My 'Not' so Ordinary Day

Those Siemens trains have got to go…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:57:00 +0000

Sure the CAF ones look a lot better inside and out, and are more reliable, but that's my reason for bashing the Siemens train. The reason: noise. Sure the ride itself is quieter, but I mean quiet people. So how did I come to the conclusion that the CAF trains make people quieter? Well the blue line in my experience has always had the loudest people, but I always attributed it to the crowd. Until today. The blue line was blessed with a shiny CAF train, it was nearly full, and I barely heard a peep the entire ride. Wow, I thought, what made the difference? Well naturally, since the train itself is quieter, people don't have to talk as loud, but I don't think that was the main factor. The single biggest difference in the CAF trains is the seating layout. You see, making everyone face the same direction has several perks. First, people can't put their feet on the seat across from them, leaving the possibility for one person to take enough seats for four people all to themselves. Second, this eliminates a group of four or more people all sitting together in one area. Most people don't want to put the effort in turning around for an extended period of time. Also, those smaller spaces actually make it nearly impossible for people to be jumping up and down, clapping their hands, laughing in their seat, while addressing everyone around them by the "n word". Also one last thought: the CAF trains look WAY better on the outside. For some reason I don't think people who sit at those crossing gates get too excited about ditching their car as those old, ugly, beat down Siemens trains roll by. So all I really want people to know is, those Siemens trains have got to go.

Defeated?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:56:00 +0000

So I had an interview today, and since I didn't know how long it would be, I had to drive. Man I'm going to have to find a way not to drive if I get this job. Wanna know why? Well I don't know if it's just me, but after not being on the freeway for nearly two months, I now drive like a maniac. See when I ride the light rail, I can read my textbooks, and maybe even study for the next test. When I drive, I can't help feeling like I'm losing valuable time, so I do everything possible to make my trip as fast as possible. Not to mention it's a lot less stressful to sit on a train than to drive. All I can say about that is if I'm driving don't get in my way, or I will get VERY ANGRY. So in conclusion: my advice to anyone considering riding public transit instead of taking the car, if at all possible, replace the car altogether. I DO NOT recommend switching between public transportation and your car to anybody. I think my blood pressure is on the rise just from the 30 minutes of driving I did today…

WTFXUPWITHIS?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:30:00 +0000

So I may be getting a new job soon. Good news right? Well not if I don't want to drive, considering it's on the other side of the city. Don't get me wrong, RT does get me there, but time is a serious constraint. Getting between three places (home, work, school) all in one day may prove to be too much. Getting a bike may help, but either way it would be a challenge. Welcome to urban sprawl I guess. Anyways ill elaborate more on that later, since the real reason of this post is a little bug I found in Google Transit. Keep in mind I use the Opera web browser, so you may or may not get similar results from other browsers. When I put the address from work to school (6000 j st), it works fine. Put from work to the 65^th light rail station (65^th and Q, Google doesn't recognize the exact address for this station), still works fine. Reenter the original destination (6000 j st) and this is what I get:

So is it just me or is this thing going around in circles…?

Speaking of bikes… where are they gonna go?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:38:00 +0000

I was thinking, if more and more people start riding bikes, and carrying them with them while riding RT, where are they going to put them? Granted, it's not as big of a problem on light rail as on busses (since light rail has more space and more entry points), bit busses can only fit so many bikes on the racks provided. Not only that, but busses are slowed down by people taking their bikes on busses more than on light rail. I can only imagine the problems that may arise if too many light rail lines are substituted by bus rapid transit. I imagine if the light rail ever gets extended to Davis, the problem is only going to get worse… I think Sacramento needs to recognize this trend and start planning now, before it actually does become a problem. was thinking, if more and more people start riding bikes, and carrying them with them while riding RT, where are they going to

October Recap

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:36:00 +0000

OK, so this was supposed to be yesterday's post, but I didn't finish it in time.

First I'll list my Blog of the Month

Sorry but it's a tie

If you're gonna ride with the public, expect to deal with the… uh… public (October 17)

This is why I don't take the bus (October 23)

This is simply based on number of hits, and may not reflect the opinions of many, if any.

Second I'll list what I think are noteworthy blogs that may have simply been overlooked, or may not have had enough time to generate enough hits to get the blog of the month award.

