September 2005 Archives
I'm going to upgrade Movable Type soon, if not tonight. It's all part of some behind-the-scenes work I've been trying to do to get Project BS closer to the cutting-edge and yet still fun to work with. What this means for you is that if something screws up, Ramble On may have some downtime for a few days. I'll do my best to avoid this situation, but if the blog is down for a while, I assure you that it will be better than ever when it gets back up. Either that, or you won't notice a bit of difference. I'll call either one a win for my side.
Cheers!
My iPod has been my buddy on my commute. I have a third generation model, because I bought mine a few months before Apple came out with the Mini and, later, the latest version of the full-sized iPod with the color screen and all that business. Sure, it was possibly bad timing, but what can you do?
My only real complaint about my music companion, though, is its battery life. It usually drains 2/3 toward empty through the course of my morning and evening commute. It's not a big deal for me to charge it, but the newer models get about eight hours of play per charge. Apparently, lots of other people agree with me, because I received a letter this past summer about a class action lawsuit from California vs. Apple, claiming that the battery life on older iPod models wasn't up to snuff. So, the instructions I received told me what to do in case this thing goes through.
I just ran my iPod through the paces last week, and sure enough, it didn't meet the four-hour threshold for continuous play battery life. I sent off my claim. Who knows, maybe in a year or two or seven, I'll get a new battery or even a new iPod? I'm not holding my breath, but it'd be cool.
No, this isn't turning into a Ralph Fiennes fan site. With one final pair of pants hot from the dryer, I have just concluded a week-long rampage of laundry. I don't know what happened this week - some kind of cosmic forces intersecting on my laundry hamper - but it was nearly always overflowing for the last seven days. I honestly don't remember wearing that many articles of clothing, but the numbers just don't lie. Regardless, the laundry is done, and both the washer and I are happy.
... For those of you who were waiting to hear my story about my updated commute, I apologize. Here's the scoop. DC's Metrobuses, on the interior, aren't that bad. Granted, my experience with them has only risen to a grand total of two lines: the B2 into the Vienna/Fairfax Metro and the N22, a shuttle running from a couple of Metro stops to the Navy Yard and points between. I still find them to be well-maintained; though some sport "proudly refurbished by WMATA" tags, the older buses still do their job well. The buses I've been on haven't been that crowded, either, though I'm leaving pretty early in the morning these days.
No, my main beef with the buses are not their insides: it's the lack of reliable timing. I know that it's a nigh-impossible task to keep a bus line running exactly on the clock, especially in an area like this. However, this Friday, I waited at our bus stop for a line that never came, until I realized that I didn't really need to be that late to work, so I abandoned the experiment, walked the 5 minutes back to my car, and drove anyway. You let me down, Metrobus. You let me down real hard back there. Unless there's been a major change to the timetable that I don't know about, it looks like the 6:44 bus is non-existent these days, and I can't afford to wait for the 7:10.
The second phase of the experiment was with the aforementioned N22 line, and it worked a lot better for me. While it's still warm out, though, it's definitely not worth paying the $0.35 transfer fee to have them drive me 4 or so blocks to the Yard, even if that ride could save me a couple of minutes off my commute. I'll probably change my tune, though, when the winter hits and the wind from the Anacostia starts reminding me of the Drillfield.
So, it was going to be a grand way to save $50 a month, but I'm afraid the project is on hold for now. Bret's Transit: 0, Metrobus: 1.
When work bogs you down and you need to blog but can't because you don't think you have time, nothing works like a good ol' list of random stuff that you've been thinking about!
... From the Blacksburg desk, courtesy of Gina: "This is what happens when government agencies try to be hip. Who uses the word 'mitigation' in a kid痴 song, much less a rap?"
... Also from the Blacksburg desk, I had a good time this past weekend in the 'burg. What I really want to mention, though, is that the new stadium upgrade is super-impressive. Lane looks all that more intimidating to visiting teams, and it sure is a heck of a lot louder during a home game. It will be interesting to see just how intense it can get under Miami-game levels.
... In the spirit of not getting too bogged down into a routine, I'm going to attempt a slightly different method of getting to work tomorrow, involving a couple of Metrobus lines. If all goes well, I'll end up at the office at about the same time, save on gas, and also save about $40-$50 per month on parking costs. Yes, I did the math, and yes: I enjoyed doing it. I'll keep you posted on the Great Bus Race.
... What is up with this hurricane season? My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is currently in Rita's projected path. Our primary concern should be to save as many lives as possible, naturally, and it seems as if most - residents and government officials alike - have learned their lesson from Katrina's wake-up call. Despite that, with Rita at one point being the third-strongest storm (in terms of internal pressure) ever to have been recorded while heading toward the U.S., the Gulf region looks to be in for another batch of hard times. Let's pray for a miracle. No matter the outcome, I'm also hoping that the media keeps the efficiency and helpfulness that it displayed during Katrina's aftermath, so that the Rita situation isn't sensationalized for the sake of drastic headlines and the exploitation of suffering.
