Why I go into work at 6:30 AM

I have the luxury of a flexible work schedule.  Since I, and my dogs, are early birds, I get into work before 6:30 so I can leave by 3 or 3:30 (depending on lunch).

Any time I think about sleeping in, I remember that traffic gets worse and worse as the morning progresses.  And I haul my butt out of bed.

Now, grant you, I don't live in LA, or Chicago, or New York City.  So what I consider a horrible commute might be considered an easy day for someone else.

Still, I work 32 miles from home.  I leave home at 5:45 am and I pull into the parking lot at 6:20.  Not bad. I'd like a job closer to home, but not a horrible commute.

But if I don't leave for home at 3:30 pm or earlier, the trek home gets frustrating.  For the past 3 nights I've been running late and have been on the freeway at the 5 pm witching hour.

The stopping in the middle of the highway would be understandable if there was a police car, an accident, a dog on the freeway, a dead body.  But no, there is nothing discernible causing the slowdown except large numbers of cars.  And drivers who can't drive.

The section of freeway that took me 10 minutes in the morning, took 22 minutes last evening.  Yeah, I know not catastrophic.  But frustrating, nonetheless.

The transition from one highway to the next was a one mile long ramp.  It took 10 minutes to traverse.

Only a couple miles later, the cars had all spaced themselves out and we were traveling 70 mph.

I just don't get it.

But I do my best to avoid it.