Be a pest, pay the price (October 18)

If it's good for the economy… (October 30)

Last I'll Separate them by category (some will be in more than one), maybe next month I'll just list them by date… what do you guys think

Conspiracies (1)
- Thank you WaMu!!!...??? (October 26)
Light Rail Madness (5)
- The Living, Breathing Human Boombox (October 11)
- If you're gonna ride with the public, expect to deal with the… uh… public (October 17)
- Be a pest, pay the price (October 18)
- One asshule, two asshule, THWEE ASSHULE! (October 19)
- It's not polite to touch people on the head… (October 20)
News (1)
- Why can't RT do this? (October 28)
Ramblings (10)
- Replacing Cars with Busses? Please. (October 12)
- Think light rail is the shit? Well so does this group of people. (October 13)
- If it doesn't work for you, maybe its… you? (October 14)
- Be a pest, pay the price (October 18)
- This is why I don't take the bus (October 23)
- This is why I DO take the light rail (October 24)
- Don't blame it on the train… (October 25)
- Thank you WaMu!!!...??? (October 26)
- Why can't RT do this? (October 28)
- If it's good for the economy… (October 30)
Random Craziness (1)
- Picked up on a side-street in Madera (October 22)
Random Randomness of the Randimnoty (1)
- Am I in Davis? (October 31)
Sites to Visit (1)
- Think light rail is the shit? Well so does this group of people. (October 13)
Stuff in the Restroom (1)
- Yes, restrooms have tiles. Apparently someone likes them. A lot (October 15)
Stuff That Makes you Think (2)
- How young is too young… (October 29)
- If it's good for the economy… (October 30)
Things I See at Work (2)
- Is it just me, or is it a little windy out here? (October 16)
- Speaking of unusual… (October 21)
Things People Do (1)
- Speaking of unusual… (October 21)
Tips (1)
- Light Rail Rider Tip of the Day #1 (October 27)
Total Asshules (1)
- One asshule, two asshule, THWEE ASSHULE! (October 19)
Transportation Plans (2)
- Replacing Cars with Busses? Please. (October 12)
- Why can't RT do this? (October 28)
Words of Wisdom (8)
- Be a pest, pay the price (October 18)
- Picked up on a side-street in Madera (October 22)
- This is why I don't take the bus (October 23)
- This is why I DO take the light rail (October 24)
- Don't blame it on the train… (October 25)
- Light Rail Rider Tip of the Day #1 (October 27)
- How young is too young… (October 29)

Making the night ride a little better

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:48:00 +0000

Anyone who rides the light rail at night knows the stations can be a lonely place. And while I was waiting at the 16^th street station, I thought of something: you know, if I were sharing a ride with someone I know, this wait wouldn't be so bad. Then I thought about something else: if more students and, well I can't put this lightly, non-transients, were to ride at night, it wouldn't be so intimidating. So how do you get those people to ride? Sure once you get a few, more might follow, but it's those first ones that are the hardest. Well there is one way to make people feel more comfortable, without any additional investment:
security guards. So how can you use more of something without increasing costs? Well, more isn't exactly the right word. Efficiency would be a better term. What I mean is that those guards could talk to passengers who don't really fit in, such as kids, or young girls. Make them comfortable and feel safe, and voila! Increased ridership without increased expenditures. Not only will they feel safer, they will be safer. Who is going to do something to somebody while a security guard is standing right next to them? Not only that, but a conversation might even make those 20+ min waits feel a little shorter. This may already be part of their job description, but I rarely see one of them talking to somebody without them approaching the guard. My two cents for the day, and a testament that a little effort can go a long way.

Am I in Davis?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:14:00 +0000

No, but lately you would think so from the sheer number of bikes on board the light rail trains. The other day, the transit officer couldn't get all the way to the back because of the bikes. Today there were people with bikes on every train I was on. Heck at one point there were five people with bikes on one end of the train. Maybe it's just me, but it seems in a relatively short period of time, bikes have been multiplying like rabbits…

If it’s good for the economy…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 06:30:00 +0000

People should be gung-ho for it right? Well why are so many people against building more light rail and bus lines? Wait a minute, you may be asking. How exactly are public transit lines good for the economy? Well I'll answer that with another question. Why were roads and railroads good for the economy? Granted, you have to take the freight factor out of the equation, but the main principle is the same. What transit lines do is spread out potential economic growth to a wider area. This opens up more opportunities both on the supply side and the demand side. What I mean by that is it opens up both job and shopping opportunities. And while I don't have the scientific data to back this statement up, I'm still going to say it: the more spread out a person's dollar is, the better. For example: someone spending $10 in ten different places is better than someone spending $100 in one place. An example of this would be if I were to eat at a different one of the restaurants by the light rail station I take to school, and buy school supplies at the office depot across the street from the station. First, if the light rail station weren't there, I'd probably narrow my spending to one or two places. One, if I got my food and school supplies from somewhere like Costco. Not only that, but without the light rail station a good portion of those dollars would be going to gas companies, limiting my discretionary income. So what I want to know is why the government doesn't do what it did with the interstate highway system and apply it to transit lines? Why is the government, and public for that matter so worried about the system making money? How many roads bring in more money than it takes to maintain them? Not only that but the jobs created would stimulate the economy a lot more than the "war" on "terrorism" ever will, and probably at a fraction of the cost. What I don't understand is why when it comes to transit lines, the development has to come first? Many cities were built because of their proximity to highways. Why were the highways built to spur growth, but not transit lines? People say if transit lines don't get used heavily, it's a waste of money. How many roads are out there which barely get used? Hell here in Sacramento, the left three lanes used to never be used, but now the highways we have are insufficient. I say when it comes to any kind of transportation line, be it road, rail, bus, or light rail; If you build it, they will come.

