Monday, January 28, 2008

The Joys of Jury...I Mean "Civic" Duty

0 for 5! It is Monday morning and I have already had an early breakfast, read all my e-mails and scanned the better portion of the morning news. Where am I this morning? Can you guess? Yep, good ole' 500 Indiana Avenue the home to D.C. Courthouse. It is hard to believe my number came up AGAIN!

Here is pretty much how my civic duty day went:

This morning, I woke up at 5:30 nervous that I was going to sleep through my summons. Ridiculous I know, because I cannot remember the last time I slept passed 6:30 am. I awoke to hear the comforting voices of WAMU (NPR affiliate) state, "Metro promises no delays this morning...beyond ten minutes." This was not a good sign to the start of my day. So I calculated in my head and backed my day up accordingly.

Metro was fine, not packed and I even got to drop my Netflix and tax forms in the mail on the way in. I arrived at Judiciary Square and went to Firehook Bakery for a light breakfast, which consisted of a cookie, because that is all they really had.

I figured I would get to the courthouse no later than 7:30 so, I could grab the one table in the corner of the juror's lounge and plug in my computer. Of course I had to wait in line first to get my badge. I happily set up my computer on the table in the corner, just under the TV. You all know the one that plays PBS documentaries from the 1970s and 1980s. I think the first couple times I went to Jury Duty they played a biography on Babe Ruth. This morning they played something about the history of William & Mary, the college in Virginia.

Soon after I settled, I had a Dell user and an Apple MacBook user on both sides of me jockeying for the outlet. I happily typed away and caught up on my e-mails. It wasn't long before the proctor came in and began the orientation tape. This kicked off what was a busy panel morning.

So, it is now mid way through the morning and 5 panels have been called. I am still sitting here checking and rechecking my e-mail and writing this blog entry. Wait, they are going to call another one...BINGO, JACKPOT, We have a winner - they called my number!

On the way out of the juror lounge I see a big sign on the ATM machine that pays us the four dollars for our transportation. It says out of order...that is never a good sign of the day to come. I forsee angry jurors shaking there fist in the air demanding their measly four dollars.

We are escorted as a very large group to the second floor. There we are told to form 3 columns of lines. What is it about people that don't care for lines or order or any sense of following direction? Our escort was more than clear and very vocal stating, "line up behind these three individuals." Instead half of our group just wandered around and asked stupid questions like, "where are we going...what are we waiting for now?" I swear, you would think some of these people hadn't done this three or four times. Or wait, is that just me who has been called that frequently in the past 6 years?

I have to give it to the court employees. They put up with some seriously annoying jurors. They are always clear in their instructions, and even point you to where you are supposed to go, but some of these jurors have the hardest time following simple directions or instructions. They wander aimlessly as if they don't want to be there. NEWSFLASH: None of us want to be there, but it is your civic duty! And when you chose to move to the district you took on this extra responsibility.


Well, I wasn't picked, but it was close. I was kept until 4:45 that day. I was exhausted by the time I left to head home. Oh, and I never even stopped to get my four dollars from the ATM machine. I will let the district mail it to me. That might be enough to pay for a coffee. I don't look forward to playing catch up at work the next day. Till next call up.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Everything Going Down, Nothing Going Up

What is with the metro escalators and elevator lately? The other day I was in the metro and they made what seemed like a 7 minute announcement on all the metro stations with broken escalators and elevators.  The list must have grown dramatically this past week. I noticed when I got to Dupont Circle that the up escalator was busted, but the down escalator was working.  As I hiked up, nearly out of breath, I stopped and asked about four elderly people if I could help them by carrying their bags. Half way up, I just got mad at Metro. It seemed so stupid that they would run the down escalator and make people walk up the very steep escalator at Dupont Circle. 

This occurred at more than one metro station that day. I saw it at Pentagon City and Gallery Place as well. What kind of decision does it take to flip the switch and make the escalator an up escalator and make people walk down on their own? I am just very confused by the lack of leadership in these stations. Do they have to wait for central command to give them the go ahead on such decisions. It is no wonder people are getting fed up with WMATA. I can't wait to see how people react to the new New York Style trains with less seating and more standing.  

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Do You Line Up on a City Block?

This is a blog entry for all those Commuter Bus people. I walked through the city today, because it is so nice out - did it really reach 71 degrees today? Are we still challenging Gore's concerns? I digress.

I was walking down L street and noticed a line of people, all the way down the block. I followed the line, curious as to what was at the other end. Strangely enough, it led to a gentlemen reading a book while standing on a street grate. I thought to myself, this is odd. Then, I looked to see all the people in line peering down the road hoping to see something come around the corner or past the next intersection. I realized that these are what we call the commuter bus people. I guess their bus was late, way late. They were pissed. Humming and hawing and throwing their arms up in the air. I had to laugh.

