Friday The Thirteenth, Part N
Oooooh scaaaaaaaaary.
Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.
If I ignore the emotional plea and respond only to the words, I will not be communicating with you, there will not be a flow of understanding between us, I will not be feeling you and so I will be frustrated and you will be also. The heart of any conversation is the demand being made on my emotions. If I feel frustrated, that is a good sign I am avoiding the emotions you are trying to communicate — I have not paused long enough to ask, “What do you really want from me?”
To all who have helped me — Thanks.
The Odometer Is Not Broken, I’m Just Not Driving
Since I filled up my tank last Saturday I have logged about fifty-five miles in total. Ah the power of public transportation! Of course I will more than double this on Sunday when I drive to Kennesaw to do a Sunday morning run but I don’t really mind.
Admittedly riding Marta daily has changed my lifestyle. I have not exercised much because it’s too easy for me to bag out of doing it since I am ready to eat when I get home. I am trying to read on the train, but it’s rather difficult for me. For one I don’t read well, and that is exacerbated by the motion of the train. Also, I really need to be seated to read and seats are usually not available when I ride, and then there is the transfer at Five Points…
These Are The People In The Martahood
Two days ago on Marta there was a guy who freaked out D.D.D.Dave and me; he was talkative and kept asking people to move back because he needed “some space.” Um, welcome to the world of public transportation when gas is $4+/gallon my friend.
Last night I all but changed trains because the two girls across from me were playing a game of Hail Mary tennis. For no fewer than five minutes the two sat next to one another, one with her eyes constantly shut, working the rosary beads, uttering Hail Marys. Being raised in a Catholic environment should have hardened me to this, but these two were doing it in such a cult-ish way that I was spooked.
Let There Be Light!
The other morning was a “lights go out day.” When I turned on the bathroom lights one of the three vanity bulbs popped. Later on my drive to the Marta station I pulled up behind another car and realized that one of the Jackmobile’s headlight bulbs had died.
The bathroom light was a piece of cake to replace, especially since I was astonished to find that I had a spare vanity bulb.
While not completely difficult, the replacement of the headlight bulb was a challenge. First, at my local AutoZone they didn’t have the book to help me identify what bulbs I should purchase so I had to find help. Then I had to figure out how the newfangled halogen bulbs are installed. Then, because apparently Honda never expect these bulbs to be replaced, I had to remove some plastic cover and nearly another piece of equipment in order to replace the driver’s side bulb.
ITP Flickr Pic
Me and my shadow…
I don’t know why I like this photo so much, but I do.
Life Without Air Conditioning Is Not So Miserable When The Heat Isn’t So Great
The last two nights have been okay with fans blowing the night’s cooler air into the house. This does not mean that I am going to continue to live without air conditioning. I have made one attempt at calling a company to come out and quote a new system, and they have failed to acknowledge my existence. Harumph!
Who’s Going To A Concert Tonight? This Guy
Tonight I will make my first visit to The EARL in some time (it wouldn’t have been that long if not for me skipping shows). Tonight I’ll be there to see Shearwater. I am debating if I want to bring the camera along or just go and enjoy myself. It’s been about six weeks since I’ve done any concert photography and I want to get back into it, but the thought of not having to worry about my gear, or fight my way to the front also sounds attractive.
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – fair
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Midlake — “Roscoe”
Website Of The Day – It seems odd to recommend a site called Do I Need A Jacket when it’s so damn hot outside.
Exercise (b)Log – nothing (this must change)
Monthly Foot Mileage – 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – Marta
Monthly Marta Rides – 15
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 73 (73)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle – 5
June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Do you see most of these “crazy” MARTA people on the east-west line? I ride the train 5 days a week (for the past 18 months) and never get to see this stuff. I hear these stories all the time and wonder if it’s the north-south rail that misses out on the fun.
Crazy man was headed East on East/West. Praying girls were headed on South on North/South (I assume to the airport since one had a suitcase).
Were either of these folks as weird as ‘crazy swinging arm lady’ from last Sunday? I finally figured out what she reminded me of…those crazy, inflatable, waving arm promotional guys…a mad tv skit keeps popping into my head.
If/when I make a trip to the airport I’ll probably be doing some Hail Marys myself and I’m not Catholic…I’m not feeling any better about my trip in July.
Martha – I think your trip to Alaska sounds cool. I mean, you are going somewhere that you would never think to go on vacation.
No, they were all crazy in a different way. That’s a great analogy for the swinging arm lady from Sunday!
