things i think about while powerwashing 131

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Though the title is somewhat catchy, this blog post is not meant to refer to anything groundbreaking about work. Just to recount my experiences of working on various modes of transportation. With remote work, I’ve definitely taken a few more ... liberties with the ways I’ve been working and the places my work laptop has gone. Nowhere it shouldn’t be ... but it has seen a few more airplane tray tables than before.

in the airport lounge

Working in an airport lounge is probably one of the least odd places to open a work laptop — I’m willing to bet 90% of internet traffic in those lounges are for Instagram, Outlook and Teams.

The biggest struggle, in fact, is finding a good place to sit down and to find a god damn outlet. Thanks to the advent of priority pass (of which I am a benefactor) lounges have been getting fuller and fuller to the point where there aren’t really any seats. Sorry that was a disgusting first-world problem sentence. Let’s move on to some actual points about working in airport lounges.

There’s free coffee, which is good. As well as free food of varying qualities. Out of 5, I’d rate it a 3. TBH if you’re working in an airport lounge I think you may not be in a good spot.

in the air

If working in an airport lounge feels bad, or maybe even a little desperate. My humble hot take opinion working on an airplane means you are stressed.

I already take airplanes as one of the worst travel experiences available. Beyond speed, I feel terrible during the entire experience (check back after a few months when after my premium economy Singapore airlines excursion). During my flight to Atlanta for a team offsite, I tried getting some work on my work laptop. Even with the smaller 14 inch MBP, I had to really t-rex arm myself in order to get my fingers on the keys.

As a result, not much work got done.

The other great limiter is lack of internet. Starlink wifi might fix this a bit (not even getting started on the effect Starlink has on the night skies), but a previous attempt to push a bit of code onto the cloud on the free tier of wifi ended in multiple failures.

My PM ended up Venmo’ing me the plane wifi cost.

The final verdict on this is out thus far. I’ve only flown first class once (when I was interning at Google!) and working from the plane was alright then. Working on the plane to me means that you are in some way screwed and really gotta get something out by the time the plane hits the ground.

IDK man. Every time I’ve worked on the plane, it’s not because I’m having fun.

on the train

Working on the train is probably the best working-in-motion experience I’ve had. Well.

I’ve done work in two different train classes: coach and business. When I was doing work on coach I was in Europe tip-tapping away at my work laptop working off my phone hotspot. It wasn’t great per se, but the large table made working pretty comfortable.

Now, the Acela (which I am currently writing this on). Wide seats. AC. Big table. Unsure what there is to complain about. There are some portions of the train ride between Boston and New York that have less coverage, and if you’re not on the quiet train you’ll hear babies screaming and people on the phone. But it’s a nice ride with plenty of sunlight (not guaranteed on planes at all) and there’ll be plenty of other people working on the train as well! I wasn’t even aware Amtrak had wifi until esteemed subscriber and Amtrak employee Matt Jewison¹ kindly informed me otherwise.

I realize the Amtrak is really more of an east coast thing but really, give this more of a try. I know some of my lawyer friends who take the train to and from various cities also work on the Amtrak, as well as the various finance people on these trains. I’m not sure where I’m going with this but it really is quite enjoyable.

Also yes I went to Boston this weekend! It was great hanging out with esteemed subscriber Alex Weliever around Cambridge and in various museums. Keep an eye out for museum reviews later!

¹ Any esteemed subscribers mentioned in this blog’s opinions do not reflect those of their employers.

museum of the week

if u do not like bones, do not proceed. read this later!

It’s not often that you go into a very well-designed and niche museum. One whose design and layout naturally draws you into the narrative of the dramatic and macabre subject laid before you.

But if you get off the L-train at Morgan Av in Brooklyn and walk a few steps past this construction site — directly across from the famed McKibbin Street Lofts — you will find yourself at such a place. The Bone Museum is a single, circular gallery revolving around a case of skulls dedicated to one thing: the history of the medical skeleton.

Despite the heat of the city, the gallery was surprisingly cold. Presumably to help preserve the skeletons it held within — but the curator at the front desk told me and esteemed subscriber Rachel Inman that these skeletons had been in many closets for a while now. Medical students up until the 1960s had to purchase real skeletons for studying — with some opting for value packs (half-skeletons) and even further back would just simply dig some up for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, this strange school supply requirement led to a whole industry around the procurement of these bones. Even stranger: an archaic loophole around the law mean that robbing the bones from graves technically wasn’t even illegal. Then a colonial twist. When England banned the practice, sourcing turned to India and China.

Well since nobody asked, here are my favorite skeletons from the gallery:

• The wall of spines. Like, what?
• Scurvy: I know now the benefits of proper nutrition. Because what the fuck are those hole in da skull?
• Scoliosis: posture check! Also wow that is a brutal curve.

This is a 10/10 rec. Every party of this museum was made with love and care and is just genuinely such a great experience. That is, unless you are do not like bones. Even so, you should go.

anonymous subscriber news

What type of drinks?? COFFEE???? Also congrats on the lease negotiation!

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animal of the week

Sometimes, there are visitors in our lives that pass in and out through the hallways of time. Some don't even make it in the door. This owl did not make it in any doors, I presume. Thank you to esteemed subscriber Ellie Wang for sending in this visitor.

This owl appeared in my apartment hallway somehow. It seemed very lost and I had to point it in the right direction to the outside - esteemed subscriber Ellie Wang

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co!`