desk and we communicate much the clearer. somethetime is the hard to understand american.
I send you the tapes.
but until then, repeat.
you must to reboot pc
Is this not the day nice, no?
Hello, my name is the Habid
You are the donkey piss, get the hell out of the way of habid (yes even habid is to cuss in traffic)
Please will you take the look at the camel toe?
Habid
Posted by: habid el sharif on May 4, 2004 08:43 AMHabid, You said you were born in hill country of Tszaklejmijism and that you currently live in India, not Pakistan. Are you really from Pakistan? You also said that you no the cuss because if you the cuss you go to the hell. You don't want to go to hell... DO YOU?!
Wave that tiny American flag!
Your wild American fiend,
Will
is there a Krispy Kremes enroute?
Posted by: rockinronnie on May 4, 2004 10:55 PMRockinronnie, Nope, no Krispy Kreme donut shops on my long commute. Now on my previous short commute the was a Krispy Kreme shop with a drive thru window! Look at what I gave up along with the short commute!
Peace,
--Will
Hello will my wild the american fiend,
Habid is much the surprised at your the questions. Look at your the new job, look to the left to the right. Is not one of your co workers named Patel? He would be indian, yet he might have been born in the land of america. How about Borris? he live in the american, yet he born in the russia. My father is the pakastania, that is the heritage of habid. but we must to make the journey to the work, so that is the india.
You can take the pakastania out of pakastan, but you cant take the oh what they hey, habid have no the idea what he to say.
As to the cuss, cuss is the name of the great one in the vein, donkey piss during the rush hour komute is not the kuss.
Please to the will enjoy the crispy creme on the way to the work. not the to eat dunkin donut.
habid, says haapyy is the cinco de pakastainia, wave the little american flag and reboot always, then the new line is to clear the files of termporary.
habid
Posted by: on May 5, 2004 08:10 AM