It's been a long week catching up from a weekend of travel, and I've been too busy relaxing at night to post. Check out some new stuff on my Flickr galleries, however, and look for more stuff soon.
The clouds above us pepper the impossibly blue sky with splashes of cotton. Cars pour in from every corner of the land, their fans and their doors and roofs decorated in a sea of orange and maroon. As we walk closer, the breeze brings in the smell of freshly fallen leaves and grilled meat. Children throw and play back and forth, dodging between the folding chairs and tables piled high with food. A group laughs, holding their drinks high. A radio or two reaches our ears, some music commingled with commentators trying to predict what's soon going to happen. The sound of distant drums floats across the air - war drums waiting to be deployed onto the field. The sun casually hangs above us, not too high, not too low, and not too hot.
It's a perfect day for football.
And that's a good thing, because...
...it's Gameday.
Go Hokies!
"Welcome to The Elms. A lot of your amenities will break after you've been here a month, but at least we're good about fixing them! If you'd like to leave another maintenance request, press 1. If you're Bret and Josh from 3200B, don't worry, we figured something else had broken in your apartment and the maintenance team will be there tomorrow, anyway."
That's about how it's turning out here lately. The latest misadventure has been a broken air conditioning unit, which has plunged Josh and me into the depths of the jungle, all within the confines of our apartment. Opening the windows has only exposed us to the Amazon-like humidity.
Perhaps I'm exaggerating. It has been beastly hot in here this week, though. Today, after the maintenance men came, we still don't have a 100% functioning unit. Instead, they left us with a portable, stand-up A/C device that has tubes running to the window. It looks like a robot to me. Josh nicknamed it "A.C." A.C. Slater, that is. He's going to be our friend for a few days, until the main unit is fixed.
I meant to post about this earlier, but even though the story is a few days old, you guys should get a kick out of it. It seems mystery and intrigue are following me around wherever I go these days - or maybe I'm just unlucky like that.
I recently wrote about my hellish commute last Tuesday, in which I talked about a mishap on the Orange Line train that caused a door to fly open in one of the cars, mid-transit. Well, I recently found out that the Post has been covering a similar incident that happened on the Metro in late August. This recent article has more. I don't know if spilled coffee was the cause of the incident on my train, but it does seem funny to think that on a service where food and drink are prohibited, the train's operator can cause some serious problems by spilling a drink.
Kids these days and their rock and roll music, I tell ya.
Four years ago today, I sat in Wesley in complete and utter shock, watching the immediate aftermath of the attacks. I'm keeping my regular entry below intact, but it may seem like mere grumbling when you think about what happened on this infamous day. I'll never forget.
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It's important to meet new people when relocating yourself to a new area, I believe. It's also just as important not to make any enemies right off the bat, especially if you're a superhero or something - you need time to build up your secret bases and your reputation.
I'm not a superhero, but I have made one enemy recently: the Virginia DMV. I guess it's more of a one-sided loathing on my part; the DMV could care less whether I exist or not. Obi-Wan might call it a wretched hive of scum and villainy. I'm not talking about the various clerks and DMV employees I've spoken with recently; they've all been extremely helpful and friendly. They're just doing their job and following the rules laid out for them. My beef lies with the non-corporeal bureaucratic red-tape that is responsible for policies that make it nigh-impossible for someone to get a driver's license in this state. My beef is ground, and I want to grill some hamburgers tonight.
The short version of my story so far is that I was able to get my license plates, but not my actual license, thanks to a snag with a proof-of-residence document. So, Round 3 of my battle with the DMV will commence tomorrow evening, when I show them my first pay stub from my job. This document is on the approved list, and I have everything else in order. So finally, I should be able to slap my pearly whites on a Virginia license and feel like a resident of this state. I'll emerge from the DMV hive victorious!
Next challenger... neeeext...
There's not a lot of time to post tonight, because I've got a lot of irons in the fire and they're probably getting hot by now, but I'll reflect on a few things.
First, I neglected to thank Jen, Stephen, and Jen's parents for inviting and letting us stay at their lakehouse this past Labor Day weekend. Pictures of the festivities are forthcoming, but it was great spending a lot of time outside, in the sun, and in the water. Gina got to drive and ride a jetski for the first time, and I got to try my hand at watertubing for the first time in a few years. Lots of fun, guys!
...Tonight, I joined Jeanette at her place as she continues to watch the Top 100 movies of all time. Tonight's offering was #18, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. My quick take on this movie, this being my first time watching it: I believe it was ahead of its time, and Hitchcock is definitely a horror genius. Though violent, this is a little too psychological to be classified as a present-day horror flick, although many of Hollywood's recent offerings seem to be a touch more cerebral in their plottings and twists. I really enjoyed this movie, and it may just inspire me to go catch up on all the other Hitchcock films I've never seen. Three cheers for Anthony Perkins' performance, as well.
