Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in georgetowner's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
9:54 pm	R.I.P. Today would have been Jake's 40th birthday. Rest in Peace. Current Mood: melancholy Current Music: Nats Beating Marlins ... Finally (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
6:34 pm	Premature Explosions shoshiboo and I went to the Nationals game vs. Atlanta today. After Scott Olsen was pulled with 2 down in the ninth and the Nats leading by 2 (Olsen had only allowed one through eight innings, but had just given up a two-run homer to new Brave Nate McLouth), Mike MacDougal came in to get the last out. Special shout out here for Scott Olsen. 8 2/3 innings, 116 pitches, 75 for strikes, and he went 2-3 with an RBI at the plate. Needless to say, he was the Player of the Game. A batter later, Chipper Jones is up with Martin Prado on first. On a two strike count, MacDougal unleashed a fastball, Jones swung, and the traditional fireworks exploded around Nationals Park. Only one problem: Chipper got a piece of the ball. It was a foul tip, not strike three. According to Nationals Journal, Chipper turned toward the Nationals dugout and said, "You've got one more pitch, bro." Jones actually wound up walking. When MacDougal finally retired Brain McCann, the third batter he faced, for the final out, the PA system piped up "Beautiful Day" by U2, the scoreboards all flashed Charlie Slowes' "Bang Zoom Go the Fireworks" radio call ... but no fireworks. I guess after they went off prematurely, they just didn't have time to reload. Current Mood: chipper (Comment on this)
Friday, May 8th, 2009
12:58 am	Trek is Dead ... Long Live Trek I saw the new Star Trek film tonight. Wow! It rocked. The characters were instantly recognizable, yet different. Karl Urban channeled De Kelley as "Bones" McCoy. Zachary Quinto hit Spock well, as Leonard Nimoy said he did in interviews before the premieres. Chris Pine had an interesting take on Kirk, etc. Since anyone reading this soon likely has not yet seen the film I will not spoil it. Suffice it to say that the Star Trek you have been watching for 40-plus years is gone. That Trek is finished after this film; it rewrites everything. The crazy thing is, J. J. Abrams and Co. somehow managed to make the crew feel comfortable like your favorite pair of slacks, yet fresh. Kudos all around. A whole new Trek universe was born today. The old one is gone, and a new, exciting, yet-to-be explored one has risen in its place. Current Mood: giddy Current Music: Nationals @ LAD (Comment on this)
Monday, May 4th, 2009
11:10 pm	Oh, What a Night! Even though it's not late December 1963, what a night! shoshiboo and I went to the Nationals game tonight in the misty rain. We settled into our seats up in Section 309 and got ready for the game. One of the Nat Pack shows up before first pitch and asked us whether we wanted to move down. Of course we would! Clint (the stadium host) and his co-host, Yolanda, introduced themselves to tell us how the operation would go. After the end of the first inning, they would show us on the big center field scoreboard and then we'd be escorted to our upgraded seats down in Section 124, in the PNC Diamond Club. First funny thing: Yolanda and I work for the same large multinational corporation. When she was up for the co-host spot, I read a Nationals blog that said she worked for my employer ... so I looked her up on the corporate intranet and sent her an email wishing her luck on winning the co-host competition. I told her who I was and we had a laugh. As we were entering the PNC Diamond Club en route to our new seats, our guide turned to us and asked whether we knew a guy named Kyle. I started to say no, then realized one of my wife's fraternity brothers, who we've run into at the stadium before, was named Kyle. It turns out that Kyle saw us on the big scoreboard screen, saw it was one of his groomsmen escorting us to our upgraded digs, and called him. We turned around, and there he was. After catching up for a couple minutes, we actually went to our new seats. They were nice. The tickets came with a $35 food credit to boot. I even ran down a foul ball off Lance Berkman's bat that landed near my seat. I gave it to shoshiboo of course. As for the game, the Nats spotted Houston four runs, then started chipping away in support of starter John Lannan. Two in the fifth, then a five-spot in the sixth to take the lead. Two more in the seventh, and the final score of 9-4 Nationals was on the board. Now, during the game, every so often the big scoreboard would flash an update from the Capitals playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The scores went up: 1-0 Pens, 1-1, 2-1 Pens, 2-2. Then, as the scoreboard flashed the update showing the Caps up 3-2, I started a "Let's Go Caps" chant. As I stopped, the 3 turned to a 4. Restart the chant. The Caps took the game 4-3 after Pittsburgh managed a 6-4 power play goal with their goalie pulled with 30 seconds left in the game. Upon returning home, we had messages from two friends who were at the game and spotted us on the scoreboard. Still more fun! So, the Caps won to go up 2-0 in their playoff series with the Penguins. The Nats came back from 4-0 to beat Houston, and we got the seat upgrade to boot. Oh, what a night! Current Mood: ecstatic (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
