non-commute nonplus

over the last 6 or 8 months the idea has solidified in my head that living in the suburbs is only any good if you live there and vice verse. i live in the city, where i tend to find myself more happy. i dont have to go more than a mile to find most things that i need on a day to day, week to week basis. but my happy home in in Bloomingdale in central DC is not convenient to my job in Fairfax near the Dunn Loring metro.

possible commute reducing/ending options include moving to be close to the job, but then theres my distaste for the burbs and that coffee shops, bars, concerts are at my doorstep. so the next option is get a job closer to home. thats a big ole can of worms. i like my company. i like what i do for the most part. i dont want to start over again in a new field, so my options arent all that great. one, because construction companies usually own their headquarters in cheaper areas(burbs) to lower overhead, and two, because i am in the stage where im not a trainee, but i dont have all the tools i would need to step into a new company without much training. three, i dont have the credentials to get a cushy consultant job because of the limited experience ive had.

so i think im stuck. riding metro might be better for the environment etc., but it also takes twice as long as driving. meanwhile, my company is building us a new home. a brand new building thats going to be quite nice, though still rather distant from my home. and in this time of woe, i still have a good job. all this when i am thinking that decentralized office would benfit workers and the company. for one like myself who lives in the city and has most job sites there, i would spend a lot less time on the road if my office was there as well. and for those who live in the burbs and have jobs there, well, they can have their suburban outpost.

in the construction industry working 100% from home is not really an option. but working out of a few satellite offices would work. sure it separates various employees from each other, and maybe requires more than one receptionist, but really, one person can answer phones remotely. maybe im being too idealistic, but what is the detriment of having 10, 20, 50 people at a handful of locations rather than having 300 all together? especially when half of our staff are field employees who work from various job sites. alas, thats not the state of affairs today, and i dont have a solution to offer up. i could ask to work from home, but i dont think thats a good idea as ill just look like a lazy bastard and at home i probably would be.

i guess i just grin and bear it and hope one day to live a par five from work. and be happy i have satellite radio and an extensive music collection and NPR.