I’d suggest you not pray like them around the airport. It may be a good way to get those four S’s on your boarding pass and get a complete security scan.
Bring your camera; you can always leave it in the car. Or take some photos, go drop it in your car, and come back in (if they let you). Best of both situations.
I’m with Andrew: somehow, I never saw all these crazies people talk about on the MARTA and I want to! I think it’d be amusing (I’m amused just reading your accounts), as long as I knew I was safe. Good thing guns aren’t allowed on MARTA…oh…wait….
>are going somewhere that you would never think to go on vacation.
and there is a reason why NO ONE would ever think to go on vacation there…
well maybe I’ll finally have time to update my blog instead of just posting everything here
That whole guns on Marta scares the shit out of me. How many of the politicians that voted for that bill actually ride Marta? My guess is zero.
Martha, except for that whole “work thing” I’d kill to go to Alaska in the Summer on someone’s dime. Hell, I’d even kill of Marta crazies to do it!
Yes, crazies on Marta are fun. When I worked at the airport and rode Marta it was great! The freaks REALLY come out at night too. Marta at midnight is very interesting.
Maybe Fox needs to start another RealiTV show called MAD (Marta After Dark)?
There seemed to be more crazies on E/W when I rode that line regularly.
The nutjob I always seemd to see was the screaming guy. He was always in a qusi-military outfit, holding a bible and screaming. Only problem was he didn’t seem to have a tounge, so he was unintelligible. The regulars ignored him, but the rookies were really bothered.
And Paulie, I was raised Catholic and I’ve never heard the term “Hail Mary tennis”… too funny.
Ahh, life in the big city.
-FP
I’ve never heard Hail Mary Tennis either, is that a made up or real term?
My parents are saying plenty of those right now though, there is so much water in Iowa, even if you aren’t in the actual flood area, it just seeps thru the cinder block basement walls. I feel guilty being so far away and not being able to help.
It’s a made-up term. But seriously watching these two was like watching a tennis match — one would go, then the other, then the first, then the second, and so on…
Barb, can your folks send us some of that rain? My yard could certainly use a little more. I hope that all turns out well for them.
You know, with all the technology and advances we have these days, I don’t see why we don’t have some sort of tunnelling-pipeline-irrigation system that can do that sort of thing.
It didn’t help that there was record snowfall up there this year; I know it was in Wisconsin. The ground is just too saturated to hold any more. When whole houses start swimming away, it’s pretty scary.
All that aside… anything freaky happening to anyone today, being Friday the 13th and all? Something tells me the MARTA might be even more interesting today (and on full moons).
Not really freaky but I had a camera crew follow me on my ride to work today. WSB is doing some story about alternative commuters so they filmed me riding in than interviewed me when I got to work. Being Friday the 13th I was worried that this would be the day I crash and it would get captured on camera.
oh, very cool! when does the story run, Barb? I want to watch!
Bob gets his 15 seconds of fame on TV today. now I need to watch the news tonight.
They are not sure exactly when it is going to run. I was told next week sometime, the producer will call me the day it will air.
Did they follow your commute in a van? Seems odd that they would, but I can see it happening.
Did you give them a funny fake name, say something like “Slutty McGillicutty”?
I love the MARTA crazies…they’re a part of my family now.
Here’s my favorite rant…as yelled by some crazy woman at all the riders
“EXCUSE ME, DOES ANYONE HAVE A CELLLLLL PHONNNNNNE I CAN USE???? Like, I just got outta jail and now my pop sayin I be rapin my baby, I’m gon’ kill that son of a bitch and he’s the one who be doin the rapin’…I GON KILL DAT SON BITCH TONIGHT…WHO GOTS A CELL PHONE?”
and scene.
Most of my commute is on the greenway so they strapped a handheld camera to my handlebars to get some footage. Then they followed me for the last mile and a half in a pickup with the camerawoman in the back filming. It was pretty fun holding up traffic.
And no McGillicutty, sorry to disappoint. But I was wearing a hash shirt
.
Figured you went with your real name; it significantly increases your chances of making it on tv.
It’s a pity I don’t watch local news. If you put it on YouTube I will embed the video here.
Yes! Put it on YouTube!
And I actually WAS thinking “Bob” when I wrote “Barb.” Apparently I’m just not really with it today.
What hash shirt were you wearing?
No worries, I’ll try to get it on YouTube. I was wearing the Yellow AH4 dry fit shirt that Ouch was selling last year.