A commute, and some other stuff
Jun. 10th, 2003 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidThis morning I drove ZebraArtist to Logan airport before going to work. We left my house a bit after 7, and I was nervous about traffic: that's prime commuter time (you know your life is spent on the computer too much when the second m in commuter keeps trying to be a p).
Amazingly, the worst traffic was getting through the intersection of Land Blvd and (is it Cambridge St. at that point? I'm not sure.) by the Science Museum, which took two light cycles. Other than that, it was eerily clear driving.
There are differences since I last drove to Logan, an intersection where I now go straight instead of looping, another intersection where there's now a light, which makes taking the left a hell of a lot easier. The strangest part, though, was while I was on the southbound Central Artery, looking over to the other side, and it was a parking lot. Not stopped traffic, but parked vehicles. Yeah, I know that the tunnel is open in the other direction; I've driven it. Still, the impact of seeing the now-unused northbound lanes (well, except for parking trucks) was immediate. Strange to have a twinge of nostalgia for such an annoying highway, but I did (of course, it's not a route I used frequently; I suspect I'd have different emotions if it were...).
I'd forgotten that Logan's terminal A is closed. It didn't make any practical difference, but it reminded me how strange Logan is, with all the terminals having such different set-ups (while so much of the space inside is poorly designed, dim lights, etc.). The road through Logan is configured differently than before, but there was reasonable signage, so I got to terminal C, and there were no issues with dropping someone off.
I headed back to the highway, assuming I'd end up taking the Sumner Tunnel. But the signs for the Mass Pike kept pointing me to the Ted Williams Tunnel, so I took that instead. I wasn't sure I was allowed to, since when it opened it was for commercial traffic only, but there weren't any signs that I shouldn't be there. There were signs, however, for getting on the Pike. In fact, there were clear signs the whole way back. I was rather amazed.
The whole way through the tunnel, I was behind a van striped in white and black, a zebra van/limo service to regional airports. Definitely a zebra-themed drive.
There was the regular traffic when I got to part of my usual commute, but I was surprised that there wasn't more traffic in and around Boston proper. It was well under an hour for me to drive into Logan, then out to work in Needham (and my normal commute is at least 25 minutes). Perhaps this means Boston traffic may be getting better managed, if not better? Statistically, this was probably a fluke, but still, it's an intriguing possibility.
Pantry cooking last night: I sauteed a couple of smallish diced Vidalias, then added a can of crushed tomatoes, a handful of raisins, some hot sauce, julienned almonds, ground cinnamon, black pepper, and all the leftover jasmine rice cooked with pine nuts and preserved lemon. I put in some mozzarella at the end, too. I'm really happy with the result (though I remember now that I'd planned to put some chickpeas in, too), the flavors and textures working together.
QotD yesterday: When I talk, I use words.
I've been playing more Quiddler recently. One of the hands I played a couple of days ago was "query querns." Which leads, of course, to thoughts of what to ask them. Or is it a more existential questioning of their existence? I'm not sure.
It must've been the humid weather Friday that kept the pomegranate truffle guts from solidifying at all; they're just fine now. Of course, now I'd have to figure out where to bring them if I do form them into truffles. (And, on second thought, I wonder if today's weather will change them back into more spreadable form...).
Amazingly, the worst traffic was getting through the intersection of Land Blvd and (is it Cambridge St. at that point? I'm not sure.) by the Science Museum, which took two light cycles. Other than that, it was eerily clear driving.
There are differences since I last drove to Logan, an intersection where I now go straight instead of looping, another intersection where there's now a light, which makes taking the left a hell of a lot easier. The strangest part, though, was while I was on the southbound Central Artery, looking over to the other side, and it was a parking lot. Not stopped traffic, but parked vehicles. Yeah, I know that the tunnel is open in the other direction; I've driven it. Still, the impact of seeing the now-unused northbound lanes (well, except for parking trucks) was immediate. Strange to have a twinge of nostalgia for such an annoying highway, but I did (of course, it's not a route I used frequently; I suspect I'd have different emotions if it were...).
I'd forgotten that Logan's terminal A is closed. It didn't make any practical difference, but it reminded me how strange Logan is, with all the terminals having such different set-ups (while so much of the space inside is poorly designed, dim lights, etc.). The road through Logan is configured differently than before, but there was reasonable signage, so I got to terminal C, and there were no issues with dropping someone off.
I headed back to the highway, assuming I'd end up taking the Sumner Tunnel. But the signs for the Mass Pike kept pointing me to the Ted Williams Tunnel, so I took that instead. I wasn't sure I was allowed to, since when it opened it was for commercial traffic only, but there weren't any signs that I shouldn't be there. There were signs, however, for getting on the Pike. In fact, there were clear signs the whole way back. I was rather amazed.
The whole way through the tunnel, I was behind a van striped in white and black, a zebra van/limo service to regional airports. Definitely a zebra-themed drive.
There was the regular traffic when I got to part of my usual commute, but I was surprised that there wasn't more traffic in and around Boston proper. It was well under an hour for me to drive into Logan, then out to work in Needham (and my normal commute is at least 25 minutes). Perhaps this means Boston traffic may be getting better managed, if not better? Statistically, this was probably a fluke, but still, it's an intriguing possibility.
Pantry cooking last night: I sauteed a couple of smallish diced Vidalias, then added a can of crushed tomatoes, a handful of raisins, some hot sauce, julienned almonds, ground cinnamon, black pepper, and all the leftover jasmine rice cooked with pine nuts and preserved lemon. I put in some mozzarella at the end, too. I'm really happy with the result (though I remember now that I'd planned to put some chickpeas in, too), the flavors and textures working together.
QotD yesterday: When I talk, I use words.
I've been playing more Quiddler recently. One of the hands I played a couple of days ago was "query querns." Which leads, of course, to thoughts of what to ask them. Or is it a more existential questioning of their existence? I'm not sure.
It must've been the humid weather Friday that kept the pomegranate truffle guts from solidifying at all; they're just fine now. Of course, now I'd have to figure out where to bring them if I do form them into truffles. (And, on second thought, I wonder if today's weather will change them back into more spreadable form...).