How young is too young…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:51:00 +0000

For transit enforcement?

On the way home on the light rail I heard a voice no heard very often on the light rail: "Transit tickets and passes please". so there should be at least a couple people getting a ticket, right? Maybe not. But wait, two kids behind me mumbled "I don't have one". The lady asked how old he was, and he replied "15". Quenching her face, obviously knowing she should be kicking them off, but also not wanted to leave a 15 year old stranded, asked them where they were going. They said "Downtown, home" and she said they could go, but warned some of the officers further on the line might not be so friendly. On the other side was a CSUS student (supposedly) who said he forgot his id.

So this brings up a couple questions. How young is too young to kick someone off the train, and should the CSUS student been forced off the train? To answer this requires a little bit of a deeper question: what exactly are the transit officers trying to accomplish? The kids were being polite, not taking up a seat each, and not being loud. If they were causing a ruckus, would it be different? Would it be ok to kick them off? Would it have been okay anyway? What about the guy who said he forgot his pass. Was he telling the truth? Even if he was, should he be held responsible for not carrying his id? Honestly, in my opinion, all of them should have been forced off. Maybe not written a ticket, but the kids could have easily been forced to contact a parent, and the student could have easily been forced to buy a pass to continue riding. The kids said they had no money, so, in my opinion, if a parent could not have been contacted; it was the right thing to do to let them continue. I think the last thing RT wants to do is kick off a 15 year old, just for him/her to be abducted 15 minutes later. Of course, if there are 15 of them, taking up every single seat on the train, maybe even 2 each, rapping obscenely, then it might be a little different. Or would it? You could see the transit officer trying to answer this very question as she stood over them… it's not an easy one to answer.

Why can’t RT do this?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:38:00 +0000

I found this article on KHOU's website (a TV station in Houston) titled "Rail not just for downtown anymore?" apparently Houston is considering a pretty big upgrade of their current light rail system. In the article: "We are committed to working with the Federal Transit Administration to build Light Rail on all five of our lines we are going to be undertaking starting next year," a Metro spokesperson said. They have tried this before, but without federal money, were forced to build a Bus Rapid Transit system instead. But there's something different about this time. Metro's willingness to go it alone without federal money if need be. "In that doomsday scenario you present, we would just build it. Starting with the Uptown and East End lines that we are already committed to 100 percent financing," Metro President Frank Wilson said. So why can't RT do this? Why does the blue line to this very day still end at Watt, with no extension in sight for the near future? Why did it take so long for the line to be extended to Meadowview? Who knows if we will ever see a single foot of track in West Sacramento, much less a station at the Sacramento International Airport. Hell, the Sacramento Regional Transit webpage states its Downtown/Natomas/Airport will only reach Richards Boulevard by 2014. What the hell!?? The 20-year vision map shows it going to the airport, Rocklin, Davis, and Elk Grove. Am I missing something here? I am 22 years old, and I wonder if I will even live to see the day this all happens. I don't get it. There are enough people living in the Sacramento area to support a fully operational light rail system. Ridership will increase exponentially with the amount of track that is laid down. Example: a 10 mile long light rail line is more than twice as useful as a 5 mile long light rail line. Extend it to 10 miles, and more people who were living or working on the 5 mile portion will ride the new 10 mile portion, on top of the people who didn't have access before. So if Houston's transit authority can come out and say "If they don't pay for it, too bad, well build it anyway", why has Sacramento's Regional Transit seemed to have had trouble building the limited system that is in place right now? One last note: the Folsom line should be double tracked, sure during the daytime the trains can still run every half hour, but during rush hour it's nearly impossible to even get on the Folsom trains. From talking to people, I'm not the only one who will leave extra early just to avoid ending up on the Folsom train. Oh yeah did I mention that the D/N/A section will be single track? I don't get that either. Sure when the entire system was new in the 80's, building single tracks at first was a good way to keep costs down, but Sacramento is pretty developed in its core, and I don't see the sense in trying to save costs by building a single track on a line that will almost surely be at capacity the day it opens.

