I’ve shifted my schedule earlier for a couple of reasons. First, leaving home before seven o’clock in the morning gets me to work before traffic builds on the freeway; and second, leaving work before five o’clock in the evening gets me home in time for dinner with my daughter. Unfortunately, this summer has seen bumper-to-bumper traffic starting as early as three o’clock in the afternoon.

I’ve gazed longingly at the Coaster as it effortlessly glided by on its rails along the coast, while I crept along at a snail’s pace behind the wheel of my car. For the last three weeks—not coincidently since my return from Portland, where I’ve always enjoyed mass transit—I’ve done more than admire the train from afar, I’ve started to seriously consider using it.

So on Friday I did. I left for work a bit earlier than usual, so I could catch the 6:50 AM train at the Carlsbad Poinsettia station. After purchasing my $11 round-trip ticket, I crossed a footbridge to the boarding area. The tracks aren’t labelled, so I didn’t know which side I should wait on. After a few minutes, people had started to gather on the side I was on, so I guessed it to be the correct one.

When the train arrived, I headed to the upper level, because I wanted to enjoy the view. I wasn’t disappointed. The view of the beaches, the ocean, and the Del Mar Racetrack was gorgeous. In addition to that, I was able to use Twitter and read RSS feeds, something I’ve obviously never been able to do in the car. Twenty-six minutes later I was walking off the train at the Sorrento Valley station. A shuttle took me up the hill and dropped me off across the street from my office. I arrived at the same time, 7:25 AM, I always do.

I had a meeting scheduled from 3:00 to 4:00 PM, so I expected to catch the 4:26 PM shuttle and the 4:51 PM train. Fortunately, the meeting ended early, which allowed me to catch the 3:45 PM shuttle and the 4:05 PM train. That got me home just before five o’clock, which ended in a 75 minute commute. This is a bit longer than it would typically take me to drive home, but I arrived in probably the best mood I ever have after a commute. I attribute much of my mood to the Stone Smoked Porter I drank on the train. That’s right, the consumption of alcohol is allowed on the train. Bonus!

So on Monday I’m going to drive down to the train station and purchase a 30 day pass for $154. Unfortunately, I’ve missed the monthly cutoff to order a pass through my company’s bulk purchase and subsidy program, so I’ll have to pay full price until I can do that. I haven’t worked out how much money this will save me, if any, but right now I don’t care. It’s worth it to preserve my sanity.

This new commute comes with another benefit. We had been considering selling our 1997 Ford Explorer in order to help fund the purchase of a new car. By trading cars with my wife (I drive a 1999 Toyota Avalon) and using the Explorer to make the relatively short drive to the train station, we can get more life out of it, saving us some money. So even if the commute itself is a short-term monetary wash, there is plenty of cost saving in the long run.

The named officers—president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer—are all members of the San Diego PC Users Group. Four out of the five current directors, of which I am counted, are members of the Kernel Panic Linux User Group.

This is the first time I’ve participated in a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, so I don’t know how a typical group works. This one is contentious. I don’t know the motivation behind the typical volunteer board member of the San Diego Computer Society, but I now know that a cantankerous, argumentative disposition is a requirement for the job. It’s impossible, it seems, to hold a discussion without a formal, lengthy, and largely unnecessary motion first being introduced, then argued about. At one point during the board meeting last night, we were referred to as the San Diego Debate Society. I can only hope that made it into the minutes.

One member delivered an emotionally heated monologue to his fellow members. He was quite passionate, almost livid, in the belief that the organization is shrinking. He insisted that it should be growing, and he wanted to do whatever it would take to bring more groups into the fold. That got me thinking. What in fact is the purpose of the San Diego Computer Society?

The best anyone could come up with in the way of services in return for dues paid were the provision of a meeting location for the so-called special interest groups (SIGs) and liability insurance for the same. These days I would be surprised if a group couldn’t find a location to meet. Many companies are willing to provide space to employees’ groups, and free wifi is available at Panera Bread—though it’s not a convenient location for presentations. My experience with the modern technical user group has been informal gatherings instead of officially sanctioned events. In these situations, what use is liability insurance?

If asked today, I couldn’t provide an answer to any of my queries. I term as director lasts two years. In that time, I hope to find those answers.

I recently oversaw the dissolution of a failed Web-based start up company. We made the mistake of forming a board of directors. This led to more bickering than actual work. When we were launching our venture, I attempted to avoid the formation of a board, in favor of a more loosely organized company. Unfortunately, we were left to learn our lessons the hard way. Perhaps that’s just the way people are. In my experience, any time more than one person is handed any amount of power in an organization, strife will inevitably follow.

Well, now I’m paying over $4 per gallon on fuel for said car. It is time again to evaluate the Coaster. I would need a “2 zone” pass, which costs $126 per month. At $4 per gallon, that’s 31.5 gallons of gasoline. I burn approximately two gallons of gasoline per day on my commute, or 10 gallons per week, or approximately 40 gallons per month. The Coaster is becoming more attractive every day.

I live 7.8 miles from the Carlsbad Poinsettia Coaster station, a distance I could cycle to save even more fuel (and get some exercise). Regardless, even parking my car at the station, I would be reducing my commute by over 28 miles per day. I’d still need to drive for game nights and user group meetings, but the majority of my time would be spent on the train.

I don’t usually drive my morning commute in heavy traffic, opting to leave the house early to avoid it. However, it’s difficult to find a time of day to return home that will avoid traffic (except for really late after game night). While the train will likely add to the overall time of my commute, the lower mileage on my car and the benefit to my sanity will probably make up for it.

Qualcomm makes the deal even sweeter. The company subsidizes 25% of the Coaster pass, bringing the cost down to $94.50, and allows me to pay for it with pre-tax money from my paycheck. The only catch is, to receive a pass I need to apply for it by the first day of the month prior to the month the pass is for. For example, to have received a pass for June, I would have needed to apply by the first of May. So, while I could buy a full priced pass for either May or June (I don’t know if the passes are pro-rated), I couldn’t receive the subsidized pass until July.

I’m looking forward to trying out the Coaster. I may really enjoy it, being able to work or read on my commute. The time wouldn’t be wasted behind the wheel of my car.