Seattle

I drove to Seattle and back today, which is pretty far.

I got the call last night, asking if I would do it. I said I would. I figured out my route, my exit numbers, and all the rest of it so I'd be prepared.

I was driving some people from Whistler to Seattle, and then coming back empty. The trip down was eventful.

When we got to the border, the two guests I had needed to get the proper permissions to enter the U.S. We all had to go into the Customs Office, where most everyone was on their lunch break. We waited about an hour, and then they filled in the necessary forms, got finger printed and photographed, and finally got the necessary stamps.

My route would take me straight down I-5, and my destination was only a few blocks away from it. It would be pretty easy.

Driving the winding Sea to Sky Highway every day is very different from driving the I-5. The road to Whistler is full of pot holes to avoid, turns to negotiate, drivers to keep track of, and traction to maintain. The I-5 is very different. With only a few exceptions, it's straight as an arrow and very fast. There's nothing to do but sit there and wait for your destination to appear on the horizon.

The speed limits on the I-5 are higher than I'm used to as well, at 70MPH. That's just under 120KPH I believe. So everyone's cooking along pretty fast. At one point I needed to negotiate around a stray plastic shelving unit. I thought it was an isolated object, but suddenly everyone in front of me was hitting the binders pretty hard. I did as well, so I wouldn't rear-end anyone.

I'm pretty sure I heard my tires squealing, as I brought my speed down very quickly. There was a kitchen table in the middle of the road, and a pickup truck full of other things on the shoulder. The owner of the table was about to run into traffic to get the table, which rightfully made everyone nervous.

At that time, I was feeling pretty tired and was yawning a lot. But once I had to stomp on the brakes and avoid the table and other vehicles, I was hit with a shot of adrenalin that kept me very much awake for the rest of the day.

I was happy when I dropped off my guests, and could have a relaxing drive back. It's so much easier when I don't have people to worry about. I battled Seattle's rush-hour traffic, as well as Bellingham's and Everett's, two towns between Seattle and the border. It was slow going.

I ended up working for 13 hours today, and driving for most of it. I wasn't driving when I was waiting in line in customs or waiting for my guests to finish their coffees, but other than that it was a very solid day of driving.

I was thinking when I was driving back that I have a pretty good job, for right now. I got to see Seattle, see the Space Needle, experience Washington's rush hours, and avoid tables in the middle of the road. I've been to Seattle now, and I wouldn't have been if I didn't have this job. I also like the independence aspect of this job, since I don't really have a supervisor or anyone staring over my shoulder.

I'm happy I have the day off tomorrow (so far, anyway.) It's amazing what a day off will do for you. I had yesterday off, and felt ready to drive again today and was happy to do it. It was a very different feeling than when I was working my twelfth day in a row, feeling tired and unmotivated.

I hope that someday soon I'll have a job that's more predictable hours-wise, and maybe have scheduled days off. But for now, I'm happy to slave away behind the wheel, and work while there's work. This pace isn't sustainable though. I think that things are winding down after Christmas, but who knows because things haven't showed any signs of letting up. Other than me getting a day off, I guess!

I'll work when there's work, and try to stay positive. I'll make good use of my days off by catching up on my sleep, and eating oven pizzas. I'll also keep looking for other employment options that will give me scheduled days off, and a work schedule that looks more than twenty-four hours ahead.

But I'm happy to deal with the nuances this job brings, for the time being. I got paid to go to Seattle today! And that's pretty neat.