Or - why we need a fully funded national railway system
1. The sleeping car attendant as you pull up to your sleeper 10 minutes before your train leaves : "Didn't anyone contact you?"
2. The conductor of your 25 hour trip from Washington DC to Deerfield Beach Florida, after you've been informed that your sleeper is flooded and unusable: "We've put you in coach"
3. The Customer Service Rep after you inform her you won't go coach: "I've got you on a train tomorrow." Adding just as your train pulls away, "In coach."
4. The Customer Service Rep at the counter referring to your 40 year-old traveling companion who is only 6 years younger than you: "Is that your daughter."
5. A different Customer Service Rep the next day asking your aforementioned traveling companion: "You traveling with your mama?"
6. The attendant in the first class lounge when you show up the next day for the sleeper they finally got you: "The engine has broken in New Jersey and you're train is going to be late."
7. The same attendant: "A second engine has broken down in Philadelphia and your train is going to be later."
8. An hour after you've been told your train left Philadelphia: "Your train left Philadelphia."
9. 5:00, still 5 hours out of your destination (running over 5 hours late): "We're waiting on authorization to feed you."
10. In the ticket office on your return 15 minutes before your train is due: "For some reason I can't get your tickets to print. I don't know what to do."
11. After you've told your sleeping car attendant you don't drink coffee: "We don't have any cranberry juice or tea in the sleeping cars anymore. But we do have coffee"
12. When you arrive in the dinning car after being informed your train is arriving an hour early: "You SHOULD have time for breakfast."
13. 10 minutes later: "We're here you need to disembark"
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Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, February 18, 2010
An Olympic Thursday Thirteen
Why I could never be an Olympian:
1. I'm lazy
I watch some of these training schedules and think, "when do they have time to play video games or watch TV."
2. I like food way too damn much
3. I'm a klutz
I can barely make it from my car to my house when its snowing, I can only imagine flying down an icy hill at 90 mph with 2 sticks attached to my feet.
4. Luge
These people are just friggin' nuts
5. I'm too old
In a world where 30 is considered over the hill, what is my 45 year-old arse considered? And can you imagine the look on their faces when you ask them to turn down the heat in the Olympic village because you're having hot flashes!
6. I don't fly
Does Amtrak go to Moscow?
7. I don't have the dedication
So let me get this straight... I have an injury causing me severe pain and I'm supposed to WANT to go out there and make it hurt more ... I think not.
8. Too much temptation
I'm not supposed to be hitting on all the beautiful 23 year-old boys (did you see the mogles potium, yum!)?
9. I'm not big on bling
That medal is as big as Flava Flavs clock! I'd fall over.
10. I couldn't be without my dogs.
11. I don't like being broke
So you want me to pay a coach 70K a year and be unemployed so I can do nothing but train? No wonder I'm not eating! (My little soap box ... I think we should support our olympians financially like every other country in the world)
12. Seriously, you look at the concentration on these people's faces in spite of crowds and camera's. I'd be freaking out and jumping around like Daffy Duck.
13. When are they making writing an Olympic sport?
1. I'm lazy
I watch some of these training schedules and think, "when do they have time to play video games or watch TV."
2. I like food way too damn much
3. I'm a klutz
I can barely make it from my car to my house when its snowing, I can only imagine flying down an icy hill at 90 mph with 2 sticks attached to my feet.
4. Luge
These people are just friggin' nuts
5. I'm too old
In a world where 30 is considered over the hill, what is my 45 year-old arse considered? And can you imagine the look on their faces when you ask them to turn down the heat in the Olympic village because you're having hot flashes!
6. I don't fly
Does Amtrak go to Moscow?
7. I don't have the dedication
So let me get this straight... I have an injury causing me severe pain and I'm supposed to WANT to go out there and make it hurt more ... I think not.
8. Too much temptation
I'm not supposed to be hitting on all the beautiful 23 year-old boys (did you see the mogles potium, yum!)?
9. I'm not big on bling
That medal is as big as Flava Flavs clock! I'd fall over.
10. I couldn't be without my dogs.
11. I don't like being broke
So you want me to pay a coach 70K a year and be unemployed so I can do nothing but train? No wonder I'm not eating! (My little soap box ... I think we should support our olympians financially like every other country in the world)
12. Seriously, you look at the concentration on these people's faces in spite of crowds and camera's. I'd be freaking out and jumping around like Daffy Duck.
13. When are they making writing an Olympic sport?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thursday 13 - Feb 11, 2010
Frustrations:
1. Slipping on snow wonking out my knee
2. Throwing out my back limping on my knee
3. Woman before me at the chiropractor must have been wearing a bottle of perfume, thought I was going to pass out from the smell of the table.
4. Snow so high its over the dogs head so I have to shovel a path for the dog to relieve herself ... back unhappy with this.
5. Crying at Celebrity Rehab when McKenzie Phillips put her dog to sleep
6. Men on dating site who don't understand the words "I don't want a long distance relationship" or "I don't go out with married / attached men"
7. Being single valentines weekend.
8. Not writing as much as I want to.
9. Being unemployeed
10. insomnia
11. insomnia (yeah, frustrating enough ... had to say it twice)
12. Weather obsessed mother in Florida who keeps calling to ask "how's the weather" in the middle of a blizzard. How do you think it is!
