Can You Hear Me Now ? Riding on the Metro

Yesterday, WMATA released a press statement indicating that riders will be able to use any cell phone, wifi-enabled or web-enabled phone while riding the rails, no matter the provider. As happy as I am that my Verizon Aircard will work better when I am commuting to work, I am not pleased that I will have to listen to more than just Verizon customers run their mouths on the metro.

As metro is excited about this, they say this means "fewer dropped calls underground." Don't they realize that dropped calls underground can sometimes be a nice break for those of us who don't want to listen to everyone's conversations? Can you hear me now? Not so good.

A New Background

What if my blog came crumbling down - how would it look? I did a word cloud on wordle.net and this is what came up. I might have to use it as a new background. Off to work.

DC Voting Rights Drama Continues

I wish I had more time to tune into C-SPAN today, because apparently it was pretty lively with the DC Voting Rights Act. If you are a DC-resident, you should tune in to the great coverage on DCist. I was laughing pretty hard. It reminded me of those live bloggers who stream tweets from Macworld. There is an idea...staffer should tweet what their bosses are saying and how they are voting.

Anyway, back to the drama.

Did you know there was a vote on lifting the Federal Income Tax for DC resident while all this is sorted out? Check out the blow by blow on DCist - my favorite recap occurs at 6:11 pm:

6:11 p.m. Amendment to exempt D.C. residents from federal income tax fails, 7-91. Frankly, that's closer than we thought it would be.

Job well done. I will have to tune in tomorrow, because everyone threw in the towel at 7:28 PM. Glad to know they are not working too late tonight. They need to be at their best when they resume tomorrow at 9:30. Have a cold one tonight on DC, while you think about the vote. Sounds like it will pass NLT Friday.

Classic DC Photo from DCist

This is a great photo on DCist this morning. I think it captures classic DC - the location, the pasttime, the grayscale exposure. Job well done to the photographer.

New Fleet of Buses for DC?

Almost forgot, on my way into work this morning, I took a brand new swanky Metrobus. It even comes with sensors that yell at people standing near the rear door. Yep, yours truly got yelled at by an automatic sensor. And of course I had my iPod on, so I didn't hear it. I only noticed when people around me were beckoning me to move away from the rear door. Sorry fellow commuters. So much for my safe haven spot on my commute. No more first off the bus :(

Walking Backwards in Winter

Okay, this is going to be an easy one to write. Anyone else tired of this winter weather and having to walk backwards to shield your face from these ridiculous winds? Whether you are waiting for the bus like me, or walking your dog like your neighbor, these winter winds seems to cut right through you.

Is it just me or does it seem the closer we creep to Spring the more we are reminded of that silly mammal that lives in Pennsylvania with his shadow. Here we are in the last week of February and I wish we could just skip March and go straight to April. That would make Lent a lot easier.

Perhaps it is because I have not entirely thawed out from the Inaugural Parade - all 8 hours of standing outside in that cold. If you are asking, my answer is "Yes, it was worth it." And to quote a dear friend of mine. "The only way I will do it again is if I am in the limo." She has a point, but I still can't believe what a day that was. It was one of DC's proudest moments on this blog. They did such a good job handling the event. Of course, I saw the overtime cost to the city and the federal government the other day. Those numbers are are worthy of their own blog entry. I will get to work on that soon. Back to work.

1,544,721 Trips on Metro for Inauguration

Normally, when it comes to WMATA, I would be logging a complaint, but on this one I have to give a kudos. I heard nothing but positive feedback from the many visitors in town on how well Metro handled the crowds during the inauguration. Today, I read that they handled 1,544,721 passengers - the most in their history. Job well done Metro. DC did an amazing job moving people in and out of the city. I also want to thank the 10,000 or so additional police officers, state troopers, and national guard who came into town to assist with this monumental task. We hope you enjoyed the buzz of the city. Come back soon! Our economy needs the consumer spending.

And the debate continues on ridership increasing versus service decreasing over at the WashingtonPost. Tune in for some interesting discussion.