4:06 pm	Pathetic It is official. The Washington Redskins are the WORST team in the National Football League. I know they have seven wins, but as of today, they are the worst team in the NFL. They scored but 13 points against the woeful 1-11-1 Cincinnati Bengals, the team that reclaimed their old "Bungles" nickname with their poor performance this season. How awful was it? On 1st and Goal form the 1, a badly mangled bootleg, followed by a dive by fullback Mike Sellers that failed to get in, followed by another Sellers dive on which he not only failed to get in, but lost the ball trying to stretch it across the goal line. Even after an 87-yard kickoff return with just over two minutes remaining, getting the ball at the Cincinnati 13, they could not gain a yard, in fact lost yardage then only managed a field goal. Santana Moss, with his team behind 17-0, caught a touchdown pass, then promptly pulled out a towel to polish his shoe. What an idiotic move! The refs called the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, as they should have. I could go on, but it's just not worth my time. Current Mood: pissed off Current Music: Post-Debacle (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 4th, 2008
11:34 pm	39 Today, August 4, 2008, would have been Jake's 39th birthday. I think he'd have enjoyed it, seeing the hometown Nats head west after sweeping the Reds to brighten up a dismal season just a tad, and loving having seen the Redskins finally look like a professional football team, even if it was a preseason game. He'd have really enjoyed seeing his Yankees come back late yesterday to beat the Angels yesterday, though seeing them go down to a walk-off grand slam tonight wouldn't have been so enjoyable. Even on your birthday, you can't have it all. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Nats/Rockies (Comment on this)
Monday, July 7th, 2008
10:42 pm	Yet Another Reason ... ... that Trader Joe's is so cool. Find me another store in which I can shop to old-school Rush? It's more than not having to use gas to get kosher chicken at cheaper prices than the suburban kosher markets. Am I geeked about joining shoshiboo and thegameiam for Rush's Hershey show next Thursday night? Oh yeah, I'm geeked. Current Mood: tired Current Music: Rush, "New World Man" (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
6:55 pm	Last October, I wrote about the Redskins and their identity. At that time, I wrote: Here is the sum of the Redskins situation. They are 2-5. They deserve to be. They can, and should, be better. The coaches and players are, as Coach Gibbs has said ad nauseam, all part of what is going on, and all in this together. Plenty of people have spoken about what the Redskins' identity is. Until they collectively start playing and coaching better, their identity is just this: a bunch of losers. I know the 'Skins had to deal with the loss of Sean Taylor this week, that he would be on their minds. The team spoke of using Taylor's memory to drive them, to honor him by going out and playing hard. Instead, the team could not do the very basics of football. At some point, football comes down to blocking and tackling. At no time today did the Redskins open any hole for a running back. Clinton Portis has 25 carries for only 50 yards, with a long run of six. They surrendered three sacks, including one for a safety, to a Buffalo defense that had only 10 for the season entering today's game. QB Jason Campbell was running for his life the entire day. Campbell and his receivers tried, and through much of the first half, did pretty well. In the end, though, with inadequate line play, they could not punch the ball into the end zone. The handwriting was already on the wall, even with the Redskins' first two drives lasting 14 and 13 plays, consuming plenty of clock: They could not score, and the team with the most points wins. On the other side of the ball, the Redskins' defense consistently gave up yards after contact to Buffalo's third (!?) string running back, Fred Jackson. I lost track of the number of