Light Rail Rider Tip of the Day #1

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:21:00 +0000

I'm running out of stuff to write! Well today I'll share one of my secrets that I have discovered while riding the light rail with everyone. Ok maybe it's not that big of a secret, but hey I'm sure SOMEBODY out there hasn't thought of this. Note: this isn't as true during peak times on trains coming from downtown, especially the Folsom line. Ever get tired of standing on the train? Well ever think about where you are getting on the train at? The back will almost always have less people than the front. Why? A couple of reasons. First, the covered areas are towards the front of the train, and people tend to gather here. Second, when people transfer from one train to the other (such as at 16^th street), they often just walk around the back, and end up at the front of the other train. Third, the back is often not easily accessible. For example, at the florin station, you either have to walk all the way down, or walk up the handicap ramp to get to that part of the platform (applies to inbound). At the 16^th street station, for outbound trains the hot dog cart is right where the last train is, so not many people wait there. And for the 65^thstreet station, the crosswalk and bus stations are located across from the front, requiring people to make an effort (which few, if more than one or two, ever do) to get to the back. Lastly, and most importantly, not all four cars fit in all the stations. Sounds silly, but it's true. If the car doesn't fit, people will only be getting off. Nobody is going to wait for the train in the middle of the street! Try it, you will almost be guaranteed to notice a difference. Oh yeah, I should mention this pretty much only applies to the four car trains, it's very easy for people to chose between the two car trains. So it's not much, but for someone like me who likes to do something productive while on the light rail, the last thing I want to be doing is standing.

Thank you WaMu!!!...???

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:28:00 +0000

So yesterday everyone was able to ride free on RT thanks to WaMu paying for all of RT's costs for the day, or did they? I was on my way home on the Meadowview train, and when one of the trains coming in the other direction passed, something seemed a little off. It was definitely not four trains, but it seemed too long to be two. I thought, well it's still early enough where the two car trains are probably still out, so I didn't think much of it, just assumed it was a two car train. After all, they do move a little fast to tell for sure. On my way back to school for my night class, I found my usual seat on the very last bench at the station to wait for the train. I pick the end since not as many people ride the back of the train as the front. When the train came past, I noticed something odd again: there was no train in front of me! Weird, I thought, I could've sworn the train reached this spot before. So still oblivious to what was going on, I got on the train. When I got off at the 16^th station I knew something was off. Then it hit me: there were only 3 cars! So WaMu decided to sponsor RT for a day, but short the blue line a car? Why? The gold line still had four car trains… I don't get it. The blue line is the busier of the two overall (the Folsom is the most packed during peak times). I guess I'm a little bitter, since I go to CSUS, and therefore never pay anything regardless. Ahh well I thought I'd let the conspiracy out. WaMu apparently doesn't like the color blue! Wait a minute; their logo is blue and gold, just like RT. Now I'm totally lost. Hey RT Driver maybe you know the inside scoop on this?

I will say this though: that was a brilliant idea on WaMu's part. Most people probably think it as a waste of money, but whether or not people really cared about saving a buck or two, there are a lot of people who will not forget the day when WaMu, who thanked us for… something, and paid for our ride on RT. Even if it's because they were stuck standing because of all the people taking advantage of the freebie, they will never forget this day.

Don’t blame it on the train…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:55:00 +0000

I was on my way to school today, about to approach the 16^th street station on the watt/I-80 train, when someone cursed "you stupid asshole". I looked up from my book, to see some lady looking at her phone. Whatever, I thought, and went back to reading my book. Then she got a call back, and told there person she was on the train and on her way there, wherever she was going. Then she said to the guy next to her "I wish this train would go faster.". then the guy next to her said "Yeah these trains never seem to go fast enough." She then replied "It's ok, I'm only 10 minutes late, it's not my fault if the train is late." The thing was: the train was actually about 2 minutes early. I actually had to wait for the gold line train today. Here's a tip: stop blaming the fact that you can get your butt out of bed early enough to catch the earlier train on someone else… I can see why she might have felt this way, because for those of you who have never ridden that part of the track, it is very slow since it is a really long turn from the Broadway to 16^th stations. The only way I can describe it is kind of like an airplane landing. While the airplane is at its full height and speed, you can hear the roar as the wind goes by, similar to the beginning of the blue line. Then when the plane comes in for a landing, it seems to go a lot slower, and everything gets a little quieter. Anyways it doesn't matter, the trains have a schedule, they don't change, and the train will not "go faster" just because you woke up late. Kind of reminds me of the guy who said he would never ride the bus because he had to transfer 4 times to go five miles… one word: bike.

