RonVitale

Strike!

I'll be leaving for work earlier than normal because there is a transit strike in the Philadelphia area.  This is the second strike in the last 7 or 8 years.  The last time I remember that I had to take my bicycle to my friend's cousin's house so that the three of us could car pool.  It was the summer time, hot, humid, and about 2 or 3 miles away.  At the time, I had an old bike that wasn't good.  But I drove there every morning, we car pooled in (I remember how bad the traffic was) and then I left work early so that I could beat all the traffic to get home.  I worked crazy hours and I believe the strike lasted for 2-3 weeks.

Well, guess what?  The transit union has striked again.  It's no surprise.  What is a surprise is that the transit fees in Philadelphia are one of the highest in the country.  And I'll be the first to say that the service is horrible.  I've used public transportation in Paris, London, Canada, and in Washington, D.C.--Philadelphia's service is extremely limited.  The main subway and above ground El basically go North to South and West to East.  If you want to go Southwest, then you'll have to take a bus or a regional line.  Confused yet?  In Paris, you can just get on the metro and it'll take you almost any where you wish to go.

Not so in Philadelphia.  So not only will 500,000 people have to find an alternative way of getting to work each morning, but they'll have to deal with traffic jams, inability to get to work, and the frustration that the strike might not be resolved for weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if the strike lasts weeks.  I really wouldn't.  I'm not against unions striking, but when there's no more money to be had and the service is horrible, well, let's just say that I'm feeling more empathetic for the riders.

So that's how my Monday morning is going to start.  What a wonderful thing to deal with.  I can't wait.

In other news, not too much to discuss.  I worked on packing this weekend, organizing our stuff, and I did do a little bit of writing.  I'm in desperate need of some downtime but I don't see that coming any time soon.  The way things stand now, I don't see how I'm going to have much time to relax.  Between working longer to avoid traffic (because of the strike--I'll need to leave earlier or face massive traffic jams), coming home to continue organizing and packing, I'm not looking forward to the next few days.

I'm most frustrated because we're in "waiting mode."  We're waiting for some details to be worked out concerning the move.  And we're hoping that all will be well.

Now I know why people explain how frustrating it is to have to move often.  Trying to pack up, or give away, or throw out, all that you have in your house and prepare it for moving, along with trying to do this with a two-year old is a bit hectic.  I'll be happier once this whole process is over.  Unfortunately, it'll be right around the Christmas holidays so that doesn't leave much time to relax and settle in.

Do I sound bitter?  Well, you'd be that too at 5:39 a.m.  It's either I write this now or it doesn't get done.  Tonight is Halloween and when I get home I hope to be able to take my son out for some trick or treating (he's going to be Bob the Builder--he was in his costume yesterday and looked really cute).  Now I'm worried about being able to get home in time to take him out with my wife.  But with traffic going to be a bitch from the transit strike, I might be stuck in a traffic jam. 

I'll end here.  I sound bitter and frustrated and I am.  I have to get ready for work.  Peace.

Tiki Bar TV: Trader Woody

My wife made me the Trader Woody drink that Dr. Tiki made on the Tiki Bar TV video podcast and, man, were they strong. Now I know why Lala, Johnny Johnny, and Dr. Tiki are always dancing around half drunk. Those drinks pack a punch!

My wife and I did a lot of packing and salving of what to keep and what to throw out earlier today. Lots of fun (not). And for those of you who were wondering: I worked on a short story earlier this morning and did do some journal writing. My wife was nice enough to take my son out a good portion of this morning so that I could get some work done. So in between cleaning the bathroom and three batches of wash, I did some writing.

Late in the day I had my Trader Woody drink. And as a side note: I had sent viewer feedback to Tiki Bar TV, complaining that they had maligned the French in a previous episode. I had hoped that they would do a French drink (a French martini). Dr. Tiki wrote back and informed me that a future episode would deal with the French. Sounds interesting!