times a would-be Redskin tackler would hit Jackson, only to be dragged along for two, three, of four extra yards. Against Buffalo's rookie QB, Trent Edwards, they failed to mount a solid pass rush. When the 'Skins blitzed, Buffalo picked it up every time. If you have no pass rush, you have no pass defense. As per the coaching, Coach Gibbs also screwed up at the end, calling that second time-out, forcing the officials to hand Buffalo 15 more yards, turning a 51-yard attempt into a much more makeable 36-yarder. Had the players done their job before that, it would not have ever come up. Sooner or later, you have to hit the guy in front of you and either block him or get off his block and tackle the guy with the ball. You have to want it more than the guy in the other uniform. Even spurred on by Sean Taylor's memory and a stated desire to play for him, the Redskins still did not. It showed and cost them yet another game today. What I said last fall, much to my dismay, still fits. My Redskins, love them as I still do, are a bunch of losers. Current Mood: disappointed Current Music: post-game show (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
6:28 am	RIP I started working on something to say yesterday when I first heard Sean Taylor had been shot. As the day and then the night wore on and the crime came into increasingly horrifying focus, I kept thinking about it. When hearing he was in an ICU bed and had responded to a doctor's request to squeeze his hand, it brightened my mood -- and, I think, the mood of this entire city. Upon waking this morning, I saw no further updates, saw TV news getting reaction from commuters at a Metro station about the crime. I took my morning shower, only to be greeted by the news of Sean's death when I finished. How do I feel about it? I keep coming back to a thought I had yesterday. The last time I recall the DC area community feeling like this, coming together to worry about a young athlete just blossoming into his career was June 1986. All I could do, I thought, was pray that Sean Taylor's story would end better than Len Bias' had. Now, we all know, it will not. Baruch dayan emet. Rest in peace, Sean Taylor. We will not forget you. Current Mood: crushed Current Music: None (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
8:29 pm	Shortsighted As noted in The Washington Post, DC Government officials are in a snit that the Nationals are hosting a gala and having some fan events outside the District of Columbia. The list of upset politicians even includes Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, usually considered baseball's biggest friend on the council. Their consternation, as described by the Post article, derives from the Nationals' audacity to actually host anything outside the DC city limits. I just don't get it. As the Post article noted, the team paid $250,000 to host their charity gala last year at DC's swank Mandarin Oriental hotel. The new National Harbor, just south of DC in Prince Georges County, MD, is allowing the gala to use its hotel for free. So, that's $250,000 more that goes to the Nationals Dream Foundation before the first ticket is sold. It seems to me that hosting the gala at National Harbor will benefit the city; more money will go directly to DC children than anything the city would take in off taxes from the event. The other Nationals event that has DC politicians' ire is that the team will hold a day-long "FanFest" in Bethesda, MD, one subway stop north of the city line. Guess what, Mr. Evans, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Barry, Mr. Graham, and Co.? The city wins here in the long run and the short run. The Nationals should be able to draw fans from the suburbs and exurbs, even from farther-flung points such as Richmond and the Tidewater area of Virginia. You want the Nationals to develop those areas and prompt fans to support the team. Those fans will come in to see games and spend money in the District when they do. How parochial an attitude you have displayed, pitching a fit that the team would deign bringing events to their fans outside of DC, to cultivate markets outside the city's boundaries. The District's Mayor and Council Members should be encouraged by a suburban business effectively handing a quarter-million dollars to a DC charity for the benefit of DC residents. Part of having the team here is to get those outside of DC to spend money here and support the city. I am puzzled that those supposedly bright people cannot see the big picture, that DC's baseball team is trying to make that happen. I should note here that the team has stated they are working on kickoff events to be held in DC - they have not yet announced them because plans are not complete. DC will not be left out or ignored, so that argument just fails to hold up. So much offense taken over a DC-based business trying to promote itself? How incredibly shortsighted! Current Mood: annoyed Current Music: none (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, October 15th, 2007
