Road trip

I took a little tour of the southwestern Ontario countryside today. Microsoft had a major product announcement in Toronto. So I left early in the morning and made the two-hour drive into the big city.

I had almost forgotten what it's like to drive in rush hour traffic. It's been almost nine years since we left Montreal, and in that time I've come to enjoy London's total lack of serious congestion. I forget what it's like to have to stay late at the office in a ridiculous attempt to avoid getting caught in the worst of it.

I was reminded of this as I got closer to Toronto's downtown and the zillions of cars swirled around me like angry bees in a hive. I was reminded again when a really big pickup driven by a really aggressive person cut me off and forced me to miss my exit. Technically, I could have made the exit. But that would have put the entire passenger side of the car at severe risk. I have plenty of insurance, but little desire to actually have to use it.

In the end, I made it to the event with plenty of time to spare. I met some incredible people, learned lots in the process, and even got called for an interview on the drive home. Yes, Mom, I pulled off the highway and did the chat thing from the gravel shoulder of a side road somewhere in the middle of farm country. Red Herring published the piece, Microsoft Updates Biz Products, later this evening.

As refreshingly different as this day outside the office was, my favorite part was pulling into our driveway at the end of the day and coming into the house. The rhythm of our family sounded especially welcoming as I put my stuff down and heard about everyone's day. When I spend any time away from home, I miss that homey sense every minute until my return.