13. Finding the time and money to do all the things I want to do.
I know you've all had at least some of these frustrations and its nothing catastrophic, but venting feels good nonetheless. Hope everyone has a happy and a healthy VD Day.
1. Slipping on snow wonking out my knee
2. Throwing out my back limping on my knee
3. Woman before me at the chiropractor must have been wearing a bottle of perfume, thought I was going to pass out from the smell of the table.
4. Snow so high its over the dogs head so I have to shovel a path for the dog to relieve herself ... back unhappy with this.
5. Crying at Celebrity Rehab when McKenzie Phillips put her dog to sleep
6. Men on dating site who don't understand the words "I don't want a long distance relationship" or "I don't go out with married / attached men"
7. Being single valentines weekend.
8. Not writing as much as I want to.
9. Being unemployeed
10. insomnia
11. insomnia (yeah, frustrating enough ... had to say it twice)
12. Weather obsessed mother in Florida who keeps calling to ask "how's the weather" in the middle of a blizzard. How do you think it is!
13. Finding the time and money to do all the things I want to do.
I know you've all had at least some of these frustrations and its nothing catastrophic, but venting feels good nonetheless. Hope everyone has a happy and a healthy VD Day.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday Thirteen January 21, 2010
Thirteen of my favorite movie/tv quotes
wouldn't it be a wonderful world if fear and desperation made us more attractive ... if needy was a turn on
Broadcast News
I was going to be so good you would have left your body three times and begged it to get back in when you saw how much fun it was having
Murphy Brown
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.
Ghostbusters
King Arthur: The lady of the lake, her arms outstreached, pulled forth the shimmering samite. Signifying by devine providence that I Arthur should carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king!
Dennis: Listen. Strange women laying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses not from some farcical aquatic cerimony.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Inigo Montoya: You are using Bonetti's Defense against me, ah?
Man in Black: I thought it fitting considering the rocky terrain.
Inigo Montoya: Naturally, you must suspect me to attack with Capa Ferro?
Man in Black: Naturally... but I find that Thibault cancels out Capa Ferro. Don't you?
Inigo Montoya: Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa... which I have.
Princess bride
Bart: Are we awake?
Jim: We're not sure. Are we... black?
Bart: Yes, we are.
Jim: Then we're awake... but we're very puzzled
Blazing Saddles
Vercotti: Doug (takes a drink) Well, I was terrified. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I've seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug.
Interviewer: What did he do?
Vercotti: He used... sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, bathos, puns, parody, litotes and... satire. He was vicious.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Loki: Let it never be said that your anal-retentive attention to detail never yielded positive results.
Bartleby: You can't be anal-retentive if you don't have an anus.
Dogma
That's a lot of alliteration from anxious anchors put in powerful possitions.
Broadcast News
Stay close to the candles. The stairway can be... treacherous
Young Frankenstein
Hooper: Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy. Bust this: Those movies are about how the white man keeps the brother man down, even in a galaxy far, far away. Check this shit: You got cracker farm boy Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy, blond hair, blue eyes. And then you got Darth Vader, the blackest brother in the galaxy, Nubian god!
Banky Edwards: What's a Nubian?
Chasing Amy
You can't touch me now. I'm one of the stately homos of England
The Naked Civil Servent
You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it.
The Ref
wouldn't it be a wonderful world if fear and desperation made us more attractive ... if needy was a turn on
Broadcast News
I was going to be so good you would have left your body three times and begged it to get back in when you saw how much fun it was having
Murphy Brown
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.
Ghostbusters
King Arthur: The lady of the lake, her arms outstreached, pulled forth the shimmering samite. Signifying by devine providence that I Arthur should carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king!
Dennis: Listen. Strange women laying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses not from some farcical aquatic cerimony.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Inigo Montoya: You are using Bonetti's Defense against me, ah?
Man in Black: I thought it fitting considering the rocky terrain.
Inigo Montoya: Naturally, you must suspect me to attack with Capa Ferro?
Man in Black: Naturally... but I find that Thibault cancels out Capa Ferro. Don't you?
Inigo Montoya: Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa... which I have.
Princess bride
Bart: Are we awake?
Jim: We're not sure. Are we... black?
Bart: Yes, we are.
Jim: Then we're awake... but we're very puzzled
Blazing Saddles
Vercotti: Doug (takes a drink) Well, I was terrified. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I've seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug.
Interviewer: What did he do?
Vercotti: He used... sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, bathos, puns, parody, litotes and... satire. He was vicious.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Loki: Let it never be said that your anal-retentive attention to detail never yielded positive results.
Bartleby: You can't be anal-retentive if you don't have an anus.
Dogma
That's a lot of alliteration from anxious anchors put in powerful possitions.
Broadcast News
Stay close to the candles. The stairway can be... treacherous
Young Frankenstein
Hooper: Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy. Bust this: Those movies are about how the white man keeps the brother man down, even in a galaxy far, far away. Check this shit: You got cracker farm boy Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy, blond hair, blue eyes. And then you got Darth Vader, the blackest brother in the galaxy, Nubian god!