This is why I DO take the light rail

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:52:00 +0000

Yesterday I posted why I DON'T take the bus. This recent article on 'unmet transit needs' at RT Rider shows just how dumbfounding the bus service can be. Today I thought I'd tell you all why I DO take the light rail. Well first, I work 2 blocks from one of the stations. So basically I can get to school and back and only pay as much gas as if I only drove to work every day. So assuming a school day that starts at 8am (its noon for me this semester, but 8 is the usual), it takes about 45-60 minutes to get from my house to school. Think I live far away? No. MapQuest says it should take 18 minutes. Ok so in reality with no traffic it takes about 25 to get to school, about 30-35 to get to my classroom door. So how much in gas was it costing me to do this drive 5 times a week? About $50-70 a week. Now during the morning I would SIT IN STOPPED TRAFFIC on the off ramp from I-5 to Highway 50 for AS MUCH AS TWENTY FIVE MINUTES. That is less than 1000 feet. Okay so far in my experiment I have been spending about $60 a month. In case you aren't good at math in your head, that's one tank a month. So instead, I make a 10 minute drive to the LRT station, a drive I would have to make to get to work anyway. Then a 27 minute ride on the light rail, requiring a 3 minute transfer wait at the 16^th street station, then a 15 minute walk to get to the door of my classroom. Lets add that together. 10+27+15=52. Driving with no traffic: about 35 minutes, close to an hour with traffic. So with an almost negligible increase in travel time, and more than a 75% cut in gas expenses (not to mention the lack of maintenance and oil changes etc), I can get to the same place. On top of that, since I don't need to have my hands on a steering wheel, I have time where I can read nearly a chapter a day in one of my books while riding the light rail. More time for me to save the world in Oblivion :D Well that's two cents why I avoid the bus like the plague, and two cents why the light rail is almost like a second job, that's my … four cents… ok I think these lame jokes mean its bedtime.

This is why I don’t take the bus

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:16:00 +0000

Plagued by a slew of computer problems that all happened at once, I've been stuck without my desktop PC for nearly two months. Friday was the day where I was going to go out to fry's to get one final part. I had all day so I thought I'd try to take the bus. Well I didn't. Nope not even tried. Here's why:

Option 1	002, 015, 013	3:01p	4:44p	103	2	0.15	$4.25
Option 2	002, 533, 013	3:01p	4:44p	103	2	0.32	$4.25
Option 3	002, 011, 013	3:01p	4:48p	106	2	0.26	$4.25
Option 4	002, 011, 014	3:01p	5:09p	128	2	0.36	$4.25
Option 5	002, 015, 014	3:01p	5:25p	143	2	0.33	$4.25
Option 6	002, 533, 014	3:01p	5:25p	143	2	0.50	$4.25

Yes, those times vary between 103 and 143 minutes, for what should be a 20 minute trip, one of them requiring a half mile walk, both to and from. Wait times between transfers range from 20 minutes to OVER AN HOUR. Ok so lets see what it takes to get to school:

Option 6	002, 507, 034	10:21a	11:32a	70	2	0.31	$4.25
Option 7	002, 507, 087	10:21a	11:35a	73	2	0.31	$4.25
Option 8	002, 030	10:21a	11:36a	74	1	0.25	$2.25
Option 9	002, 038, 030	10:21a	11:36a	74	2	0.25	$3.25
Option 10	002, 142, 030	10:21a	11:36a	74	2	0.35	$3.25

(Options 1-5 arrival times were more than 15 minutes past my declared arrival of 11:45)

Compare the latter to a 10 minute drive, a 27 minute combined blue/gold line ride (includes the 3 minute transfer), and another 15 minute walk to campus, and taking the bus at all seems like nonsense. So all these arguments about bus service versus light rail service is all smoke. If it weren't for the light rail, I'd be driving to school and work. Period. Since Sacramento has no rapid bus transit, I can't say so much about it. Personally, I think the biggest mistake is to look at BRT as a replacement rather than a supplement to LRT. Go back and read my Replacing cars with busses? Please. post, and I mention how Florin Road, being the busiest route on the RT system, would be a very good candidate for a BRT route. If there was a BRT route on that street, I just may be able to ditch the car 100%, riding BOTH BRT and LRT. I think that's enough for my two cents today.

Picked up on a side-street in Madera

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:18:00 +0000

After riding light rail for the first time to the Capital Air Show over the summer, and thus giving taking it to school a try, during my planning for a trip to a friend in Fresno, I thought hey, how bout I ditch the truck and ride the train? So it was set. Amtrak was my official ride, and my friend was planning on picking me up at the station. So I get on the train, and about two hours into the ride they announced there was a problem on the tracks, and that we would be stopping at Madera until the problem was cleared. Since my friend had already been waiting for about 45 minutes (the station is close to his work, so there was no point in him going home and coming back), and we were about the same distance from Madera as he was, I thought I'd give him a call and ask if he wanted to pick me up there instead. Big mistake. As soon as I got off I immediately regretted making that decision. I get off the train, with my two very heavy bags, and look around. I see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but the railroad tracks, a warehouse, and some road off in the distance. All that makes up this "station" is a cement platform, and Amtrak sign, and a payphone. All I can think is "how the hell is he going to find me…" I was on the phone with him, obviously nervous, asking if he got directions. His answer was, it's on 15 ½ street, I think I can find it. Great. I'm in the middle of nowhere and he's counting on finding this place based on numbers… the street ends in HALF… I don't think it's going to be between 15^th and 16^th streets. Well I was right about that. He spends about 20 minutes driving around, the train has left, and he's saying he sees train tracks and houses. I see train tracks, but no houses! I realize that he's obviously lost, so I start walking hoping to find a main intersection. About 30 more minutes go by and it's now dark, I'm on some random street, and I feel a reenactment of the Chicago incident (link coming soon) coming on. He's no closer to finding me. A little over an hour goes by, and I walk past a new housing development, a school, and I can see a stoplight. Never has the sight of a STOPLIGHT been such a BLESSING. By now it's really dark and I see
a radio tower off in the distance. So using the relation between ourselves and the radio tower, making me feel like I'm in a rerun of McGiver, he finally manages to reach one of the crossroads I passed during my two hour walk. So he finally finds me, and I learn on our way to the highway that the tracks he saw weren't even the ones my train was on, they were running parallel. So without the little McGiver trick, he would have kept driving up and down those tracks wondering where I was. Lesson of the day: DON'T get off at unknown stations, but most of all: get some damned directions.

