The first day

I followed the Mapquest directions loosely, using memory to guide me into DeLand.

I passed the gas station we stopped at that one time when traffic on I-4 was so bad we had to turn back toward home instead of spending a nice evening in Orlando, passed the motel where Dot’s Shuttle always stops on the way to the airport.

Five minutes later, I turned tentatively down Alabama Avenue and there it was: the familiar News-Journal sign announcing a significantly smaller building than the Daytona headquarters.

I reapplied lipstick smudged by breakfast on the go, wiped the early summer heat off my face and walked toward the entrance. I wasn’t as nervous as I should have been for The First Day On The Job, just curious. (I forget sometimes I look like 16 years old.)

The bureau was quieter than Daytona’s, but I settled in nicely nevertheless. I wasn’t looking for action, really – at least, not right away. Strangely, there seemed to be more News-Journal Jeeps there or maybe there are just less people to use them. Time will tell.

Before today, I toyed with the idea of moving cities because I didn’t want to commute. It’s funny how “commute” takes on a different meaning when you switch countries.

Half an hour, a quarter tank of gas and a little more than 20 miles used to be the daily highway/Lady Young Road sojourn from St. Joseph to Port of Spain when I was in Trinidad. Now half an hour, a quarter tank of gas, a little more than 20 miles and having to get on the Interstate, however briefly, is a “commute.” (Gas is thankfully four cents cheaper on average in DeLand.)

Today was peaceful (a newsroom oxymoron), but I liked it. I had some time after the settling-in things, like setting up e-mail and voice mail, to wrap up and write the story I began last night, and start on another. It was more of a meet-and-greet past my desk and learning the lay of the physical land (I already had the writing part down :) ).

When I pick up the city and GA beat over the next few days, I suspect things will start to become much more intriguing. Maybe then I’ll decide if I want to move for the convenience and for the change of scene.