9:40 pm	Thoughts on Moss It's no secret that Santana Moss played a big role in the Redskins losing yesterday to the Packers in Green Bay, 17-14. He let one pass go off his hands and to a waiting Charles Woodson, handing Woodson what went down as [Redskins QB] Jason Campbell's only interception yesterday. Moss also fumbled the ball Woodson returned for the winning score. He then got all the way behind the defense only to miss Jason Campbell's on-target pass; after the game, Santana said he hurt his hamstring on the play and it distracted him. To Moss' credit, he openly said there was no excuse, hamstring or not, weather or not, for the miscues. Had he made any of the three plays, the Redskins likely either take the game to OT or win outright in regulation. This was a big game for Washington; they would have been 4-1 and even with Dallas in the loss column, plus would have earned a tie breaker over Green Bay, should a playoff berth ride on that. I recall another Redskins wide receiver who single-handedly made enough mistakes to lose a big game. On January 11, 1987, the Redskins fell 17-0 in the NFC Championship Game. Five times that day, Gary Clark raced through the vaunted Giants defense, getting behind everyone. Five times, Jay Schroeder laid the ball right in Clark's arms, even through the swirling gales of Giants Stadium. Five times, Clark dropped the ball or flat missed it. Had Clark caught any three of the five, and the Redskins would have been in the Super Bowl. I had a unique vantage point for the Redskins' return after the season-ending loss: at the door to Redskins Park. I watched the players -- those whose wives did not pick them up at the airport -- as they walked back into the practice facility. Joe Gibbs was Joe Gibbs. He smiled a bit, and made sure to stop and thank all the fans for being so great to the team. Darrell Green was all grins and smiles. he knew the Redskins would be back next year, and was already looking forward to it. Schroeder? I've never seen a more shell-shocked, stunned look on a man's face. I was far from surprised when he was traded a year later. As for Gary Clark, he wore dark sunglasses so no one could see his eyes. He was visibly, slowly shaking his head, clearly upset with himself. He knew he could have changed that game by executing; no one needed to tell him. All players have bad days. The great ones take the frustration and turn it to fuel a renewed drive to excel. Others fall apart. I'm betting Santana will turn out to be in the former. Please prove me right. Current Mood: hopeful Current Music: none (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
9:35 pm	Unveiling Earlier today, I went to the unveiling for my brother's grave marker. My mother and I, along with some friends and family, went to his grave to unveil the permanent marker. After some Tehillim, we pulled the cover off the stone and bronze plaque, which read: JACOB NATHAN PERKINS Nachman Ya'akov ben Dov Beloved Son Aug. 4, 1969 - Feb. 5, 2007 Rabbi Tessler said a few words, then we said a Kel Male Rachamim and the Mourner's Kaddish. Afterward, most in attendance came out to my mother's in Poolesville to reminisce. Thanks to all who came out for taking time from your Sundays to support and share your memories with us on this solemn occasion. As the grave marker we uncovered this afternoon attests, memories are all we have left of Jake. Having your support when today's ceremony once again made raw the wound of our loss helped ease the pain. Current Mood: blah Current Music: none (Comment on this)
Monday, October 1st, 2007
10:37 pm	Nats Season Wraps; Looking Ahead The Nationals' season is over. While I cannot be ecstatic about a losing record, I am not unhappy. I am, frankly, looking forward to my team's future. After the doomsayers predicted a historically bad season, in which the Nats were supposed to challenge the 1962 Mets' all-time record for futility, and even Barry Svrluga, who covered the team for The Washington Post expected them to lose 100, the Nats finished 73-89, a far more respectable record than anyone expected. Even more importantly, after the team's woeful 9-25 start to the season, they finished 64-64. The team that was supposed to be historically bad, at least the worst team in Major League Baseball, played .500 ball for about 80 percent of the season. Moreover, they did it fighting injuries all over. The team lost two starters on opening day, and