For the past several weeks, I’ve been working off and on in Boston, something I’ve sworn in the past not to do because of the long haul, but in spite of the inconvenience, it’s been a good break from the usual.
This has involved, among other things, carrying one and sometimes two computers, and doing a lot more walking than is possible here, where one or two inconsiderate neighbors allow their Rottie and other beasts with fangs and claws to roam freely, thus terrorizing the rest of us.
I’ve also been able to catch several Microsoft events in Waltham, which provides both enlightenment and social interaction. Last night, for example, I got to talk with 6 different developers in an open forum about a possible web services project, and heard a lively presentation on Mono, Novell’s .NET initiative for UNIX and LINUX OS’s.
So, both brawn and brain have been exercised by getting off-Cape.
Surprisingly, I found people in the big, bad City to be – for the most part – pleasant and polite. Not to mention the added bonus of seeing Spring advanced about 10 days ahead of the Cape, which was pummelled again last weekend by another Nor’easter.
The Cape is a nice place to visit, and a great place to live if you’re wealthy. It’s an okay place for families with young kids. The Weltanschauung is patriarchal and highly stratified, a throwback to the 50’s.
The Cape is a tough go for singles, unless you have a pretty solid extended family network. I’m lucky, in that my son and DIL allow me to visit with their kids on a regular basis.
Another plus: there is a healthy respect for independence and even eccentricity, which does support small businesses and entrepreneurism.
Almost everyone who owns a truck is an independent contractor of some sort, either a landscaper, a skilled tradesman, or a provider of unusual services, like an associate who entertains at kids’ parties.
These kind of people tend to be more visible here than in the city, where most of the workers are buried in offices, retail stores and fast food joints.
One thing I did notice than in spite of the bitching about traffic on the Cape, our roads are in much better repair than, for example, the Mass. Pike, which is a disaster between the Weston tolls and the Allston/Cambridge exit. And in spite of the complaining of city-dwellers about smog, their air is better than ours.
Still, driving “home” from a late meeting last night, it felt like heading back to the farm, where opportunities are limited, and attitudes are dour, made worse by the fact that a close friend lost her job this week, and two others are tearing their hair out over work-related stress.
Feeling lucky that I’ve been able to get away, and be paid for it, no less – or so one hopes.