We just had new cartoon start on Fox the last few weeks its called Frans helpline or something like that. Its a bunch of stitch sewn ducks and owls and stuff.
This morning BS2 was watching it very intently while I was trying to dress him, so I was barely listening to it, then something caught my attention. The duck was learning to swin and was scared of the water. He was attending swimming lessons and when asked why he was scared he said "Well my step mum doesn't like water but then again she is a chicken and chickens don't like water like ducks do" And the story went on with the duck and his stepmum (the chicken) learning to swim together.
I've been married 5 years and all 5 years endured the relationship between my DH and the BM. I read all the blogs about women whose DH constantly fixes things in BM's house "so I can see my kids more" and women who endure the constant phone calls that he has to take (mine sleeps with his cell phone just in case BM calls with the light flashing all night like a beacon) ...these kids are teenagers by the way.
BM has a midnight deadline to meet to give DH the tickets for the summer visitation ordered by the court.
BM called tonight and had my Skids upset and crying. It was strange she called through a number that showed up as an home for people with Aids in the states. I think she is crying poor there in Australia and her church allowed her to call using an internet phone or something. Anyway she called up demanding to the children that they call her back at her home in an hour!!! WTF she hasn't called the kids since Christmas and she wanted them to call her back. I told DH that the problem is she doesn't want to pay for the phone call and that she had NO intention of getting the kids she just wanted to flip the blame back on DH and make it seem like he was keeping the kids from going. All the kids and I mean all the kids flat out told BM on the phone they don't want to go. Then the phones cut off!!! Yes my phone at home went down LOL. She called back blaming my oldest SS that he must have pushed a button. Oldest SS got angry and told BM he wasn't getting on the plane period. Then youngest SD got on the phone and BM had her in tears. My SD said verbatum "I am begging you to talk to Dad and not me about this Please. I am only 10 years old and I am getting stressed out. She must have told her that about 5 times. Her mother kept insist that she make up her mind. What a minute in one breath she is telling the kids to make up their mind and in another she is telling them they have no right to make that decision. WTF! DH and I kept telling the kids all BM has to do is buy the tickets. This is a matter between DH and BM however BM kept telling SD that the matter was between her and BM. HUH?????
I don't think it's socially acceptable to take care of Personal Hygiene in, near or on the trains!
1. Don't Spit any where, including on the tracks. I don't want your Drug-Resistant Strain of TB, Bird Flu, SARS or West Nile Virus near me!
2. Brushing your teeth on the way into the station. Similar rave. I saw this guy once with his bike, brushing his teeth with a bottle of water in hand. Where was he gonna spit?
3. Shaving. I saw a guy in a suit with rechargeable razor doing this once!
4. Clipping your nails. Glad I have glasses on to protect me from flying ones!
5. Women. Do your hour-long AM makeup at home or in the car before you get on BART. I don't want to watch you lay the full contents of your makeup kit on your lap. Open a mirror and proceed to cover everyone of your imperfections in front of everyone on the train. Then after that. shake out and brush your wet hair!
I think I've said enough.
can anyone recommend any good step-parenting or helpful books in dealing with the ex?
I am so sick of her games, it never ends. I know compared to some of the BM stories here she is mild, but I've been dealing with her psycho, controlling and manipulative behaviors with the kids for a few years now and I am just tired. It boils down to me wanting to confront her and at the very least, telling her off or waiting for her to start some shit with me in person so I have the opportunity to tell her what a psycho she really is.
I saw that Vickimac and some others were wondering where I was, and thank you for thinking about me
On Fridays and Saturdays, I don't work- I read steptalk at home, and then always erase the history, but I never log on. So I saw that you were wondering, but was unable to reply.
How safe is the walk to the FRUITVALE parking garage at around 10:30pm Monday-Wednesdays?
I ask because I got mugged once walking down 10th St. near Lake Merritt one night. Now that I pay for parking, I see cops there all the time.
But is it like walking a gauntlet at that time of night. I couldn't get reserved parking at LM for a week or 2.
Let me know..
How safe is the walk to the FRUITVALE parking garage at around 10:30pm Monday-Wednesdays?
I ask because I got mugged once walking down 10th St. near Lake Merritt one night. Now that I pay for parking, I see cops there all the time.
But is it like walking a gauntlet at that time of night. I couldn't get reserved parking at LM for a week or 2.
Let me know..