Speaking of unusual…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:39:00 +0000

The blog I wrote the other day about the 'naked drunk fighter' reminded me of something even more unusual that occurred a couple of weeks ago. A couple of coworkers and I went to a party, taking one car and leaving the rest at work. We come back at about 6am, and stop at a red light at the intersection right before where we work. There is a white truck in front of us, and when the light changed green, it didn't move. So we honked a couple of times. Still didn't move. We pulled up next to the truck and sitting in the drivers seat was a lady, PASSED OUT. Yes you heard right. A lady stopped at the light, left the engine running, put the thing in park, and dozed off. So one of the people I was with called 9-1-1. When the police arrived they asked us what happened. When we told them, they looked at us confused, looked at the car, and stood there for about 5 seconds, thinking to themselves, are they serious? Finally one of them went to the truck, shined their flashlight inside and tried to wake the lady up. She wouldn't budge. So he tapped on the glass harder and started yelling at her. After about 30 seconds she finally woke up and got out of her car, looking around like she had no clue where the hell she was. The cops said they didn't need us to stay, so we went across the street to work, and since the janitors were still there I ran inside and took a really long piss. Still buzzed, a coworker drove me home. On the way out though, we noticed the police, and the truck were already gone. So this means that either she wasn't drunk, or that she was passed out for so long she had sobered up already. Either way, lesson learned. Don't drive drunk or tired, cause you can make a complete ass out of yourself, besides possibly being sent to the hospital if you get rammed up the rear…

It’s not polite to touch people on the head…

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 23:02:00 +0000

This blog is me blatantly standing in the middle of everything and everyone, yelling THIS IS WHY PEOPLE DON'T RIDE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION! I'm really not sure why exactly this didn't sway me to start driving to my night class, but I guarantee you had this guy been there the next week, it probably would have been the last time I set foot on any mode of public transportation after the sun went down. The very first week of my night class, I was a little irritated because I didn't know the trains only ran every half hour once the Folsom line stopped at 7:30. So after waiting 20 minutes for the downtown train, I sat down and got off at 16^th. I still wasn't sure if the trains were on a different schedule, or if they were really late. Usually my wait for the Ghettoview train was me walking to the other side. I wasn't about to walk over to the map board to find out. I was perfectly happy standing underneath a lamp post by myself where everyone could see me, but not talk to me, touch me, or ask me for a friggin quarter. I did notice, however, someone pacing back and forth along the tracks to my right. I tensed up a little, knowing from my experience while on vacation in Chicago, that if he wanted to do something, he could do it real quick once he got close to me. What made me really for him not to come anywhere near me was the fact that he was walking around with his face pointing the ground, while holding his palms to his cheeks, similar to McCulley Culkin in Home Alone. (You know… AHHHHHHH!). Oh now you get it? Good. Anyways he walked up to me, and said "you know, it's not polite to touch other people's heads". I stared at him a little bit, but all that was going through my mind was "What a nutjob, get away from me NOW". He then went on to say "Don't act stupid, I know you touched my head. I'm just letting you know it's not polite, I don't want any trouble, but don't let it happen again." I simply said "alright", tried VERY HARD not to just burst into laughter… He went on his merry way, holding his palms to his cheeks, facing the ground, and looking up at me every couple of seconds, probably to make sure I wasn't touching his head… What was the security guard doing? Ha. Nothing. This fool could've stabbed me or socked me one real quick… Needless to say I'm sure similar situations have swayed plenty of other people to avoid public transportation like the plague. Click Here for RT Driver's blog entry about policing the mass transit system in Sacramento (which is what caused me to post this blog, even though it happened several weeks before my blog's existence).

One asshule, two asshule, THWEE ASSHULE!

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:42:00 +0000

If The Light is Red...

