tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244354652011-12-14T15:22:51.986-08:00Thoughts and observations from an Orange Line rider.VMJnoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-18542569401329144302008-10-01T10:08:00.000-07:002008-10-01T10:10:48.699-07:00

{DOORS ARE CLOSING}After eight years, my ride is at an end. My last few rides home have been uneventful with the exception of a 90 minute delay into work one morning. With a somewhat more regular schedule, I was surprised not to see some of my regulars. Not a single one. Even Grumbles was absent.I did have a somewhat interesting surprise outside of my commuting world. At a local Best Buy I caught

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-17757901693693563802008-09-01T13:10:00.000-07:002008-09-01T13:14:40.754-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Yup, still around, and still kicking, but not for much longer. This is the penultimate post for OLR, not that there was that many to begin with. Or an audience greater than 10. But hey, I still love you all. So let's get on with the latest and greatest, shall we?{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS}Part of the drought this time was more of a product of the insane work hours I'd been

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-66529800122293659952008-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:002008-06-10T18:50:17.849-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Oh yes, it is going to be one of those posts. No doubt the majority of you have heard what transpired over the last 48 hours on the Orange Line. Considering how bad things have been in the past, I’ll be the first to admit that it could have been far, far worse. But then again, what little faith I had left on the reliability of our public transportations has been whittled down to

VMJnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-85630574456441873812008-05-08T18:24:00.000-07:002008-05-08T18:25:56.504-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} Things have changed for me since I wrote last. Sort of. While my shorter-by-one-stop commute really hasn’t made a clear difference on my overall commute time, I’m beginning to notice things about the commute. Some good, some not. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} I’ve gotten into slugging it into work a lot more as of late (a refresher for my West Coast folks; it’s an

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-20451788756563706332008-02-24T20:53:00.000-08:002008-02-24T20:55:01.997-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} So, the weather’s really been acting typical of this region, hasn’t it? And, as the weather goes, so too, does the commuting masses of the D.C. Metro area. It seems that Mother Nature all has but to sneeze and the city suddenly trips over itself. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} Three weeks ago, we were warned about a possible chance of some freezing rain during the

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-86077992225268411382008-02-04T20:37:00.000-08:002008-02-04T20:39:34.010-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} Okay, not really. Today was the first day for me my company’s shiny new headquarters in Rosslyn, VA. Really, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Potomac and one stop less on the Orange Line. It’s going to be a while before I can really figure out how this will impact my overall commute. The building itself is only two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station, which

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-17470599661415255972008-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:002008-01-24T22:10:31.490-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} For the worst commute I’ve ever had. If the WMATA wonders why they cannot get federal funding for the rail extension to Dulles Airport and beyond, they are obviously not regular riders of their own system. Train stations are being held up by jacks and two-by-fours (I only wish that were a joke). Even their e-mail alert system has pretty much proven to be useless unless there

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-33619249424118513122007-10-31T20:21:00.000-07:002007-10-31T20:31:39.396-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Yeah, drop them eyebrows, it’s another post. This one’s a quickie, but only because I need to wipe from memory this morning’s commute.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}Every so often if I’m running a little behind schedule, I’ll try to slug it in so as to not get to work too late (and in some cases arrive earlier than usual. Today was one of those mornings and I managed to catch a

VMJnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-34386212215977951592007-10-18T19:46:00.000-07:002007-10-18T20:01:43.160-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} Yeah, it’s been a while. Work’s been a beast to the point where I don’t remember my commute, going to or coming from. Now that things have settled down somewhat, I’ve been keeping track of some of the more notable things, and trying to forget some of the more regular, but painful things. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} Regularity I’m seeing more and more of Tazz to the

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-70926744735390349392007-07-20T19:09:00.000-07:002007-07-20T19:36:01.750-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} Despite the lack of common sense and courtesy displayed by the masses, I know that it seems that we all tend to agree on when to give up your seat for someone else. But there are a few who act otherwise. I also have a Regular update and a new, but similar One-Timer today. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} So let’s get the obvious ones out of the way: The elderly,