the supposed ace of their pitching staff was never healthy. Their star first baseman, Nick Johnson, was never active for a single game, and I never did really keep track of who was in the starting rotation. So how did the Nats play as well as they did? Their rotation-by-committee and bullpen-by-committee managed to keep them in most games. The bullpen, even though the most heavily used in the majors, was stout and pretty reliable, allowing the Nationals to come back in a bunch of games late. That's how Jon Rauch, the setup man who appeared in more games than anyone else in baseball this year, also led the team in wins. Star 3B Ryan Zimmerman regularly made insanely good plays, even with the occasional blunder. SS Christian Guzman, when healthy, turned in career-best offensive numbers, and while Nick Johnson never returned from a 2006 broken leg, 1B Dimitri Young resurrected his career by hitting .320 and earning an All-Star appearance. The Nationals also played their last game at venerable RFK Stadium before moving to their new Nationals Park, now under construction on S. Capitol St. (Click here or on the photo above to see my pictures from the final game at RFK.) The Nationals have a brightening future to go along with their spanking new digs. Zimmerman, who I believe should get a Gold Glove for his work this year, only turned 23 a few days ago. Jesus Flores, a Rule 5 pickup from the New York Mets, was surprisingly good backing up Brian Schneider, to the point where the team wonders how to get enough playing time for them both. SS Christian Guzman's bat came alive when he was not on the DL, and Young had a career year. IF Ronnie Belliard hit over .300 much of the year, and turned in some amazing plays at 2B after Guzman went down, forcing Felipe Lopez to SS. Both Young and Belliard have been signed through 2009. Youth coming up was a big theme. Besides Zimmerman and Flores, who turns 23 this month, two players moved all the way from A-League ball to the majors. P John Lannan began 2007 in Carolina League (High A) Potomac, and debuted in the starting rotation July 25. Olney, MD, native and Maryland graduate Justin Maxwell rose all the way from Low-A Hagerstown, through Potomac, and on to the Nationals as a September callup. He showed he belonged, flying out -- opposite field -- to the wall about 395 feet away on his first at bat, then making his first MLB hit a pinch-hit Grand Slam in Florida. Maxwell also impressed with good speed and judgment in center field, not to mention a solid throwing arm. Shawn Hill and Jason Bergmann, who both pitched well for long stretches, are only 26. I won't go into a bunch of other players in the Nats' system here, though I should mention an entire pitching staff with ridiculously good stats at short-season Vermont. After well over a decade of Brave domination in the NL East, Three different teams have won the division the last three years: Atlanta in 2005, the Mets last year, and now the Phillies. Enjoy it while you can. The Nationals are coming. Current Mood: hopeful Current Music: "Magic", Bruce Springsteen (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
11:02 pm	Labor Day Weekend 2007 shoshiboo and I went on our annual Labor Day Weekend trip to Luray, VA. The cabin we rented this year was the nicest place we've yet had: four bedrooms, two and a half baths (one with a jaccuzzi tub), a game room with pool table and skeeball machine, even a barbecue pavillion (with running water, light, and a roof so you can grill in all weather. It all made for a great time. w00t! thegameiam joined us this year, without Sarah but with Kacy . Ari, his wife Rebecca, and Yah-el also came along. We did a lot of our usual: lots of food, a relaxing Shabbat, and rafting the Shenandoah Sunday, followed by lots of grilling. We also, however, had plenty of gaming: Settlers of Catan and Robo Rally, plus Ari taught David to solve the Rubik's Cube on his own. We played plenty of pool and skeeball in the game room. We did not, however, get in the Civ game David had hoped for. The real fun, though, was outside. One thing about the way the cabin and its ground were laid out (a fence or wall nearly surrounded the cabin's grounds: it was not very hard to build an eruv. So, we had an eruv for the first time on a Labor Day Weekend getaway. It made walking Kacy a bit easier, and would have let us toss a few horseshoes had we so desired. Driving up the lane from the road, we drove over several "cow catchers" and learned why Sunday. The cows came by. They hung around outside the fence and munched on the grass. On our way to and from rafting, we passed a bunch that were alongsid ethe lane back to the public road. A couple seemed to want to poke their