Banky Edwards: What's a Nubian?
Chasing Amy
You can't touch me now. I'm one of the stately homos of England
The Naked Civil Servent
You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it.
The Ref
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday 13 Jan 14, 2010 - Why I HATE being sick
1. Its so damn expensive. Been to the Walgreen's clinic twice and to the doctor once, plus a strep test and countless cough drops and decongestants. All told spent about $400 and they still really have no idea why I'm sick. The latest theory is a sinus infection.
2. Taking drugs. I try to be careful about taking anti-biotics so I won't get resistant of them. Well I got desperate when the pain in my throat reached a pain level of 8. I've taken 2 courses of Amoxicillin and now he's got me on Levaquil, which by the way is $17 per pill without insurance $3 with insurance. Pharmaceutical bloodsuckers.
3. No sleep. I wish I was one of those people who could sleep when they're sick. Slightest discomfort and I'm awake ugh!
4. Not getting anything done. My to do list is so long I had a panic attack.
5. No human contact. I'm just laying around my house like a hermit.
6. Feeling yucky. I turn into a 5 year-old
7. No sleep - this was a biggy, needed to be in there twice.
8. Can't make plans - Hate having to say, "We'll see how I'm feeling".
9. Horrible health insurance. I know I come back to the money thing, but hey I'm unemployed. $500 a month for private health ins and it has a $5k deductible so its completely useless.
10. Doctors who no longer "get you in" when your sick. My doctors office actually told me to go to the clinic because he couldn't see me for 3 days.
11. I never know what to eat. Don't have the energy to cook so I'm spending even more money on take-out. (and yes I seem to be a bit obsessed about money these days).
12. Feeling like I'm never going to be healthy again.
13. Being emotional. I seem to be really emotional when I'm sick. I've been crying at the oddest television shows.
Oh well. Hopefully the next TT I'll be all better and my list will be a bit more fun!
2. Taking drugs. I try to be careful about taking anti-biotics so I won't get resistant of them. Well I got desperate when the pain in my throat reached a pain level of 8. I've taken 2 courses of Amoxicillin and now he's got me on Levaquil, which by the way is $17 per pill without insurance $3 with insurance. Pharmaceutical bloodsuckers.
3. No sleep. I wish I was one of those people who could sleep when they're sick. Slightest discomfort and I'm awake ugh!
4. Not getting anything done. My to do list is so long I had a panic attack.
5. No human contact. I'm just laying around my house like a hermit.
6. Feeling yucky. I turn into a 5 year-old
7. No sleep - this was a biggy, needed to be in there twice.
8. Can't make plans - Hate having to say, "We'll see how I'm feeling".
9. Horrible health insurance. I know I come back to the money thing, but hey I'm unemployed. $500 a month for private health ins and it has a $5k deductible so its completely useless.
10. Doctors who no longer "get you in" when your sick. My doctors office actually told me to go to the clinic because he couldn't see me for 3 days.
11. I never know what to eat. Don't have the energy to cook so I'm spending even more money on take-out. (and yes I seem to be a bit obsessed about money these days).
12. Feeling like I'm never going to be healthy again.
13. Being emotional. I seem to be really emotional when I'm sick. I've been crying at the oddest television shows.
Oh well. Hopefully the next TT I'll be all better and my list will be a bit more fun!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thursday 13 - Jan 7, 2010 Happy New Year!
Here are 13 of my favorite photo's I've taken. Unfortunately some of my real favs were lost when my last computer died. Gotta love when you thought you've got everything backed up and find out the hard way you don't ... grrr. But here's the best of what's left. Hope you enjoy.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Movie Review - Up in the Air
This is the story about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who spends most of his life traveling from city to city. He's got his whole life arranged for this purpose. His actual job is to fire people. Companies hire his company to send someone in to fire their employees and offer them "transition services".
Ryan's world is thrown into chaos when a young upstart Anna Kendrick ( Natalie Keener) has convinced the company they can do their business via webcam.
The boss sends the two out on the road together so that Anna can learn the business and try out some onsite webcam firings.
There are some twists and turns along the way that I won't give away, neither will I give away the ending. At its best this is some great character studies, at its worst a hell of an entertaining movie. Ivan Reitman is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors and he's put his own quirky sense of humor into the writing of this one as well.
At no point did I even think of looking at my watch, which is how I judge how entertaining the movie is. There we a few points I laughed so loud it was a little embarrassing. If you have a chance to go see this movie, you should do so.
Ryan's world is thrown into chaos when a young upstart Anna Kendrick ( Natalie Keener) has convinced the company they can do their business via webcam.
The boss sends the two out on the road together so that Anna can learn the business and try out some onsite webcam firings.
There are some twists and turns along the way that I won't give away, neither will I give away the ending. At its best this is some great character studies, at its worst a hell of an entertaining movie. Ivan Reitman is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors and he's put his own quirky sense of humor into the writing of this one as well.
At no point did I even think of looking at my watch, which is how I judge how entertaining the movie is. There we a few points I laughed so loud it was a little embarrassing. If you have a chance to go see this movie, you should do so.
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