"All I wanna do is to thank you even though I don't know who you are You let me change lanes while I was driving in my car"*

Driving to work this morning after last night's snow storm, I briefly got stuck in a snow bank at the end of the alley leading out from the lot where I park. I put the car in reverse a couple times and then would try to move forward with no success. Then I remembered the tried and true rule that I learned in high school- when driving up a hill in snow, put the car in 1st and constantly accelerate- which did the trick. Soon I was on the road with the rest of the people driving to work.

I learned how to drive in a 1980-something Buick Electra Estate station wagon (very similar to the one pictured here.) My friends in high school referred to this car as "the boat". This moniker was accurate; the car was huge. We could fit two parents, four kids, luggage for six, and a collie pretty comfortably in it on family trips.

The great thing about the car, in retrospect, was that I learned how to drive in a car that was bigger than any car my friends had or I had subsequently. My dad made sure I could parallel park that car in downtown traffic and do a three-point (K) turn in it too. I drove it on the highway and in snow and ice. Having learned on that car, really made doing any of that stuff in a smaller car a piece of cake. One time in high school, a friend's little Honda Civic was blocked in on three sides in the student parking lot, and she asked me if there was anyway to get it out. With a little manipulation, I was able to extract it for her; it was easy for me because I was used to dealing with a monster car.

Driving in a big city like Boston has its challenges (traffic, construction, one-way streets), especially in bad weather, but the skills my dad taught me in that tank masquerading as a station wagon have held up over the years, and I am glad that I learned them when I did. (Doesn't make driving in the snow any less stressful, but certainly can help in bad moments.)

*lyrics from "Whoever You Are" by Geggy Tah

Taxi! Ettiquette

The other night, I was taking a cab home from Logan Airport, and, just as the cab exited I-93 onto Storrow Drive, the driver's cell phone rang. He proceeded to answer it, while merging into traffic on Storrow, and have an animated six minute personal phone conversation in a language I didn't know. He finally ended the call as we were driving out of Kenmore on Comm Ave.

Sitting in the back seat, I was convinced that we were going to get into an accident, and I was going to die. Storrow was pretty busy, and my driver wasn't paying complete attention to the road. Driving on Storrow can be challenging in the best conditions, and, that night, it was dark, it was busy, and he was on his cell phone.

Now, I don't take cabs in town very often. A friend asked me this fall how much a cab from my house to Back Bay cost, and I was at a loss. I either drive myself or take the T. So I am not up to speed on the current dos and don'ts of cabbing around Boston. I know there isn't a law preventing drivers from talking on their phones(yet), but, in case this happens again, I would love to be prepared with a polite way of telling the driver that I am uncomfortable with him driving me while on the phone and would like him to stop. One person suggested asking the driver if he would please pull over until he ended the call (with the meter off, naturally.) Someone else suggested telling the driver to pull over and getting out of the cab. Neither of these would have really worked for me on Storrow because there is no where really to pull over, get out, and get another taxi.

In the end, I gave the driver a crappy tip and got out of the car without giving him my reasoning for the crappy tip because I didn't want to get into an unprepared confrontation about it. I was tired from traveling all day, and I just didn't know how to address it. As a service provider, I should have made him aware that, by being on his phone, he was providing less than perfect customer service. I would love any suggestions for a professional, firm, but polite way of saying that I expect someone I am paying to drive me around town to be doing so with his/her undivided attention.

Otherwise, I think that I am going to look into hiring a car to take me to and from the airport. Paying the extra money for that is worth it when you and the drivers are mutually agreed on the what the outcome of the trip should be.

(Best cab ride ever: London. Not that anyone reading here would be surprised. Although the drivers don't seem to want to help with luggage; is that against the rules?)

Double Take

Last night, driving home down Comm Ave from Chestnut Hill, I spied a car a little bit ahead of me that had a bumper sticker that caught my eye. Now I don't have the best distance vision and it was both dark and rainy, but I swear this bumper sticker said "L.A. is killing my car."

If that is indeed what the sticker said, and the L.A. stands for Lower Allston, then I seriously need to get me one of those bumper stickers. Over the past twelve days and three separate trips to the repairman, I have had to pour $3.5K into fixing damage to my car. Between the rats in the engine, the wear of stop and go traffic on my breaks, and the pot holes doing a number to the axles, Lower Allston (weeeeell, Allston Village really) is killing MY poor car.

I wonder if the sticker really did say "L.A. is killing my car" or if it was just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, it made my day.

In a Jam

On Saturday, September 5, around 11:20am, I was in my car driving from the Wrentham Outlets down to the Cape to visit my aunt for the long weekend when I got caught up in a major traffic jam. Traffic came to a complete halt for about 45 minutes while a medical helicopter, two ambulances, two tow trucks, and two fire trucks were brought in to deal with the situation.

By the time that traffic started moving again, there was no sign of what had happened, but the last of the firetrucks was only about a quarter of a mile from where I had stopped. There but for the grace of God go I, right? There was nothing about the accident on the news; hopefully the people involved will be all right.