I don't know if I told anyone at the time--I was too busy feeling sorry for myself about my miserable life with skids/DH, I think--but my mother-in-law died last April after a very lengthy respiratory illness. She and DH's dad had been married 63 years. They lived in Colorado until the last 6 months of her life, when they moved back here to Texas to see if living at lower elevation would prolong her life. I wasn't close to her--in fact, she was very gruff and I was terrified of her most of the time. I screwed up making her coffee one time when we were visiting and she nearly bit my head off.
As you all know from recent posts, my emotions today have been on a roller coaster. Well, I went down to get my mail, and there was a letter from skids for us. I was surprised, they don't usually write.
I realize this is completely off topic, but I am hoping for some experiences of others.
My BD4 is ready to start kindergarten but the public school cutoff is July 31 and her birthday is August 2. No flexibility. I tried to get her into a private school in a district where the cutoff is August 1. No luck.
I have zero problems with the child support. The amount is a little high, but the way it was calculated is more than fair. Even though it could probably be lowered, since BM no longer incurs daycare expenses, we'll leave it alone because, let's face it, kids are expensive and DH is responsible for paying his fair share of their expenses. She hasn't asked for an increase in the past 4 years, so we don't have a single problem with paying it or with paying the amount we're paying.
But reframing it. It hasn?t been a picnic, but this weekend, I actually felt like something happened. I said no. And, I reframed the no into not ?me denying her? but her making a choice. We are starting to get the ?baby? excuse for having things the way she wants them. It reminded me of some posts about ?I?ll be out in the cold?.
I noticed that lots of companies do alot of advertising in the Bart Station. I see that Claritin is a major one at Powell. I love the green grassy look. It's like walking into an oasis of green pastures. What is the cost to do that type of advertising? DOES ANYONE KNOW? Just curious.
My mind started to wander when I thought about the cost and how Bart is making a killing off advertising. That's a kick ass approach to getting more money. I have to say thumbs up for that one!
I know that Tully's did some partnering with Bart to give away their simplistic coffee which I thought was unrealistic since there are not enough Tully's around, but it did help them gain exposure, so I couldn't be mad about it. I thought that was kick ass as well. :o) I think that if a company is going to partner with Bart to gain more exposure, they should be available or have more places in the city to patronize. I don't want to travel two train stops for a cup of Joe.
Even if you dont feel like writing, please let us know you are still out there. I have been where you are now, in the dark, I'm not going to say "I know how you feel" as we are not the same person, we have different emotions.
Hi everyone. Ok, good news first: as I have posted in the past, I live in a shelter/apartment in a crummy area of mass. My husband and I have been working hard to save $$, it's hard when you only get half your check, and we have a baby, but anyways we have been doing what we need to.
Chava...........anyone heard from her lately??? She usually blogs on Monday's....
I believe I saw someone who lookedso much like Richard Gere. He was extremely tired today. He didn't snore; not that Richard Gere would snore. How Jaded of Me. Dam You Chrystal!!!!
He was probably so tired from all the acting and everything. :o) He looked like he was going to a movie called, "Most Boring Place on Earth, i.e. Walgreens." Richard was sleeping and in-between nods, I managed to kick him in the shin and drop my purse right on his foot. He would open his eyes and just grin as Richard always does. He didn't have a Gerbal though. Shit!!! I wanted so much so see a pet gerbal under his arm on a leash.
Richard did have a nice tie that gave directions to the Bahamas. It said to take a bus from point A and get off at Point B and then by gosh googlie goop... YOU HAVE ARRIVED! in red. There was an arrow pointing to a palm tree right in the center of the tie. Even though he had that bahamian tie it was still Richard under the conservative hair shockingly grey hair-cut and that smooth and sexy jaw-line. If it wasn't him.. it sure looked like him. :o)... Has anyone seen anyone famous on Bart before?
This past weekend with the skids wasn't that bad. No big outbursts, no fights, no screaming. Just occasional glimpses of attitude from SD12. She didn't mention the big scene at the dr.s office once.
My husband seems to be unable to discipline SD15. And, over time, her negative behaviors have escalated. But, if there's no punishment...
My husband informed me Friday that SD has three-day in-school suspension for harassing another student with text messages. I don't suggest punishments anymore because he ALWAYS gets mad at me.
The grand prize is a four-night stay on Kauai including air transportation and lodging for two, courtesy of Aloha Airlines and Castle Resorts Hotels.
http://bart.gov/news/features/survey.asp
Oops..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080330/ap_on_bi_ge/aloha_bankruptcy
I don't think that's gonna happen..
