Monthly Archives: August 2004

Metro/MARC, Sorry for the Business

August 27, 2004

I would like to know when the phrase "sorry for the inconvenience" replaced the need to serve customers. That phrase has been entirely overused lately and has thus utterly lost its resourcefulness. I am one of the many Washingtonians whom have been rolling over and taking it from Metro/MARC over the last year; that is, until now. If the people in the D.C. Metropolitan area had any guts at all, they would all tell Metro/MARC to go shove it and go back to their gas guzzling SUVs. The trains are late, the service sucks, many employees have bad attitudes, and there is ALWAYS an excuse. Absolutely no care is given to what people go through to ride on that system (and I use the term "ride" very loosely). Oh, and just to thank us, they raise the fares.

Don't get me wrong, I am not one to get political. Just to prove it to you, I am going to analyze this situation in terms of the business...

Update: Now MARC is parking the trains almost a half-mile out from Union Station, making it a sizable walk even for a person with two healthy legs. I am stunned that the handicap croud isn't crying "foul!"

Update: I was stopped this morning an issued a ticket for having my morning coffee in my hand on the Metro. Goodbye Metro, it really hasn't been all that great. You broke the camel's back.

Finally, We're In!

August 23, 2004

After waiting what has seemed like an eternity for our new townhouse to be completed, my wife and I are finally able to call ourselves homeowners! This past year has had more than its share of ups and downs. After coming off the excitement of signing our sales agreement for a January 2004 closing in September of last year, progress on the house was literally non-existent for more than five months. We grew so frustrated with the schedule slips that we named the lot "Our Pile of Dirt." We even established a photoblog to keep us busy, and to entertain our inquisitive friends and family, while we anxiously awaited the final phase of construction. That date, of course, didn't occur until nearly a year had passed, in August 2004.

DJ Tiesto Spins the Parade of Nations

August 16, 2004

I have been anxiously awaiting the start of the 2004 Olympics in Athens. I even splurged on an HDTV and HD service in preparation for the games. However, I wasn't originally all that interested in watching the opening ceremonies. Watching people march around a track just didn't provide much appeal. Regardless, my wife was looking forward to a relaxing evening enjoying this broadcast. Since watching the Olympics together with my wife is a very important part our relationship, I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.

To my surprise, it was none other than DJ Tiesto who got the party started during the Parade of Nations! This appearance completely made my night! DJ Tiesto was awesome! I absolutely love listening to Trace and it was even better to combine this music with the Olympics, one of our most anticipated events of the year.

The network cameras focused on DJ Tiesto twice while doing his thing and both times he looked like he was having the time of his life. From what I was hearing in the stadium, his enthusiasm definitely showed as he kept the beat rolling for more than 90 minutes. Many of the delegations were really getting into the rhythms as they basked in the limelight, dancing or stomping down the track to the beat. The energy in the crowd was very high, which vigorously circulated "the wave" around the statium several times.

There is no question that this was one of the most energetic, fun, and entertaining open ceremonies in the history of the Olympics...and I certainly enjoyed it. It helps to prove my theory that electronic music injects you with endorphins. I cannot even count the number of days it has raised my spirits, helping me to be more active or productive.

Way to go DJ Tiesto!

Posted at 02:19 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (4)

mojavelinux.com: Open Source Advocacy