This afternoon in Sierra Vista, we had ourselves a good thunderstorm starting around 2:00 PM, which in my mind heralds the arrival of the 2017 Monsoon Season. Now the National Weather Service has a different definition. The old definition was three straight days where the dew point exceeded 54 degrees. Then they changed it to "June 15th". My definition is that it starts on the day of the first afternoon thunderstorm of the summer, even if summer is not officially here yet.
This one wasn't bad. Two sessions of bullet rain, lightning, and thunder. To the north Benson looked like they were getting it when I left work this afternoon. I had already booked lodging here in Sorry Vista anyway as that I have decided upon what I call "Commute Rest Night" two or three times a week. I started this last week and found that this allowed me to rest up and flex hours so that I could have an early out Friday, though I also knew before doing the Commute Rest Nights that I had better pack a travel suitcase with spare changes of clothes in case I couldn't get home because of a monsoon event.
I hate being away from Sheila like this, but it is cost-effective for me to stay down here two or three nights a week. I think factoring in gas, it's only $10 more expensive. I'm hesitant to try the vanpool thing as that I get up damned early as it is these days, and I don't want to get up even earlier so that I can arrive at work at the same time I normally otherwise and then get home later than I would normally otherwise.
The drive really isn't all that bad. It's all freeway save for the ten miles of Houghton Road that separates my residence from I-10. Houghton moves along rather well for what is now a main artery instead of a two lane road, and with widening of remaining stretches it will be even better.
Meantime, living part time in a motel room isn't too bad if you have the means to pass the time. Reading Scripture is a help, as is having my 2 meter ham radio with me. I can get into one of the linked EARRS repeaters from down here, and chat with some friends that I've made over the air.
The job itself is going better than I thought it would. I was concerned about getting into a "routine" so to speak, but as it is I have a challenging assignment with the type of work I've always wanted to do (save for satellite engineering). The experience gained will be very valuable, and I can see it and my ham radio experience leveraging each other.
What a setup! I enjoy ham radio as a hobby, and I get paid for doing what's not ham radio but is almost the same thing! Not to mention that I am learning a great deal more about digital communications than I did when I worked on satellites.
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