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-86105419930682106162007-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:002007-06-21T22:16:36.069-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}When the weather changes, the ridership's behavior changes…very little. My commute doesn't change much, other than not wanting to sit in the back row of the bus. Since the air conditioning is on full-blast, the engines run at a higher rate, thus increasing the engine heat and the seats that are directly over the front part of it, leading to a lot of singed calves. I've seen some

VMJnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-61986998480428863022007-05-18T19:25:00.000-07:002007-06-19T07:09:27.078-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} A day many of us have been waiting for has arrived. Fairfax Connector bus lines will finally accept Metro’s SmartCards. In a rare, but clever move, to help facilitate the installation of the new hardware to process the fares, they’ve offered free rides on most bus lines the past two Fridays. It will be interesting to see how this affects ridership, as well as everyone’s overall

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-81388725989695453692007-04-29T20:33:00.000-07:002007-04-29T20:37:27.481-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} To quote from the incomparable troupe that is Monty Python: “I’m not quite dead yet!” Yes, it’s been a long time. To be honest, I’ve found little to write about. Every time I think there’s something, there isn’t. Every time I think I have something, I’ve mentioned it before and didn’t want to re-hash my story and simply alter the names to protect the innocent (suck it,

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-24633754272063140932007-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:002007-06-19T07:12:25.335-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} Dear riders: I am venting in the hopes of being able to understand something about how you generally behave when there is, what local weathermen have called, “substantial accumulation” of snow. In other words, you actually leave a footprint in the snow. A small disclaimer: this is a generalization, and it doesn’t apply to all of you. Just most of you. {PLEASE STAND

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-639731717362602182007-01-24T21:20:00.000-08:002007-01-24T21:22:17.893-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} Winter’s finally “here.” It’s gotten below freezing and we’ve finally had some measurable (albeit minimal) snow here. Along with the change in weather comes a change in the overall demeanor of the Metro ridership and the driving abilities of those who drive in; and it isn’t pretty. I’ve also observed something peculiar about the general mood the ridership in general seems to

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-17443816905525606812007-01-06T21:19:00.000-08:002007-01-06T21:27:35.007-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} Not surprisingly, during the holidays, ridership plummets. But what is surprising, in a way, is whom actually contributes the most to the overcrowding. I’ve also had another hair-pulling commute earlier this week, which makes me wonder what the future holds for the Metro system. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}The federal government was asked to close it doors for a day of

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-71589417822180217502006-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:002006-12-13T20:27:49.200-08:00

{DOORS OPENING}When I first started this blog, I made mention of a few “Unwritten Rules” that unofficially govern the Metro ridership etiquette. I thought I had covered the major ones, but have completely forgotten an often-violated Rule until this past week. I also have a One-Timer update for you today.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}The crowding on the trains is at an all-time high, which it

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-2059068426874429982006-11-30T19:44:00.000-08:002006-12-01T07:44:00.763-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} I had a post ready about some of the characters I’ve seen on the Metro over the last few days, but that has now been pre-empted by something else. This will be the one and only time I will post a link within this blog, but I find it will be imperative to today’s tirade. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WMATA_Silver_Line_system_map.png {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1163225646295986222006-11-10T22:09:00.000-08:002006-11-14T11:49:43.736-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} Now that the mid-term elections are over, we can breath a sign of relief. I’ll keep this one brief so we can quickly forget they ever happened. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} I’m just glad this election season is dead and done with. Not just over who won what, but to be free of all the brain cell-shrinking advertisements, flyers, commercials, and other general

VMJnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1162009102577576072006-10-27T21:14:00.000-07:002006-10-30T08:25:49.873-08:00

{DOORS OPENING} WARNING: Childish Mel-Brooks-Blazing-Saddles-Type-Humor Alert! If this is not your type of humor, please go to another Web page or watch PBS. Otherwise, read on… This was one memorable day, bordering on infamy, I would say. In the past, I’ve mentioned the overwhelming dangers of B.O. on crowded trains, especially when you cannot escape. This time was a little different. For

VMJnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1161571981131979662006-10-22T19:49:00.000-07:002006-10-23T06:21:01.980-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Hey folks, WMATA got back to me about the incident on the metro a few weeks ago. Read and judge for yourself.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS}Thank you for your September 26, 2006 email to Dan Tangherlini, Interim GeneralManager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), regardingan incident with an ill passenger on the Orange Line on September 25.