heads into the car and look around as we passed, but did not actually get in our way. Several were skittish, and stayed away from us. Others just ignored us. Some came right up to the fence and said hello. One large black cow stuck her nose through the fence a few times and even let me pet her. Shoshana read later in the cabin's journal that the previous renters had fed the cows some fruit; perhaps they wanted more. Funny that we were playing with the cows late Sunday afternoon while grilling several large rib steaks in the barbecue pavillion. Leaving the cabin Monday, it was nice to be heading home, but I knew I'd miss the place. Perhaps we'll return next year. Check out photos of the weekend in my flickr stream here. Current Mood: exhausted (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 21st, 2007
10:18 pm	Open Letter to Quest Diagnostics I live and work in downtown Washington, DC. Quest already makes it difficult for me to get my lab work done, thanks to your downtown locations' hours. Two walkable locations, 2141 K St., NW, and 1145 19th St. NW, both close at 4:00 pm. Since I cannot leave work that early, I have to run to your Chevy Chase, MD (5454 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 1335) location before they close at 5:00 pm. I have already done so a couple of times. The staff I ran into was always polite, and told me I was far from the only person that told them of running out from downtown to get there before closing. Friday, July 20, I had a horrible customer experience courtesy of your Chevy Chase, MD, location. I arrived at the door to Suite 1335 at 4:54 pm per my watch and found the door locked. I tried knocking several times, since I could hear voices on the other side of the door. After knocking several more times, a gentleman opened the door to leave at 4:58 pm. I used the open door to walk in to the office. Your employee, who I had not seen there before and only gave her name as "Lydia," told me the office was closed, that it was 5:05 and they closed at 5:00. I told her that: It was only 4:59 (the minute had just turned) on my watch, and I had been waiting and knocking longer than five minutes "Lydia" claimed that the gentleman I saw leave had signed in "at 4:58" and was their last patient of the day. She was clear that she refused to take care of my lab work, forcing me to leave. I know my watch is accurate, because I keep it set regularly per the timebase from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Just to be sure, I checked my watch to two different signals from there upon returning home. For the record, my watch was six seconds fast. The free time service from the telephone company (844-2525 from any local area code), which your locations could certainly use to set their clocks if they care to do so, agrees with that assessment. If you insist on ending your DC locations' hours before the end of my (and most others') work days, forcing me (us) to run and get to a suburban location before 5:00, then make sure that location stays open until 5:00. I was there early enough (based on past experience; I am usually out in under five minutes barring your staff asking me to wait) to walk in, take care of giving whatever sample(s) my lab work required, and still be out to let your employee close at 5:00. Instead, I was greeted by a locked door. MJP Washington, DC Current Mood: pissed off Current Music: none (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
10:27 pm	Rush Hour Sunday night, shoshiboo joined me, thegameiam and David's wife at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ to see Rush on their Snakes & Arrows Tour. I had been looking forward to the show -- my first Rush concert -- for some time. Rush did not disappoint. From the opening video leading into Alex Lifeson's extended riff to open "Limelight", then Geddy Lee and Neil Peart joining in, all the way to the final strains of "YYZ" and Lee's heartfelt goodnight, the band showed why they are one of rock history's greatest. Rush played for almost exactly three hours, minus an intermission of about 20 minutes' duration. How many bands ever do (or have ever done) that? They played nine songs from their new album, and an assortment of other tracks. The band covered well-known tracks like "Tom Sawyer" and lesser-known numbers like "Circumstances" that Rush had not played live in decades. The crowd was on its feet most of the night. I don't just mean the orchestra pit near the stage, I mean the whole crowd or close to it, from the front row to the lawn, few seats were occupied. The band rocked, and so did the crowd. What a night! Current Mood: chipper Current Music: none (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, June 8th, 2007