This is what I-495 South looks like when it does an impersonation of the parking lot at Gillette Stadium:



However, because we were stopped, I got to take a better look at my surroundings. There really are some beautiful things along the sides of the nation's highways.

Lost in Ashland

Normally when I write these entries, I write about being lost in Somerville and calling PunkRockMom to give me directions to get the hell out of Dodge, or at least back to Prospect Street. Tonight, "Ms. Darcy" and I were driving back from JR's wedding rehearsal dinner out in Ashland, and we got lost for 45 minutes trying to find our way back from the hall to the highway.

It is one thing to get lost in the city, where things are well lit, and there are gas stations or Store 24s where you can pull over and get your bearings or ask for directions. The middle of Metro West is a whole other story, driving around on dark winding roads where you need to have your high beams on until a car coming the other direction, with its high beams on, forces you to cut the lights and drive blind for a moment or two. We had to retrace our steps not once, but twice, when we finally found a man getting into his car in Ashland Center who told us how to get to Route 9, and, from there, the Pike. (Bless him.)

I don't like being lost, and I really don't like being lost in the dark in the middle of nowhere, or what feels like the middle of nowhere. Being lost tonight reminded me of high school, driving out to friends' houses in Berlin or Southington, that were out in the middle of cornfields, at least in comparison to New Britain. As much as I think that I like the country, I really am a city girl at heart. I like my street lights, I like my taxi cabs, and I like my Starbucks.

I don't know if Ms. Darcy had noticed, but I was driving with my jaw tightly clenched until we finally got on the Pike, even when I was talking. I am convinced that some archeologist, many years from now, is going to find my skeleton and based on the state of my teeth, hypothesize I had some dietary thing going on - like I was a vegetarian - when in reality, I had ground my teeth into a pulp from stress and tension. My poor teeth!!

Safety first

I noticed this morning while driving into work that the bike lane on Comm Ave at the BU bridge has been painted green.

While that is all well and good, I think that it would be nicer if the City went outbound on the street about a mile and half and patched the road instead. Driving Comm Ave between Harvard and Washington Streets is one of the most stressful things I do lately, as I am convinced that I am going to pop a tire.

The cyclists might have an easier time of it if the cars weren't driving on a slalom course of potholes.

Meeting New People

I took the T into work yesterday because of the snow storm. (We got a foot of snow, but the 'Tute was "open and operating as usual"; although, they were excusing people who got in late, which was nice.) After getting off the green line at Hynes, I waited for about 20 minutes for the bus and was joined shortly after getting to the stop by one of my colleagues, AB.

When we finally got on the bus, AB recognized one of her friends from another part of the 'Tute, and she introduced us. We exchanged greetings and started to talk about the weather for a moment or two, when my new acquaintance shifted gears and asked me "what are you?", not in terms of what I did, but who I am.

My immediate answer, didn't even need to think about it, "an Anglophile". AB agreed with my answer wholeheartedly. Her friend found that very amusing.

Truly Unfortunate Commute

I drove over the BU bridge at about 8:37 this morning behind a man on a bike. He was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. The sweatshirt had ridden up, and the jeans had ridden down. I had a very interesting view the length of the bridge. And I didn't know what to do: I wasn't going to honk my horn at him and I couldn't yell out the window at him. So I just tried not to stare and laugh. It made me think of that old Denis Leary line, "PULL UP YOUR PANTS!"

He went on to Cambridgeport, and I went on to Mem Drive. I really hope that no one he works with was driving in behind him.

Customer Service and the T

This is kind of funny. And yet, not. A year and a half to get an acknowledgment? Hopefully, it is just their server having some issues.

Funny thing is, I remember exactly what this complaint was about - the Green Line service running trains on a weeknight at 2.30am that were sharpening the tracks (or something like that) and making a God awful racket (as well as sending up major sparks) for over an hour. Some advance notice to neighbors would have been appreciated.

From: "do_not_reply@mbta.com"
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:36:12 AM
Subject: Thank you for contacting the MBTA

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. A customer service
issue was logged on 2007-06-15 at 08:01:14

A tracking number of 00088621 has been assigned to this call. Please
reference this number on any additional communications you may have
regarding this issue.

The information you provided has been forwarded to the appropriate group.
If additional actions are required, a member from that department will
follow up on your issue.

Should you have additional questions or concerns regarding this issue,
please contact the Customer Support Services at 617-222-3200 or
800-392-6100, Monday through Friday ,6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Sat/Sun from
7:30 AM to 6:00 PM.



** NOTE ** This email is being sent from an automated system and is an
unmonitored account. Please do not reply to this message.

This isn't funny anymore

Tonight driving back from my parents in CT, I popped a tire on a pothole and possibly did some damage to the front axle of my car (according to the man from AAA, it is leaking oil.)

Fortunately, I was pretty close to home when this happened (Nonantum Road/Soldiers Field Road at Charlesbank Road in Watertown) and was able to get the car home before the tire went completely flat. And also, no one was hurt when this happened. (I am trying to count my blessings here, despite a LOT of frustration. It was VERY scary and upsetting.)