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1160276221523065582006-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:002006-10-10T10:50:28.553-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} Recently, I have noticed a surge in the amount of newspaper waste on the trains, at the stations, and all points in between. And it isn’t going to get any better. I also have a new One-Timer and Regular to introduce you to, and this is one I’m surprised I hadn’t mentioned earlier. {PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.} I have mentioned in the past about the free

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1159251837969751342006-09-25T23:20:00.000-07:002006-10-03T05:12:05.646-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} A note to my regular readers: This is a departure from my “normal” posts after witnessing something on my commute this morning that has me very disturbed that I feel that the interim general manager of WMATA needs to be aware of, and I have e-mailed what follows to him. I promise I will return with my usual cheery and sarcastic observations before the end of the week. {

VMJnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1156998589110221212006-08-30T21:27:00.000-07:002006-09-06T13:21:34.940-07:00

{DOORS OPENING} I think I set a personal record on most trains waited on before trying to cram myself into one yesterday. There was another rush-hour snafu on the Orange Line that started to overflow into the Blue Line. It seems that people have caught onto a little trick that I thought only a few of us knew about. Plus I have some new Regulars I’d like to introduce you to. {PLEASE STAND

VMJnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1156471216766926722006-08-24T18:56:00.000-07:002006-08-29T18:34:28.110-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Okay, so this isn’t going to be one of the more pleasant posts I’ll do, only because if you think about it too much, it’ll make you overly paranoid and germ-phobic (if there is such a word). But it’ll be no different than the “oh-no, going spook you” news bits they do about the sanitary conditions of restaurants, schools, hotels, playgrounds, and so on. Hey, look at it this way, it

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1154752807934069602006-08-04T21:38:00.000-07:002006-08-05T20:45:21.026-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}The muggy and hot weather has just now come to an end, after four days of weather above 90 degrees, sometimes searing above the 100 degree mark. I had mentioned in my last post that the summer weather can affect the ridership in a negative way. It has been its absolute worst the past few days. Get ready, because this may be my longest post yet.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}Code

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1154053699951507872006-07-27T19:23:00.000-07:002006-07-28T09:51:19.940-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Hello, loyal readers. I’m a little late (more so than usual), but I’m back at it. Work and some freelance stuff has had me busy as of late, but I have plenty to share this time around. It seems that the increasingly hot and very muggy weather as of late has had an effect on the ridership. Unfortunately, it’s not all good.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}Because of the often

VMJnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1152763499258692942006-07-12T21:02:00.000-07:002006-07-17T06:06:24.970-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}I’m back from vacation and things have changed in those 12 days. On this, my third day back into the grind that is my daily commute, I thought I’d share some of my early observations.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}The weather has turned foul here. It was far worse when I was gone, from what I saw on the news, and it wreaked havoc on the commute, both public and personal

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1151356135962946252006-06-26T13:31:00.000-07:002006-06-26T14:08:56.246-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Okay, it's been a while. I've been on vacation in the literal sense, and work has been really intense just leading up to it. I felt that I should at least provide a little something for my small (but graciously dedicated) audience. It's been a while since I've seen a particular Regular of mine, so I thought that I'd share this little tidbit in lieu of a real post...whatever that

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1150085428319754792006-06-11T21:08:00.000-07:002006-06-15T11:14:41.350-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}A neat little “fringe benefit” for people who commute regularly is that on some days and at some stops, there’s a street musician playing nearby. The music, instrument, and person are always different. But last week, I came across something…rather unique.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}I typically run into the street musicians (frankly, I don’t like that term. It almost sounds