I have seen healthy looking fairly young people using red and green cards with impunity. Why aren't the cops stopping them? Why should the rest of us have to pay the normal fare and these people take discounts that aren't meant for them. I understand it might be hard to catch it every time someone slides a red card through but couldn't they set it up so that it sent off a signal to the station agent and then the station agent could look over and if it was some young man using a senior card they could stop them? That shouldn't be too difficult. Why don't they do that?
WTF? Don't people know how to cover their mouths when they cough or to avoid coughing all over people? I had Miss Ebola sit behind me tonight. She was seriously ill with a big, phlegmy cough. The kind of cough that brings up green chunks and so violent it was spraying everything in front of her with virus particles. Thanks a lot for riding BART "Miss Walking Death."
I get on at Civic Center and try to sit in the center seat of the car, facing forward, but it's one of those seats in which the cushion has been compressed and rotted out by bum fluids. It was a bucket seat--like sitting in a deep bucket, so I moved one seat forward. The train was not full. Plenty of seats were available. I'm busy reading and minding my own business.
Sometime at Powell or Montgomery, Miss Ebola gets on and sits in the rotted bucket seat behind me. She's quiet for a minute or so but then begins hacking up her lung directly at the back of my head. I can actually feel my hair being blown forward by her thick, moist, juicy coughing explosions. She calms down for a minute and starts up again as we go through the tube. She makes no attempt to turn away from the back of my head or to cover her mouth with her sleeve or hand.
I finally had to move seats to get away from her since there were plenty of other seats available (that she could've sat in to begin with). It also made me question why she didn't sit at least 1 seat away from other people when she got on. There was plenty of room to do so and she clearly knew she was deathly ill.
Thanks Miss Ebola, I really appreciate your contribution to making BART as fun as ever. I hope you liked the glare I gave you when I had to move and when I got off the train.
I don't know if anyone has watched Shrek, but remember when the donkey says Shreks breath stinks and he needs a tic-tac? Man I wish I had a tic-tac for this lady. She was nice, pleasant and saving the plant. I like talking to people when I'm not reading, Seth Godin, Jack Mitchell and Cathie Black, but I do talk to people as well. YES MY READING IS CUT THROAT BUT EDUCATIONAL!! :o).
I initiate a conversation to learn more about the riders. You'd be surprised about the people who ride. A dope man who has a PHd, a Berkeley student who does drug testing for testosterone implants, a mother who fathered children, who through her former life as a man was named Dave.
I've met them all.
I was talking to someone I will call Betty. Betty's breath was stinking and I think that if Betty stood even 20 feet farther, I would have still smelled it.
The child gets on the train first and then the parent gets left at the station holding the stroller looking disgruntled as the train pulls away. The parent then runs along side the train yelling at the train (to the child), "get off at the next stop, I'll meet you there." My question is this, "if the child is only 3 years old, do they really understand that the next stop is where they should get off to possibly see their mommy or daddy again?"
Luckily in this case there were adults on the train to help the child and got off at the next stop to wait with the child until the parent arrived. I could see how a parent could go to a bart booth agent and say their child is missing. This is clearly a case of the driver making sure that parent and child are all together. Better eye wear, asking the other riders to make sure the doors are clear and all babies are inside with their parents, a little button inside the train that is marked, "my mommy is not on yet so you can't drive off until she gets inside! "
I wonder how often this has happened. If there is anyone out there who has experienced this.. what did you do? I want to say, "Man! I'm so sorry you lost your kid and I hope you got them back safely."
Link to the article about new seat covers. What do you guys think? I'd like to see what they look like first.
LINK
I'd like to see some of some of our fellow BART riders at a slightly more personalized level! I'm sure that some of you are bound to have a Myspace or something of the sort. Especially if you're a youngin like me. So, I'd like to post my information and invite anyone to "add" me or send me an IM!
http://www.myspace.com/seanlovesyouuu
AIM: seanestrella
Hey TO on the Richmond/Fremont line at 5:54 at the Coliseum tonight, you have to look out your window to see if people are still loading/unloading. You finally looked out after the doors closed on me. I was the one standing on the platform giving you the UP YOURS hand signal.
It is a Warriors game tonight and there were d-bags standing in the door way making it take a long time for the 20 people to get off. Just as it clears and I'm getting on, the doors close. Had you been looking, you would of seen this and delayed the door close by a second or two.
So instead, I'm stuck in the door, waiting for you to open them. After I get unstuck you finally look out. I purposely didn't get on so that I could praise you of your amazing operational skills.