The tire also couldn't be removed from the axle because of the salt from the snow has the wheel sealed onto the axle (it took a lot of WD40 just to get the screws out) so AAA couldn't replace the flat with the spare. So, Monday morning, I am going to try to get my car (affectionately known as "the money pit") towed to the dealer (fun times) to see if they can get the tire off, replace the tire, and fix the leaking axle. I am hoping to be at work no later than noon, but if it turns into drama, I might just take the day. This sucks because it is going to be a quiet week, and it is a WASTE of a personal day.

Not to mention, while waiting for AAA, I MISSED celebrating the last night of Hannukah with JR. I not only suffered frustration and anxiety, but I missed brisket because the Commonwealth of Massachusetts doesn't have their act together to keep Nonantum/Soldiers Field Road/Storrow Drive well-paved. They either need to keep the road in decent shape or light it better. (I totally didn't see the pothole in the dark.) Please note that I only ask for one or the other because I realize that asking for both is a bit of a stretch < / end sarcasm>.

ETA: Thanks to the folks over at Universal Hub for correcting me on the location. I wasn't really sure what the road was called at that particular location and took an incorrect guess at it. In my defense, I was both upset and hungry. :)

The First Snow Storm of 2008

I took the T in to Hynes and then switched to the bus because NOTHING in Allston was shoveled or plowed. There is really nothing like riding the B line on a crummy Monday morning. < /irony>

The one funny thing was that the majority of the people taking the train this morning were united in their annoyance at having to come to work in a blizzard so it was very quiet and people were polite.

I am so glad that I have a Charlie Card. It makes a HUGE difference in the life of this occasional public transportation traveler. We had to come in on time today; I just hope that we get early dismissal later!

In absentia

I am just nearly over the cold I caught when I was on vacation... three weeks ago. At least now I sound like myself, even if I still have a stubborn cough to contend with.

I can't believe we are on the last page of the calendar for the year. Where has the year gone? I am going to miss writing "2007" on things. I like numbers with "7"s in them.

I have a couple of purchases I would like to make in the new year. One is a new iPod, with at least 30G of memory. Picking and choosing what does and does not go on my 4G Nano is just not working for me any more. The other thing I need to get is a new computer for home. My current one is 5 years old and is not working the way it used to anymore. I need a fresh start for all my tunes in 2008. Hopefully, I will get some money at Christmas and can put it towards these purchases. (Otherwise, I will be using my overtime from the last month!)

I spent $250 at the grocery store on Saturday morning. I realized as I was making my way down the aisles of my lovely Shaw's (that Harvard tried to tear down) that I hadn't been to the supermarket since October and had been living off of take out and office dinners. Well, now I have lots of food to eat; probably more than is good for me, but now I won't have to go shopping again until new years.

I hope that this snow melts before the commute home; it is rather sloppy out there today. Pretty, but sloppy.

Puritanism is alive and well in New England

Driving through the rotary to go over the BU bridge this morning at 8:46 am, I saw a white truck with red and green block lettering painted on both the back and side of the truck. Closer inspection revealed the following:
"SATAN SET UP CHRISTMAS TO MAKE A MOCKERY OF JESUS WITH LIES ABOUT SANTA CLAUS, FLYING REINDEER, TREES AND PARTIES"

I kid you not.

Between that and listening to David Sedaris sing "Away in a Manager" in the style of Billie Holiday, I damn near drove off the road.

Winter Wonderland

As you may have heard, read, got caught in, there was a wicked blizzard here in Boston on Friday. Thunder, lightning and blinding snow. I can't ever remember another snow storm accompanied by lightning. It turned my 3.5 mile commute down Memorial Drive and over the BU bridge into Allston from a 15 minute ride into a 2 hour one. On the upside, I made friends with the lady in the red minivan that was beside me. After observing me observing her laughing at something in her car, we ended up rolling down our windows and having a lovely chat about the the nice men pushing cars out of the icy slush and seeing the Christmas spirit in action. I also spent two hours listening to NPR, catching up on the news of "The World". We had to have gotten about 10 inches worth of snow by 3:00 p.m.

I nearly slid off the road twice, but I managed to get home in one piece and made myself hot chocolate, threw on my pajamas and watched "Rudolph" and "Frosty" on dvd as I put together holiday cards. Regardless of the date on the birth certificate, it is pretty obvious that I am nine. Between the holiday cartoons and the Christmas music, that stuff still able to hold some magic for me.

I think that it is pretty ridiculous that you HAVE to have iTunes installed to use QuickTime (as I just learned trying to check out the X3 preview.) Apple Co., that reeks of desperation; you will never win me over to iPod, iTunes or their limited use files. I loves me my little Creative Zen.

Why parents shouldn't be allowed to go to the cinema: my mother decided to use Pride and Prejudice as an example of why I should "take a risk" and do online dating again.
BLASPHEMY!!! Sorry, Mom, but Lizzie Bennet + Mr.Darcy do not= eharmony.com