Traffic Cops / The Long Week Ahead

My posts have been non-existent over the past week due to the just-released StarCraft II dominating my off-work hours. It's been a good 10 years in the making, and a good Zerg rush is just awesome and fun to fight off. I can't help myself.

Anyways, traffic cops in the Montgomery area are a lot like fried chicken franchises: they're everywhere. I can count on two mittens the times I've been on the freeway and haven't seen one. There's at least one or two each morning hiding behind a barrier, or sitting on the side of the road having already pulled someone over. This isn't a revelation that came after a couple weeks. On the way to my apartment when I first flew in (a 25 - 30 minute drive), there were a total of nine cop cars that had pulled over five people. I don't know if they knew I was coming and decided to put on a show of force, but it felt like it.

Despite this, there are still plenty of people who go about 90 mph at any given time. It might be because of these people there are so many cops, but they aren't having much of an effect. It works out fine for me, though; I just let those guys speed on ahead and be my lead blockers. The freeway to Montgomery is a straight line until you hit the city, so I can see why people haul ass. It's weird because back in Seattle I'd always think there were cops hiding in certain places waiting to tag me, and 95% of the time I'd be wrong. Here it's the complete opposite. If you think a cop is hiding there, he probably is, or will be the next time you drive by.

Coming up this week I have an assignment that was given to me last Friday, due this Friday, with the disclaimer that I shouldn't be afraid to abuse the company's overtime policy. So it sounds like I'll have some early mornings and late nights in my future. I hear my boss can overreact at times, but considering I'm still getting the hang of things, I will probably log a significant amount of hours at the office. Technically my assignment is due Monday, but I'm flying to Colorado this Saturday for training and to see some family in the area. This is in addition to an already large pile of work due by the end of the month, which could get larger because one of the guys in my team is relocating to Alaska in a week. I knew I wouldn't get a soft landing with this job, so I can't complain too much, but it does remind me that shit's real now. This will start happening more and more, so I better get used to it. And hopefully find a good way to start working out, or at least get exercise, lest I become pudgy.