I was planning to travel to Virginia to get work done with Chris Clarke and Misty. My friend Lark was planning to travel to North Carolina to see her family, before she moves to Sweden. Lark has been a dear friend (especially these last 2 years that we’ve both been in New York City) and I will miss her. I thought a road trip would be a great way to say goodbye.

We rented a car (a red Toyota Camry from Hertz) and we drove south. We left New York around 8 PM. There was a crazy storm near DC, and visibility got down to 10 meters. There was a terrible accident that blocked traffic for an hour. Still, Lark and I had some great conversations, till it got late and we got tired. We drove through the night. She took a nap around 2 AM. I got tired around 4 AM and she took over driving. I got some sleep. She got tired around 6 AM, so we traded places again. By now we were in Burlington, North Carolina. We stopped at a gas station to gas up and trade places. By now, the sun had come up:

After that we drove the final hour and got to her friend’s house. I got some sleep, then left at 10 AM. I drove north into Virginia. I had planned to meet Chris Clarke at his office in the quaint little historic village of Scottsville. Back in slavery days this place was important as the furthest point up river they were willing to take small barge.

Here is the place where Chris Clarke keeps his office:

Chris and I made big progess on the website on Friday. Misty joined us on Saturday and she and I worked on documentation and the FAQ page. I left on Sunday. I drove past Richmond. I remember the exit where Laura Denyes used to live, where I often went to see her:

I drove down to Newport News to see my friend Angelica. She had an adorable new bundle of cuteness with her:

Then I started on the drive home. Interstate 64 remains a reliable bottleneck. It is especially bad at Christmas, but even on a normal summer Sunday, it is bad, and the traffic jam is as bad as anything at rush hour in New York City.

I drove to my mom’s house in New Jersey. I got 5 hours of sleep. I left at 6:50 AM. I got stuck in traffic. I got to work at 9:33 AM. I’ve no idea how people do this (commute from the suburbs) on a regular basis.

At lunch time, I took the car back Hertz and traded it in. Thankfully, there was no drama about scrapes on the car.

At work today there was a concert on the main hall.

I stupidly biked to work on a day when i had to go out to New Jersey to see my mom. So i had to leave my bicycle on the street overnight inmidtown. I decided to go with the theory that safety could be found with numbers, that is, a lot of eyeballs. So i dragged mybike out to the intersection, away from scaffolding. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but the next night i got back and there was my bike, safe and sound.

This is my longest stretch of office work. Between 2 jobs, I have worked in an office for 14 months now. The lifestyle is uncomfortable in many ways, but it does have moments that are special, and moments where I stop and think “Wow, I am now one of those people who work in a tall building in Manhattan.” Here are some views from the office:

I love that there are so many murals down the quiet streets of Brooklyn. This one was on Kent.

I went to the Renegade Crafts Fair. I saw some amazing work. I fell in love with some wood and leather watches. I saw some innovative textiles. There was some beautiful pottery. Also jewelry.

My friend Lark was there. She shared a booth with her childhood friend Vanessa (on the left in the photos). Also visiting was Jenine (on right) who is a very talented artist herself.

My current employer was nice enough to buy me a ticket to the MongoDb conference. It was held in a church which is unusual for a tech conference. This is the Desmond Tutu Center. I learned some interesting things, the technology being new to me.

I love where I live in Brooklyn! I love the building and the people in it. Several apartments have opened up in the building. I want really cool people to move in. Do you know of anyone who might be interested?