I had a post all written up and ready to go for today, but today's events were so insane that what was supposed to be today's blog will have to wait another day. So the first thing that happened. Well I'll need a diagram for this one. Ok so assume this is a drawing of the intersection of Elvas and 65^th.

Alright so you see the red and green arrows? That color represents what color the light was for each of them. Well some dumbass decided that even though his light was red, and that cars were about to start turning left in front of him, he decided he was going to GO ANYWAY. Needless to say, the car almost got creamed by oncoming traffic by only a few inches. So that wasn't that big of a deal, and would have never made it to my blog had it not been for what happened later that day on the way home.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up Folks...

What happened on the way home was nearly indescribable. I was sitting at the station, reading one of my textbooks minding my own business. Some guy sat down, and asked what I was studying. I replied 'Strategic Management", he said "Sounds interesting". This was a guy who wasn't too well off, and personally when I'm sitting alone at night I'd rather be left alone. I started talking to him, not wanting to be rude, but thinking "man I wish there was a way to get out of this conversation". The next thing I know I hear something odd behind me. I didn't really pay attention until I heard a car downshift and then take off. Thinking it was nothing more than street racers, I wasn't too interested, but I still turned around to see what was going on. Next thing I know this car rams another car from behind so hard, the car does a complete 180, then smashes into a wall. The guy in the other car stopped for a moment, while I sat there thinking "what the hell", not believing my eyes had just witnessed real life bumper cars. Were they throwing punches with their cars, or had a drag race just gone bad? It looked like the people were going to help, so I thought hmm maybe it was an accident. As soon as I made that thought the car started driving towards the driveway. At this point, the car that got hit hadn't moved, and no one had stepped out. Immediately I'm thinking holy shit this person is hurt, and start running, hoping to maybe even catch a glimpse of the car that ran into him. Not so lucky on the second part, but when I got there a security guard walked out of the car, shaking. You could tell he was both completely terrified and royally pissed at the same time. Another guy who had witnessed the whole thing decided to follow my lead, and we both gave the guy our information since we both saw the incident from two different places. Still blows my mind someone would use their car as a battering ram. Talk about a real asshole… however he did end the conversation for me…

Parking on the Tracks is NOT a Good Idea...

The last thing happened on the train ride home. Im still bewildered at what I witnessed sitting at the station, trying to actually concentrate on my textbook I'm reading, when all of a sudden the train slams on its brakes. My ass was literally almost off the seat, nearly throwing me and my backpack (which had my laptop in it) to the floor. At first I almost laughed, like did the driver really nearly miss the station entirely? No, appears someone decided he/she couldn't wait for the gates, but got gridlocked on the tracks. Smooth move. So today was pretty exciting… maybe I should have some kind of applet on my blog showing when there will be a full moon… eh never mind on that one. All in a days work I guess. Definitely one of My 'Not' so Ordinary Days.

Be a pest, pay the price

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:07:00 +0000

So yesterday I commented on a little light rail pest that was on board. It's easy to say that if you're going to ride public transportation, to follow the rules and be courteous to others, but it's just as easy for others to say screw off! And then pound on the walls of the train and rap about various uses for Vaseline.

What these pests don't understand is that they are doing more than annoying the other people on board. Think of it as a what goes around comes around scenario in real life. Here's the point I'm making: Person A annoys person B. Person B is well off enough that person B can easily afford to drive to work, but chooses not to. Person B gets fed up with the "public" he/she encounters and decides to say screw public transportation, I'm driving! So why is Person A off worse than he/she was before? Well that money Person B was spending on public transit is now going to the oil companies. Don't worry about where the money goes, just remember it's no longer going to the public transportation company. Ok so it's a few bucks a day, who cares? Well first, if enough people are turned away, both after or before even setting foot on a train, that's a good sum of money. On top of that, in order for public transportation companies to get federal money, which is almost an absolute requirement considering the amount of capital required for a LRT line, they have to submit their ridership numbers. (You know that little sensor that keeps the doors from slamming on you? Well it's counting how many people pass through its beam when the doors are open also). So when you take all the local companies competing for a limited amount of funding, the ones with the higher success rates will get that money. So in short, by being a pest you are making sure that you can't get to as many places, and that it's costing more in both time and money to get to the places you can get to. So in other words, if you're going to ride something paid with OPiuM (Other Peoples Money), you should probably treat those people that the money is coming from (either directly or indirectly) with respect, k? (And as someone commented on yesterday's post, it wouldn't hurt to be courteous to others, such as the disabled/elderly. Like, giving up your seat, and maybe… OMG standing if you have to… :P… nuff said)

If you’re gonna ride with the public, expect to deal with the… uh… public

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:41:00 +0000

Monday I was riding the light rail home, and since it was the last 2 car train before the 4 car rush hour trains ran, it was pretty full. Anyways, I was standing and there was a lady sitting down and a guy wearing headphones sitting in the seat across the aisle. Of course, its not even 30 seconds into my ride before he starts yelling out every single word in the song. Immediately the lady across from him looks at him like she is going to kill him. About 2 minutes into the ride she stands up, faces the window away from him and you could tell she was really close to punching him in the face. After 8 minutes that seemed like an hour, he finally left. Not without raising his fists in the air like we were going to cheer for him or something first. Read tomorrow's blog for something else I have to say about this situation. But I will say this: If you ride with the public expect to put up with whatever and whoever the public decides to throw at you. In other words get over it.