5:15 pm	Busted! I've heard for years that DC police would ticket people for jaywalking. My mother told me stories about it from when she grew up in the District. Never, however, did I see it firsthand ... until today. Walking to work this morning, I saw a police cruiser parked on 18th between Connecticut and N. Not seeing anyone in the cruiser or anything amiss, I checked for traffic and, not seeing any, started to cross, as the gentleman a couple steps in front of me had already done. That's when I noticed Officer P. Rios of the MPD, who asked me to come over and produce some ID. Busted ... for jaywalking ("Walking against Don't Walk signal" as per the citation), a $25 fine in DC. Oh well, I'll pay the fine. This episode does bring up a pet peeve about walking around DC. The system of pedestrian signals does not work. If one follows it religiously, i.e., never sets foot in a street on a "Don't Walk" signal and walks only on a "Walk" signal, you will have a hard time getting places. It will certainly take you longer than watching traffic, street signals, and using common sense regarding when to cross. In my view, it also increases the chance you will be struck by a vehicle. Pedestrian signals not only delay those walking the streets and avenues from reaching their destinations, but often provide a false sense of safety that can prove injurious, if not deadly. Most commonly, a street signal turns green and the pedestrians parallel to that street get a "Walk" signal. The pedestrians walk out into the crosswalk because it must be safe to go, right? What about the car turning right or left -- right across the crosswalk! It happens all the time! Almost daily, I see at least one person nearly hit by a car because they assume the "Walk" signal means it is safe to cross. Regardless of what the pedestrian signal says, you still must check traffic around you to ensure that no car is going to hit you. If no car is coming, it is safe to cross. If not, it is unsafe. Those facts remain true regardless of what the pedestrian signal says. I understand the need to have signals at major intersections; 17th St./Connecticut Ave. and K St. NW comes to mind. Without signals, there is so much traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, that total chaos would ensue without direction. Yet, even at intersections like that, the inability of a mere signal to indicate a safe time to cross prompts traffic control officers to take to the intersection (2-3 of them at 17th/CT & K during rush hour), to stop the cars that otherwise would turn right across the pedestrians in the crosswalk. Pedestrians are not saints; they do plenty that is wrong, obnoxious, and just stupid. A prime example is the idiots who cross the ramp from westbound K St. to northbound Connecticut Ave. (right outside the entrance to the Farragut North Metro Station) just as the cars get their few seconds of green light per cycle. They contribute to clogged traffic, upset drivers for no decent reason, and risk getting hit by the cars speeding to get through that short light and head north on Connecticut Ave. Pedestrians that do that sort of thing, completely lacking in common sense, if not something worse, ought to be cited. A fine might make them think in the future. Crossing a one-lane, one-way street with no traffic approaching, however, does not fit that bill, regardless of whether a pedestrian signal is installed. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: none (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
7:11 pm	Da Bomb Shoshana and I went to the Nationals game at RFK Stadium against the Padres earlier today. It rained the entire time, and we got soaked. The RFK grounds crew kept spreading around diamond dry (up to eight bags each half-inning!) trying to keep the field playable. Unfortunately, the Nats lost the game, 7-3. Giving up a three-run homer in the top of the first was not the way to start the game, but the Nats did come back from that to tie the game 3-3, and how they did it! Ryan Zimmerman stepped in in the bottom of the third. I had noticed all day how Padres starter David Wells had been leaving the ball up in the zone. I knew that a lefty like Wells leaving a ball up against a big righty like Zimmerman could mean something big. I thought to myself, "Hondo Shot?" I was right. As soon as the ball leapt off Zimmerman's bat, it was gone. Long gone. "How far is this going to go?" gone. According to the writeup I read on mlb.com after the game, it landed in Section 533. Video posted online showed the ball hitting the stairs on the side of that section, about two or three rows up. Will the Nationals paint the yellow seat nearest the landing spot white, as the Senators did for the