... Finally, I know I should watch Conan more often, but these days I just don't get the chance. At any rate, I'm not sure when NBC merged with Universal (I'm thinking 2003ish), but these Walker: Texas Ranger clips are just about the most hilarious thing I've seen recently. Some of the ads in that link are probably non-work safe (NSFW), though, which is a shame. The clips themselves are harmless, crazy fun. I remember watching Walker with mom on CBS when it first came out, and based on these clips, I guess those days were before it got really crazy after moving to syndication. Chuck Norris is still the man, though, and Conan knows it.
It's been hard to write about anything after being immersed in reading about and watching the aftermath of Katrina, but I'll save my comments on that whole situation for another time.
I've been meaning to write a little entry about commuting for a while now, but it just hasn't come to the forefront of my mind lately. Until recently, the entry would have been about the sometimes-quirky types of people who are regular Metro commuters. It might have mentioned something along the lines of how, really, I have a relatively easy Metro ride to and from work every day: I get on the Orange line early enough to secure a seat, ride it to L'Enfant Plaza, and hop on a couple more stops on the Green. As long as I rouse myself from my nap or tear myself away from my book or crossword in time for L'Enfant, I'm as good as gold. The Metro really isn't all that confusing, after all, is it? Not like that craziness up in New York. Just five colors to choose from, and they're even fairly recognizable shades, at that.
Well, as Gina's mom says, today was "Terrible Tuesday," the Tuesday after Labor Day, when apparently all prior rules established during the summer are thrown out the window. I was prepared for some kind of wholesale chaos, but the morning ride into work was no different than usual. And really, the evening ride back home wouldn't have sucked so much if not for some unforeseeable - and unfortunate - mishaps.
As a wise man named Steve once told me, "If you ride the Metro long enough, you'll see all kinds of weird stuff happen." Today proved that motto true. Somewhere on the Orange line between Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn, a door apparently came open in-transit, so the driver had to stop for a physical inspection. Ultimately, they had to take the entire train out of service, leaving our full crowd stranded in Rosslyn waiting for another train, amidst an already growing throng of rush-hour mania. As the car I was on unloaded, a couple of guys got in a bit of a kerfuffle, one claiming that he was being shoved and stepped on by a certain younger guy, who tartly responded to the older gentleman that "he could have stepped back a little." Before they could resort to fisticuffs, I and several others from the car separated them out of necessity, since we needed to get off the platform of the departing train. This whole exchange prompted a man in an Air Force uniform to laugh and quote Ghostbusters by exclaiming "dogs and cats ... living together!"
I appreciated the lighter side of the moment and waited for three more trains to go by before I finally caught one that had room for me. Ah, the sweet, sweet life. And you know what? When I first moved up here and started commuting, I vowed to not get angry over having to commute, because I could have it a lot worse. And even after an evening like this, it really ain't so bad. More to come on this topic in the future.
I've been haunted by all the images from New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast that have been flooding in over the last few days. Just browsing through the Getty Images search for "New Orleans" leaves me with a hollow feeling of helplessness. It's a feeling shared by many, I'm sure, since this situation reminds me a lot of how I felt after 9/11. I look and see streets that I walked and laughed on back in January now flooded, looted, and destroyed. I just can't help but wonder if the few residents of the Big Easy that I met while we were down there - the hotel staff, the carriage-driver tour guide, the waiters and bartenders - are even still alive.
It's a time to count your blessings, to be sure. Be thankful for what you do have, and keep your eyes open for ways to help the victims of the storm.
In keeping with that theme, these last few days have also been a time for me to catch up with old friends. I finally managed to indirectly get in touch with Zack, my former Pritchard Hall roommate, to see if he was all right. He had just started seminary in New Orleans this semester, but he safely evacuated when the first order came out. In trying to find Zack's new number, I caught up with Nic, another veteran of Pritchard Hall who I met during my freshman year of college. Nic's moving close by, so I'm sure I'll see him soon. Last week, I hung out with Jeanette, an ISE buddy who also lives very close to me now and is helping to show me around all the hot spots around Vienna/Fairfax. Last night, Josh and I had dinner with Steve and Mandy, who are also right down the road (and as it turns out, Steve works in the building across the street from mine).
And finally, this weekend I'll be braving the insane gas prices and heading down for a few days in Blacksburg and the greater Smith Mountain Lake area, where I'll get to spend time with Gina, Gerritt & Mel, Jen & Stephen, Brian & Jessica, and all my other Blacksburg people.
So, amidst all this sadness in the world, it's still possible to remember how to have a good time. It just won't be too easy to forget Katrina.