Commuting sucks my soul

Thanks to the theme this week over at Cheesy Bloggers, I can expound upon my daily commute.  The gist of it is, I have a 4 hour commute to and from work each day.  Yes, that's right, 4 hours total a day I spend commuting.  Here's a breakdown:

1. I leave my house at 6:05ish to get down to the train station early enough to get a parking spot.

2. I park in my "hidden" parking spot and put in my contacts and make myself presentable at that ungodly hour of the morning with makeup.  The parking on the street near the station went to 4 hours only a few months ago, so many people are scrambling to find parking these days.  Either that or they do the park and ride and take a bus to the station.  I won't even talk about where I park to anyone near the trains because I don't want to lose my spot and have to take just one more means of public transportation to get to work - you'll see how many I now have as you continue onward.

3. At 6:45am I get out of my car and wait in line (right now freezing my ever lovin' ass off) in order to get a seat on the train.

4. 7am the train leaves for its city destination (with 4 stops in between).  If it works out I get to sit with my best friend and others - sometimes her husband, sometimes our train friend.

5. The train arrives around 7:48am at the station and everyone files out and up the stairs.

6. Next I go back down different stairs to the bus tunnel and wait for whatever bus happens to come by first (or our light rail train, depending on what time I get across the street and down the stairs).  Meanwhile, my best friend and her husband take a shuttle to the same end destination and catch it just up the street from where I take the light rail.  The reason I can't do that is because they work for a different company and they check all employee badges at the door of the shuttle.  My commute would be so much better if that were it, but no this is just the second stop on the way.

7.  After the bus tunnel I then get off and have to go up out of the tunnel and walk to the streetcar stop.  I normally just miss the 8am streetcar and so must wait for the 8:15am one.

8. The 8:15am streetcar comes and I take that to a block and a half away from my office building.  I walk there and usually get to my desk at about 8:25am.

So that's just over 2 hours ONE WAY to work each day.  I honestly try not to think about it or I think I would end up killing someone.  And, that is just if everything runs smoothly, which it tends to not happen, somewhere in the chain of public transportation vehicles.

To get home, I hope like hell I catch the streetcar close to 4:40pm in order to get off the train by 6:40pm - and then drive to the gym (or home depending on my mood and what I remembered to bring with me that morning).

Why do I put up with this you ask?  Well, apart from the fact that I must be slightly insane, I get paid the most I've ever been paid, have the best health benefits (which are much needed), I have a flexible schedule and can work from home if needed, and the work environment is the most open and friendly that I've ever been in.  Every office has its politics, but overall I can see myself growing within the company for quite awhile.

Does this make up for the horrendous, almost life wrenching commute I go through each week?  I hope so . . . because we plan on possibly moving farther away when we buy a house (but I'm trying like mad to get my husband to reconsider).

I would not wish this on my enemy, but I put myself through it each day.  Luckily my boss and coworkers are understanding and know I'm going to have some crappy days because of my commute.

Teleportation cannot get here fast enough.