We're just seeing...

if I can do this from work.

One of my favorite things about living in the city is my commute.

I walk to work. Thanks to my trusty Garmin (which, much like acorn squash, I eyed up for what felt like an eternity before the blog world (and a nicely-timed clearance on 305s) convinced me that I needed one), I calculated the distance from home to office at a cool 1.17 miles. Including a stop for coffee, it takes me about 25 minutes door-to-door.

When it's really cold out (I'm talking about 20 and below), or if it's raining hard, I'll take advantage of the shuttle that runs from my complex. It drops me off right at my office building (well, me and the other 70% of the shuttle that works in this part of the city), AND drops me off at my preferred work arrival time (just before 8) with an extra 15 minutes of getting-ready time.

But I really, really prefer to walk. Like this morning. It was a balmy 24 degrees when I left the house. Bundled up in my nuclear coat with a scarf, hat and gloves, I was actually a bit over-warm by the time I made it to Good Karma, my preferred coffee shop. Armed with my latte, I was officially sweating a little by the time I made it to Rittenhouse. Cold weather? What cold weather?

(As a side note, that coat might be the best purchase anyone has ever made for me. PhillyGuy bought it as an early birthday present for me back in the fall of 2006. I've always been the type of person who would layer a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, and hoodie under my winter coat and STILL freeze my butt off. That coat is NO JOKE. It' s my fourth winter with it and it's not going anywhere any time soon.)

But there is no question that my commute is one of my favorite parts of the day. I get to walk about 2.5 miles, round trip, through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. It's quiet and peaceful (at least until I get through the square), and I have plenty of time to sort out my thoughts so that I'm -- more or less -- ready to jump into it when I get to work.

(To be fair, though, the only thing I "jump into" at 8am most mornings is a quick check of e-mail, skimming the NYT headlines, and a blog rotation. But on those (dreadful!) mornings where my boss beats me in and starts my day with an 8:03 "Can you come see me for a minute?" call, I'm praising Jebus that I didn't start my day with a bunch of traffic jams and terrible morning DJs.)