Well, it's time for my son to get his bath. Have a good night and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Happy Friday

I mentioned this on yesterday’s blog, but I went to an Apple store and played around with the latest iPod video. I’m impressed. Considering it’s 60 GB for $399 and allows you to carry all the music and video you might want, it’s not a bad deal. I did find it interesting that I saw an article on CNET.com that teaches people how to use their iPod as a data storage device. I’m a bit amazed that people aren’t aware of this, but I guess Apple doesn’t really advertise this fact. But what does that mean? In the example used on CNET, you can work in one location, save the file to your iPod and then connect your iPod to another PC at a different location and copy off the data. I had written about this many moons ago. The implications are pretty impressive: In theory, you could copy your entire MP3 collection onto your iPod, drive over to a friend’s house, hook the iPod up to his PC, and then copy all of your songs to his hard drive. The RIAA must be doing backflips on this one. You can also use the iPod to store movie files, pictures, writing—whatever you want. Often I keep some spyware removal tools on my iPod so that if I’m at a family member’s house and they need help with their computer, I have some tools at my fingertips.

But let me get back to the video iPod itself. The staff person told me that the 30 GB iPod (that sells for $299) has a battery life of 14 hours and the 60 GB has one of 20 hours. I then asked him how long the 60 GB iPod would last in playing video and he responded: 3-4 hours. That’s a huge difference in time. Not the greatest of battery life. But I must admit that playing some video on the iPod looked very cool. Would I be watching lots of video that way? No, I don’t think so. I’m thinking of rather using it for picture storage, longer battery life for the music player, displaying album art, and just have more storage in general. Having an extra portable device that is 60 GB isn’t a bad idea. We’ll see if I pick one up.

In other news, I’m not in the mood to do much more writing today. I don’t have much to comment on in the world. I’m a bit disgusted with the whole Rove/Libby situation and I suspect that the grand jury will make some indictments tomorrow. We shall see. I’ve not been a Bush supporter nor am I supporter of his administration. I do not like the path our country is headed down and I’m also in disagreement with our troops staying in Iraq. I don’t think I mentioned this but I had sent letters to Senator Specter and Santorum. Senator’s form letter at least stated that he would take the opinions of his constituents in mind while Santorum outright said that he supported the War and would continue to support the President. I’ll remember that when his re-election comes up. How frustrating it is to live in a country in which many of us do not believe in our leaders.

But I’m getting too political. I’ve written to my representatives, expressed my opinions at the polls, and continue to hope that the War will end soon. With over 2,001 American soldiers (and how many Iraqi civilians?) have died, I’m not happy. Am I anti-American? No. I do not believe that speaking your mind to disagree with the administration’s public policy is wrong or unpatriotic. I continue to admit that I was wrong in supporting this War from the beginning. I admit to that and wish my government would do the same. Yet there’s no easy cure for the mess we’re in. The damage has been done and now we have to continue to meddle in the affairs of others. I guess we’ll never learn.

I suspect that some interesting news will be made tomorrow concerning Karl Rove. We shall see. Time will tell.

I’m a bit bummed out and have some stuff to get done so I’m going to sign off here. Have a good one.

I know I'm repeating, but I wanted to end a Friday post on a positive note:

I had heard about the Tiki Bar video podcast on the Daily Source Code and decided to check it out by subscribing to it with iTunes 6.0. Well, I have to give them credit for really having a good time with drink recipes. Very creative idea. It's stupid funny humor, but I like it. If you're looking for some drink recipes for your next party or just want a laugh, check it out. Be warned: Explicit language is used. Nite!

Maybe Later

Update

I had heard about the Tiki Bar video podcast on the Daily Source Code and decided to check it out by subscribing to it with iTunes 6.0. Well, I have to give them credit for really having a good time with drink recipes. Very creative idea. It's stupid funny humor, but I like it. If you're looking for some drink recipes for your next party or just want a laugh, check it out. Be warned: Explicit language is used. Nite!

No blog for this morning. Haven't had time. Did check out the iPod video last night at the local Apple store. Very interesting.

Also checked out the latest podcasts of target="_blank">DailySourceCode and target="_blank">ThisWeekinTech. Check out episode 27 of ThisWeekinTech if you're interested in Creative Commons and publishing/music copyrights. Very interesting ideas in that show.

Hope to write more tomorrow if not late today (I have to install a new DVD burner in my PC tonight and my son and I will be hanging out as my wife is headed out tonight on a much need break).

Moving is still all up in the air. Waiting for some work to get done on our house and on the house we're buying.

Got to dash.