prodigious blasts Howard jacked up there? Perhaps another color, to differentiate it from Hondo's landing sites? We'll see. Generally, all I would say is, "They lost. No single play or achievement matters since the team lost." However, there are a few things one sees so seldom, they still stand out; are still worth remembering, even during a loss. Even Frank Howard only hit 19 balls up into those 5xx-level outfield seats. While I have seen a few come close (Daryle Ward's eighth-inning moon shot against Houston last year comes to mind; the one Alfonso Soriano followed with a 425-foot blast to dead center field), I have never -- except for today -- seen anyone actually hit the yellow seats. I'll keep that memory around a while, thank you. Current Music: none (2 Comments |Comment on this)
6:47 pm	Verizon Part Deux In my last post, I wrote about the troubles with Verizon Online and their seeming lack of notice about the end of my annual contract. I finally had time to call them Friday. Once I managed to get through the IVR menus and reach a real person, I described the problem. The rep claimed to find in her "system" that I had been emailed a notice about the end of the annual contract on April 11, but that she certainly would allow me to renew and grant me a "courtesy credit" of the higher rate I had already been billed. I thanked her for issuing the credit, while reminding her that: (a) I never received the email; (b) Per their own FAQ (see last post), I should not only have received an email, but also a phone call and US mail letter; and (c) asked her to register my displeasure that the billingservices@verizon.net email to which their website directed me was not even monitored. So, in the end, Verizon failed to admit any wrongdoing (wow. shock. stun ... NOT!), but did enough in the way of 'making things right' to appease me. They had better not pull the same stunt next year. I will be more than a little upset if they do. Current Mood: tired Current Music: none (Comment on this)
Monday, May 28th, 2007
9:23 pm	Verizon Woes I have been a Verizon DSL customer for a few years now. The service has been pretty reliable: no outages in two years or more, and download speeds in the T1 range (i.e., 1.5 Mbps) - though I am certain my proximity to the CO with the DSLAM plays a significant role in that. On that side of the equation, I am quite satisfied. Here's the problem. My monthly fee went up, unannounced. I had been on their annual subscription to save money. I guess the year ran out, but no one from Verizon Online contacted me in any fashion: not by voice, snail mail, or email. Sure enough, even their own FAQ states, 7. How will I know when to renew my Verizon Online DSL One Year Plan? You will receive a USPS letter, phone call and an e-mail to your @verizon.net address to remind you to renew your Verizon Online One Year Plan. You can renew with a few clicks online at verizon.net/renew at least 30-59 days prior to your expiration date. If you have an alternate e-mail address and want us to send your reminder e-mail to that address too, please update your Verizon Online My Account by clicking here. [links removed] So, they were supposed to contact me and failed to do so. So, I figured I would call them. My paper bill, as well as the "View Bill Information" page said to call 1-800-567-6789 or email billingservices@verizon.net. The 800 number said - after several levels of IVR menus - that the offices were closed for Memorial Day. I can understand that somewhat since Verizon is mostly a union shop. What I don't get, and really raised my ire, was the autoresponse to the email I sent billingservices@verizon.net, the address to which I noted multiple links on Verizon Online's website, each stating to email that address for a different reason: From: billingservices@verizon.net Subject: Re:Complaint: Plan Changed Without Consent or Warning [#16550256] Date: May 28, 2007 3:56:20 PM EDT To: address removed for my privacy We apologize, but you have reached an email box that does not respond to incoming emails. It is not monitored. However, your issues and questions are important to us. Please visit our Verizon Online website at : http://www.verizon.net/myaccount To send an email or chat with a representative, please click the help tab at the top of the window, and select the "Contact Us" link on the left-hand side. Not only did Verizon Online either raise my rate for no known reason or fail to notify me my annual plan was expiring, but then suggested on their own website that I use an unmonitored mailbox to contact them! I will be contacting Verizon Online's billing office, and they shall get an earful. Current Mood: pissed off Current Music: Rush, "Tom Sawyer" (Comment on this)