Fall 2024 hiatus

I was hoping to be able to keep my weekly updates until the end of the year. Unfortunately, I've run out of what to say, at least in this format. Last week was the first week since the start of the year where I wasn't even able to put out a late update. I guess almost 9 months isn't too terrible of a run, all things considered.

I might add more pages to make it easier to navigate some of the subjects I returned to, but otherwise, I will have to see if and when I get back to it.

Until then, the blog is on indefinite hiatus.

Public transit

I've been writing quite a bit about modes of transportation - might be time to set up a link-collecting page. Before that, let's talk about public transit.

This weekend I finally made use of the local bus system - one line, for starters. Last weekend I walked to get my groceries, but aside from the time and effort involved, it's not necessarily the most effective way to preserve the more perishable items when one goes home.

It took me a bit of adjustment, but ultimately most public transit systems have settled on a combination of NFC-enabled smart cards and mobile phones, and that served me here.

The buses are pretty much the same as they were where I last lived, although those had been upgraded farther in recent years, and have always been more frequent. Places that have better transit networks have made me feel much freer even than when I've driven a car - I just need to decide where to go, and especially today with path-creating mapping programs, it's very easy to get places through the use of a combination of buses and trains.

This area so far has not made me feel as comfortable. Even if it did, I do think getting a car would be required, although even if the coverage or frequency were better, it's unlikely I would want to limit myself from taking long road trips to the various hiking destinations that are not very accessible through transit themselves.

Landmarks and geography

My new home is dominated by a significant mountain range. It is visible from most points in the region. Aside from being beautiful, and having fascinating interactions with the sky and the weather, they provide a sense of order to the space.

In my previous region, there were two main providers of this order - a large, dominant river, and its tributaries, and an unusually tall set of buildings in the downtown of a big city, which could be seen for many miles away in most directions.

Sometimes this type of feature can lead to confusion. I spent my college years on the side of a highly curved mountain range, so while it did give me a sense of direction locally, it meant that whenever I traveled farther away, I felt disoriented when trying to fit that sense into the larger frame of reference.

Finally, a new home (for now)

I have left the temporary apartment I talked about here, for a long-term solution. It's spacious, and the view is great. I've got some bare essential furniture to keep me until my full shipment comes in a few days. I've done some cleaning and organized a bit, although now that I've done most of what's necessary, I'm feeling lethargic. Finally I can rest for a few hours, knowing I am set for the next few days, no specific deadlines rushing at me with uncertain ends.

Now I can really start trying to make this area into my new home. It's time to explore, to meet new people, to find new activities to participate in, aside from driving, of course.

The opposite of silly season

There is not much for me to say this week. Not much really last week, hence the delay of a day before I managed to pick up an excuse to write.

My new job and the logistical hurdles of situating myself in a new place are taking up most of my time, leading to things I either can't write about or that aren't particularly thrilling.

Hopefully I will get over all that and start spending more time doing things I do feel like writing about, or maybe have more room in my mind to process my experiences into something of that nature.

On fighting navigation software

I am continuing to drive. As I am driving in still unfamiliar territory, I'm leaning on my cellphone's navigation app. It is not the best. It often gives me misleading instructions - although I feel some of the fault lies with the confusing and sometimes outright hostile road design.

I am told to turn right - but this leads me to turn before where I actually should, in turn forcing me into an annoying, and equally confusing detour. I am told to take a circuitous route using one exit off a highway, when an absolutely passable and simple alternative is waiting for me a few miles later - although there, too, I am mislead into a detour.

When turning right, I am told to choose one of two lanes - but one of them would force me to cross a solid line to take the left immediately after.

After a while I learn these nuances, so I am no longer mislead. I gain confidence in ignoring certain instructions from the navigator, forcing it to provide me with what I see as a better path. I have managed to accept when I have made a mistake, instead of dangerously trying to correct it at the last minute, and have also managed to avoid crashing into those who do not have such qualms.

I do wonder if I would have had the same issues if I weren't given suggestions, but instead studied a physical map myself prior to travel, or simply followed the road signs. Perhaps I will experiment more once I've settled.

On driving

Three weeks ago I spoke in favor of walking. And I have done a bit of that around here. But, unfortunately, my main mode of transportation, to work or otherwise, seems to be the personal vehicle.

I have had a license since my late teens, but I was at best a weekend driver. Suddenly, I find myself as potentially a daily vehicular commuter. There are advantages - having a car, visiting most places is a matter of simply deciding to do it and pointing my favorite mapping app at the destination, rather than using that mapping app to plan the right combination of transit, occasionally giving up, because, even though a location is reasonably close as the bird flies, it's a mess getting there with the existing bus or rail infrastructure.

But once I choose that destination, I'm constantly at work - looking around me, trying to parse what the mapping app actually means when it talks of an upcoming turn, unless I'm sufficiently familiar with the area to navigate myself. Perhaps a few weeks of this will make this easier. But I can't say I'm enjoying it very much so far.