Don't chuckle, I wasn't delayed because I really wanted the train following you, I just like to move down line. I just don't want those decrepit doors to break. If they did, I wouldn't care because it was your FAULT.
Furthermore, you lazy scum blocking the doors: MOVE THE F OUT OF THE WAY AND LET OTHERS ON AND OFF.
Good day and happy BARTing
If you have referenced any websites dealing with PAS, Personality disorders, custody, etc (you know, the stuff we always talk about on here) I would love to have them. You can either post them here or pm me and I will give you my email if you prefer.
I manage to see at least one poor soul per month try to fly into the bart train from the escalator, making a elevated single leap as if they is doing a plea. Then what happens?... They get stuck in the door.
They nudge the door and use their super powers to push it and then they chant out a loud, "dunt ta dah dah!! I made it and I am a super hero! I am Thor, the Savior of My own Body Parts!!!"
It amazes me that a person would risk damaging a body part to get on the train.
I know people are running late, don't want to wait for the next train, have to get to their babies daddy, but my goodness.. it does look quite painful.
First it was the skids! Then it was DH! Now it's my work!!!! Work called today while I was on the phone and left me a nasty message that if I didn't work this weekend the they wouldn't give me a good reference!
After weeks and weeks of little to no contact from BM, last night she calls up, all up in arms over something or other. Hubby puts her on speakerphone so I can hear, and I can barely understand her ranting. We have no idea what the problem is. Hubby finally manages to break through her tirade to tell her he can't understand her and she slows down enough to say that his insurance is screwing her over. Um, what? Apparently, she doesn't like paying co-pays at dr. offices. Well, too bad. It's not like she ever pays her part of the dr. bills, so sorry if we don't feel bad that she has to pay $30 to take the skids to the dr. Then she goes on to say that she is never taking the skids back to their pediatrician again, because the whole office was rude to her. I'm thinking, oh no, here we go again. She goes on and on about how mean and sarcastic they were, not letting her speak and demanding money and not willing to give her a receipt, slamming down the paperwork, etc. We've taken the skids to this dr. before, not to mention the fact that this was my pediatrician when I was a kid (not that we would ever tell BM that) so I've been around them all for a long time. They are the some of the nicest people I've ever dealt with. It's the same thing all the time. It doesn't matter if it is a store, a restaurante, a dr office, whatever, eventually everyone is "rude" and mean to her. I can only imagine the scene that must have actually taken place. Hubby says that she is constantly on the lookout for "disrespect" and will not hesitate to start arguments over perceived slights. To upset the women in that office she must have thrown an all out temper tantrum and insulted them severely. And of course, I'm sure the skids were witness to it all. SD12 already shows tendencies in that direction that we squash whenever possible.
I get on the train and actually get a seat. I sat next to a snorer.
There is a gentleman who looks as if he does the day shift, the night shift, the mid-shift and shifting his shifts between snores. Man!!! It was so loud. I felt sorry for the guy. He had the greasy hair that flung back over his repressed bald spot, the mustache that hung over the top lip and may be searching for the bottom. He was in dire need of some sleep apnea medication. I shall light a candle for this guy...
I think he had a one man band going. I tried to figure out what key he might have been snoring in, but it was pretty loud.
This is an "Ode to the Adenoid"
If your adenoids are clogged and you have deprivation of sleep
Maybe try holding down one job, instead of three that keep Bart riders in weep.
If you wake and there is a tutu around you waist
It's probably the other guy who did it, not us serious people with grace
I am going to light a candle for you, the one who howls in the wild
if you need a shoulder to lean on I will be on the Fremont Train @ 812 with a 35 year old child...
We Love You
well, you guys have given so many supportive responses, that I am unable to respond to everything now, though I really want to.
It really helps alot to know that you care, and I like said one time, it's possible to print off anything inspirational and positive that others have written and paste them into a beautifully decorated scrapbook. So that every time things feel down, it will be there to help get up the strength to keep fighting.
SD was taken to docs today - they are now sending her to a clinic here that specializes in abuse which until further testing cannot be ruled out or determined. They are on the way to the social worker now and I did not go because I didn't want them to think we have anything but the best interest of the children at heart. His mom has accompanied him as he literally was beyond himself crying.
These two bikers get on and each take a whole seat. But because they positioned their bikes up to the seat next to them, it also blocked anyone from accessing the seats.
