My boss has asked that I start to come in later than I have. Apparently, the 8-to-5 racket doesn't jibe when it comes to the type of work he'll have me do this time of year. Normally I would leap at the chance at a later work day because that means I can sleep in. But in my advanced age, I do so with some trepidation. I have hammered myself into a routine, a part of which includes a general time where I would get up and start work. That has become something I rely on, even something I don't have to even think about, so adjusting my work day is jarring. In fact, if my parents were still at home, I would beg my boss not to ask me to start and end my day late.
But there's another thing that makes me wary about coming in later. The building I work at has limited parking. There are a lot of spaces, but a lot of people work there. The previous two seasons I've been there I have had to walk fairly far away from the entrance to the building. But on my way out last season (which would be this February) the company broke ground on a brand new parking ramp right in the middle of our lot. This presumably would lessen the crunch of parking spaces by staking the cars one atop of another.
I endorsed the idea, even though, with all things in the name of "progress," there would be a little short-term pain. Since the parking ramp took up a good chunk of the parking spaces that were there, that pushed out all the people who would normally park there even further out. The company has lots, but they are way farther than my usual parking spot. So, for the past couple weeks at my job last season I would park in that spot and schlep for, oh, ten minutes or so on my way into the building. It was so far that the company hired a shuttle to ferry all those who parking in the lot where I parked. I rode on it once; it was never there when I parked, so usually I had to hoof it and thus be exhausted by the time I reached my desk.
The worst part about it, however, is that the damn thing still isn't done. I truly thought that the entire ramp would be finished and fully functional by the time I came back. But it's not. My boss said that they said it would be open late November. But then last week I received a company-wide e-mail hailing that the ramp would open December 11. That's two bleeping weeks from now. Also, over the course of the year (unbeknownst to me), they redid the entire parking area just in front of the building to add landscaping. I think it's a security issue; they don't want someone whose spouse died because she didn't have health insurance crashing his car into the front door and then shooting everybody in the lobby. But that just removed even more parking spaces that are a decent distance away from the doors.
Please understand my plight. I have a later start to the day than normal people, many of whom work at the same company I do. So by the time I get to work, all the closest spaces are taken. All the far spaces are taken. I really have no idea what I will face when I drive into work this morning. I could be in the lot on the other side of the light rail. I might have to park across the damn street for all I know. It might take me longer than ten minutes to get from my car to the front door. I'm not exaggerating when I say that after I park, I might have to call Uber or Lyft to get me from my car to the front door.
That possible disruption throws off my entire day. How much time will I need to build in in order to get to my desk on time? And how bad is traffic an hour later? If it's still bad, I might as well shift my day even later. That way, I will still have to contend with a distant spot, but at least I wouldn't have to bang my head against my steering wheel while putting up with rush hour.
These two weeks are going to be a friggin' pain-in-the-ass. And just because my boss wants me to stick around till 5:30 or something. Oy.
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