A few Thursday afternoon thoughts

So I’ve been commuting from my new place for the last few days. It takes me about 20-25 min. in the morning, and 35 min. or so after work. It’s not bad, but it’s still a long commute (compared to my 10 min. walk to and from work). I’m not used to being in a car during rush hour traffic. So frustrating sometimes!

But overall, I think we’re both glad that we have the car to get us around. We can be a lot more productive – trips to the grocery store, Home Depot, the mall, rock climbing, etc. are just short little trips in the car, whereas with a bus or walking would require a lot of planning and time. For example, going rock climbing from our place takes about 60-70 mins. roundtrip (according to Google Maps). But if we had to take the bus, it would be over 4 hrs. roundtrip, including 30 min. each way walking through an industrial area. Not cool.

Anyway yesterday after work I picked BF up from his work, and we drove to MEC in Vancouver. He had to pick up some fenders and tubes for his bicycle. The last time we were at MEC, I tried on 2 pairs of La Sportiva mountaineering boots ($325 and $535). I love La Sportiva because they seem to be wide enough for my toe box, but have a narrow heel so I’m not sliding around in them. BF said that eventually I’ll need to get mountaineering boots, as my entry-level hikers won’t cut it once I learn to do more advanced climbs. The $535 ones fit the best (isn’t that always the case?), and he said they would last for 10 years if I take good care of them. He also said they would be a better choice than the $325 ones because they are warmer (won’t have to double up on socks – which I HATE doing) and more durable. $535 for boots isn’t in my budget right now, and I’m not into those sorts of climbs yet. But when I am (hopefully by the time we leave on our trip next year), I’ll know how much I need to save.

Then he treated me to dinner at a delicious (and cheap) Mexican restaurant. I think the bill came to around $13 for the 2 of us.

Speaking of BF, I’m really excited for him because his work said he can work as much OT as he wants until June 6th. So that means he won’t be home until maybe 8 or 9pm (he leaves for work at 6am and starts at 7am). It’s going to be really tiring for him and probably not much will get done in terms of renovations around the house, but it will be worth it. He can take all of that OT $$ and put it into his Travel Fund.