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1149134484818737292006-05-30T21:10:00.001-07:002006-06-02T06:35:13.470-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Remember the “New Voice of the Metro?” There’s more to be heard, apparently. Plus, I had my first run-in with the Metro Common Courtesy Police.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}The thing about the Voice of the Metro is that it is entirely controlled by the train operator. They hit a few buttons and voilá! You hear the various notifications and tingling noises. I heard two new

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1149049113376410282006-05-30T21:10:00.000-07:002006-05-30T21:18:33.380-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Today was one of those days where things got really cramped on the trains. It was so bad the platforms and the mezzanine was overflowing. Unfortunately, it’s during these times that The Unwritten Rules are violated the most often.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}So the official word was they were single-tracking the orange line somewhere. Second only to a complete stoppage of

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1148249842751577162006-05-21T15:15:00.000-07:002006-05-26T05:46:51.990-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}To the handful of readers I have, I apologize for the delay between posts, work has had me too busy to be able to collect my thoughts. A while back, I had mentioned that they had a drawing for “the new voice of the Metro.” I’ve only heard it sporadically, but recent trips had led me to believe that it is slowly being rolled out system-wide. Not only is the voice—somewhat—different

VMJnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1146968875470367682006-05-06T19:26:00.000-07:002006-05-06T19:29:27.986-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}So when do I decide when someone who shares my commute is a “Regular?” Simple. When I notice they aren’t there. Sure, there are folks you may see occasionally, but it’s when you realize that you were used to seeing them.One-Timers? Oh, those are pretty easy.{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS. THANK YOU}Another of my Regulars…well…I can only describe her as Grumble. The reason why is

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1146021027422017472006-04-25T20:05:00.000-07:002006-04-25T20:19:04.560-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}People pass their time on the metro trains in various ways. They will read, sleep, listen to music, talk on their cell phones, play with their gadgets (stop snickering), or just stare off into space. Personally, I sleep, listen to music, or play with my gadget. Some of the more veteran riders fall asleep standing up, and some can even wake just before they get to their stop. Then

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1145424030664047142006-04-18T22:14:00.000-07:002006-04-23T08:41:21.776-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}My commute isn't always all bad, sometimes it can be quite uneventful. Other times the morning can be just as bad, if not worse than the commute coming home. I had mentioned in a previous post that there are times you can't help but overhear conversations. They can range from the amusing, to the banal, to the ones you wish you could "unhear." This also happens more often when

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1144817147372910742006-04-11T21:36:00.000-07:002006-04-11T21:45:47.386-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}I'm originally from Los Angeles, and have used the public transportation there for about 18 years. Their Metro train system is similar to one that has been proposed for downtown D.C.: an above ground light rail system. It has grown considerably in size since I had left there six years ago. I can't provide exact data, but I'm sure it is now the same size as the one here. I won't go

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1144123502987652712006-04-03T20:11:00.000-07:002006-04-03T21:06:35.336-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Alright, to be fair about things, this blog isn't going to be just me whining about things that bother me while riding on the Metro. Let's face it, we all hear enough whining during the day, let alone have to read someone else's angry rants on a regular basis. So don't let it be said that I don't try to keep my audience in mind--all four or five of you, at any rate.For the most

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1143691316459506422006-03-28T19:31:00.000-08:002006-04-03T21:05:59.663-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Hurrah, my second post!(insert cricket chirping sounds here)Okay, like I said before, I'm not expecting to make any profound impact on the world here. I'm just emptying out my head. I wanted to continue on the Unwritten Rules of riding on the Metro. I observed an example of what I mentioned in my previous post a few days ago to some hapless tourists (who, much to the chagrin of

VMJnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24435465.post-1142911956441897922006-03-20T19:28:00.000-08:002006-04-23T08:32:33.706-07:00

{DOORS OPENING}Well, here it is. After much hemming and hawing, I've finally decided to put something here. I procrastinated mostly from wanting to make the site "prettier," but I hardly have the time to do that, let alone try to write something meaningful. Or entertaining. Or anything.Nonetheless, this is just a forum for me to express whatever crosses my mind while I ride the Orange Line.Well,

VMJnoreply@blogger.com1