Is it just me, or is it a little windy out here?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:52:00 +0000

So I was at work today, and knowing how Sacraghetto is, whether I know about it or not something is happening somewhere. Today that something happened in the parking lot in front of work. All I know is the bartender comes up to me telling me there is about to be a fight in a store in the same shopping center as where I work. So I walk outside and hear a bunch of arguing and there are two bags of clothes lying in the parking lot. So the bartender comes back and tells me something that made this 'normal' situation (for me) hilariously ridiculous. Apparently a lady in the fight was wearing a really long shirt. Alright, so what? Next thing I hear is "SHE HAD NO PANTS ON!". Ok so some lady with a gallon jug of alcohol who is wearing nothing but a shirt decided to go out in public basically NUDE, and get into a fight on top of it all. Well no surprise here, but within 5 minutes two cop cars pull up and you can guess what happened next. Wait, there's more. What is this? Oohohohooh a fire truck. Looks like she got cut in the feisty battle. Pour some of that gallon of alcohol that probably contributes to her getting into drunken public naked fights on the wound and that should make it better. Idiots. All I have to ask is, when you go out into public naked, doesn't it get a little windy?

Yes, restrooms have tiles. Apparently someone likes them. A lot

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:37:00 +0000

Alright so I was on the shitter at school today. Anyways someone somewhere along the lines decided to start something new. Let's write as many words that have the word "tile" in them in the cracks between the tiles on the wall in the restroom. Words like 'crocotile', 'projectile', 'erectile', 'infantile'… I think you get the picture. Speaking of pictures, I should probably post one up, although it would be a little weird to have a camera in the restroom, even if in the confines of a stall. Weird either way.

If it doesn’t work for you, maybe its… you?

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:05:00 +0000

I was reading this article in the opinion section of the Los Angeles Times today, and the headline below the title read "Why nobody, but nobody will ever take mass transit as long as they have a choice." So basically this guy who moved decided he was going to try out taking mass transit to work for a while. Well, according to the article he actually didn't have a choice in the matter, since his car was in the shop. One of the first sentences in one of the paragraphs reads: "Average time, door to desk? A little less than 50 minutes". He goes on to say "Which is fine, until you consider how far I actually live from work — five miles (or 10 minutes, according to Mapquest)". Ok so five miles is a ways to walk, maybe even a ways to ride a bike for some. So, I ask myself: my the hell is it taking him 10 minutes a mile? Well here I'll list the steps he takes to get to work:

A 14-minute, 0.7-mile walk to the Red Line's Vermont/Sunset stop
Followed by a leisurely and contemplative ride down the Observatory-themed station's bottomless escalators
Then (after maybe a three-minute wait) onto the train for the 12-minute jag to Pershing Square
I'd pip off one stop early so that I could breathe in the bustle of Broadway for half a mile before keeping the world safe for opinion journalism.

So, seriously this guy might as well run around the entire city of LA. I go to school on the other side of the city, requiring one single transfer. Maybe it's not him. Maybe LA's transportation system is really that shitty. So since this guy finds himself making more transfers than miles traveled, he decided that everyone has the same problem? At the end there is a place to post comments to his question "What would it take to get you out of your car?" I tried posting a comment, but it said it had to be approved by a moderator first. Needless to say that after 10 days there still hasn't been a single comment approved. Well, it doesn't surprise me that the moderators at LA Times don't want to approve a bunch of comments telling them they are a dumbass.

Think light rail is the shit? Well so does this group of people.

noreply@blogger.com (The Derek) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:17:00 +0000

The folks at Light Rail Now! Sure praise the light rail. Enough to create an entire site, well organization really dedicated to pointing out all the fallacies the light rail opponents use to favor other modes of transportation. Even if you're only here for my random rants about all the characters you meet when you venture out in public alone, it's an interesting read. Don't be surprised if a lot of stuff I use comes from this site. Here I'll do it right now. Currently on their main page there is a line "Dallas: Light rail carries as many as 16% of residents in corridor – on a Sunday!" This is the kind of stuff that decorates almost every page. Impossible you may say, well impossible is the twisted arguments opponents use, making the LRT vs BRT situation sound like an abortion debate. Ill end with a link to one of their pages addressing this very issue (LRT vs BRT that is, I'll leave the abortion debate for someone else…).