Do you commuter bus people ever feel silly standing in the middle of the city waiting for your bus to come? I hope not, because you are doing a good thing by taking this transportation option. Please don't take my laughter as criticism. I applaud you for your dedication to efficiency and to the environment. And if you want, you can just pass my laughter on to those people who you see sitting in their cars on the beltway when you are passing them in the HOV lanes.

In all honesty, I hope that this commute option gets you home faster than most, or that you are able to get a ton of work done on the bus. I hear you can't talk on them though and no cell phones. Man, I wish we had this option on the city buses. Just the other day there was a gentleman who had an entire conversation on his cell phone...which was on speaker! We all shot him horrible looks, but he just did not get it. Same goes for those push-to-talk losers. Beep! Beep Beep! I have two words for you - BEEP THIS!

Well, it is getting cold and I stopped at a Starbucks to write this entry. Time to go out and wait for my bus. I hope when you all drive by - once you get on your bus - that you don't laugh at me standing there waiting and peering for that big red, white and blue beast that is the city bus. Safe travels!

Did You Take a Fare Hike?

Yesterday afternoon, while trying to get home on a very slow and very packed red line I overheard these words, "And they raised the fares today." Could it be true? Did metro really hike their fares already? How did I miss this? I thought it wasn't supposed to happen until the spring. Can anyone provide me with some intel here?

I tried to pay attention to the amount on my Smartrip today, but didn't notice much of a difference. I can only say that is they have already hiked the fares, then I want to see some improvements STAT! No more crowded four car trains during rush hour please! No more "no passengers" trains blowing through stations leaving us all to stare down the line like zombies. No more "we will be moving momentarily, there is a train ahead of us."

Of course there is a train ahead of us. Why do you feel you need to tell us that there is a train ahead of us. Isn't this redundant? How about telling me only when there is something UNUSUAL in front of the train, like a person, or a cat or something. Save your pathetic updates please driver for the tourists, on the weekend, when they are fascinated by the big booming voice over the PA system. Leave me in peace. I wonder if I can take the bus home from here, maybe I will get the 38B from Ballston to Georgetown. I feel an adventure coming on.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

It WAS The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The nation's capital is often described as a "suitcase town." I had heard of this phrase a number of times, but never had I really developed an appreciation for it. That is, until this holiday season of 2007.

I am not from here, but I have lived here for a few years now. I usually take the holidays off and head out West to defrost and take in my double dose of family. This year was the first time I didn't pack a bag and leave town. Instead, I had people come visit me. I had friends from Europe come to visit. They said it was to spend time with me, but I sensed it had more to do with the phenomenal exchange rate of the Euro to the dollar. I had a growing suspicion when all they wanted to do was go to the mall, and not the one with the grass and museums, but the ones in Tysons and Pentagon City.

On their way to D.C. my friends stopped in NYC. They loved the city and the concrete skyscapes. I was hoping they would enjoy the nation's capital just as much. When they arrived I took them on a night drive through Georgetown and we had dinner there. Check out my review of the great Vietnamese place we went to on M Street.

At some point during their tourism research project on Washington, they read that over 900,000 people leave the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during the week of Christmas. Although this number seemed a little high at first, I stopped to think about it while I drove them back to their hotel. Sure enough, at times, I was the only car on the road and there seemed to be a ghost town feel to the city. I looked to my right and left and saw parking spaces that even a Californian could parallel park in.

I dropped them off at their hotel and on the way home I hit all green lights. It was starting to feel a lot like Christmas and maybe my gift from the city would be no traffic, plenty of parking, and a sense of peace around town. I must have been in an extremely festive mood, because I tuned my radio to 97.1 WASH FM - you know the one that plays holiday tunes 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

The next day was Christmas Eve. As I turned in that evening, I thought to myself, it is nice not to be racing through an airport or carrying a car seat or waiting in line at a rental car agency. The next day I got up and took a walk to Friendship Heights - to do my last minute Christmas shopping - yes, I am guilty as charged. I wait to the last minute to get those few items for family. As I approached the intersection of Western and Wisconsin Avenues at around 8:30, I felt like I could have reenacted a scene from I Am Legend or 28 Days Later.

Not a soul around. It was incredible. Had their been snow on the ground, I think I would have been tempted to run down the middle of Wisconsin Avenue yelling, "Merry Christmas Mr. Potter, Merry Christmas Maggianos, Merry Christmas Borders, Merry Christmas Clydes!" It seemed like for those few minutes it was a Wonderful Life here in D.C. It probably helped that I had my iPod playing Christmas tunes in my ears. It made for a wonderful soundtrack while I took my walk/run around Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights that morning.

While all this empty city glee lasted through the 26th of December, once I came back to work after the New Year, it all came to a crashing halt. Once again, horns were blaring, people were pushing and metro cars were busting and I guess all those 900,000 suitcases were unpacking. Now, I am facing the first full work week in a long time and I am dreading it. I look back fondly on that week in D.C. when it truly was the most wonderful time of the year.