Why was this guy cuffed and laying on the ground injured? Just curious that's all. Check the pics.
Ok, I need a little advice before my interview. If anyone can tell me what to expect in a structured group interview at BART, that'd be great!
and no, i don't mean "personal digital assistant." i am talking about public displays of affection. and not just holding hands or whathaveyou. i am talking about full on making out, tonsil hockey, knecking, whatever the kiddies call it these days. before i even got on a train, i witness a morbidly obese elderly couple making out on the escalator and a freakishly tall dude with his freakishly short girlfriend making out on the platform. the freakishly tall/short couple were waitiing for the train in a different line than i was, so i don't have much to say about them other than get a room.
the obese elderly couple on the escalator however, really pissed me off. the woman is standing one step above the man. they are locked in a big bearhug/french kiss, and i happen to notice that she is holding a newspaper in her right hand. dumb-ass newspaper readers! eeeewwww gross! anyway, at least they are standing to the right so i can pass them and not have to watch softcore porn the whole ride up to the platform. but as i am immediately next to them, the woman decides now is a good time to release her make out buddy from the bear hug. as her flabby arms unravel themselves from his wide load, she nails me in the head with her newspaper. dumb ass newspaper readers.
I have been rolling around my head about letting FH move in.
His BS is 18 and working, of course there will be a contract and much discussion about the rules. But we are both struggling money wise and BS is hardly home anymore ---I mean on the one hand it makes sense that if everyone follows the rules that they should move in, but then I think selfishly that I like my little way of life right now, my sons and I have a routine and I have me time more often then not, and then if you add another 18 to the mix and his girlfriend and his friends... I am so torn. and I keep saying I know I should not take a chance and bring that bad ass attitude into my house, but dang it, I want my FH with me every night and I want to have $ help and he needs it too.
Does anyone know if an inheritance is considered income? If so, is it included in the determining for child support. BM's father passed away last fall and she has come into some money and will come into more when the family house is sold.
For my MySpace friends, this will not be posted there, it's best left here, but you can message me on their if you want more details.
An issue cropped up last Thursday that sealed my husband's and his kids fate. I had to work, he had to go out of town for a one day job, so all three kids were in daycare. DHS shows up at my house the next day. Needless to say, we are trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I was on my lunch break talking to Sir Dumb A** at the time the lady pulled up to my house. She proceeds to tell SDA that she received a complaint stating that SDA kicked SS8 in the head. ?!? So SDA calls SS8 into the room and asks him why he would say something like that and he says "Because you did daddy". SDA has a fit and says why are you lying on me? SS8 turns around and tells him because he won't give him what ever it is that he wants. The DHS lady told him that he isn't going to get what he wants, laughed at him and left.
We awoke this morning at a little after 6:00 AM to the phone ringing. BM called, I answered - she asked to speak to BF. I have no problem with her as long as she's being civil, so of course I said, "Ok, hold on." Our phone is loud, and I could hear her telling my groggy BF that the situation with SS had gotten out of her control and that the four of us needed to get together and have a meeting. She said that she wanted me to be there because I help raise him too. So, BF, BM, SS and I convened this morning for a meeting.
today i thought about my new underwear- the pair i just bought at victoria's secret
and i realized that i didn't see them when i opened the drawer this morning
it's stupid, but i'm anxious to get there and see if i still have them
you guys that have personal messaged me- i'll write you back tomorrow, but want you to know that i took your words to heart and really appreciate the time you take to write and that you care.
bless you to everyone who writes, it really helps.
I want to thank all of you who have made the last few months bareable for me! I have GREAT news to share.
DH's new meds are working & my husband, is pleasant, fun to be with & helps out! Yeah!!!! This is the guy I married not the abusive nut job who has terrorized my home life.
What should we do? I have two Skids, 7 and 3 that live out of state. We have them this week - first time since January and not again until May. The 7 yo has gained 18 pounds since last visit. She is in a 12/14 now and my 7 yo (two weeks apart) is in a 6. The 3 yo has developed a bad stuttering problem. THey came with bruises inside their legs, the BM tells us they are depressed, etc. She works crazy shifts as a nurse assistant and goes out of town or to the bars every weekend. How should we confront this situaiton? Though I think we have enough to file for custody I dont think we have enough to win as the burden of proof is high. I don't think the court's take mental defect into consideration (She is diagnosed bi-polar/manic depression/personality disorder) These problems with the kids all started after their divroce and her subsequent divorce from her second husband (marriage lased 5 months)
last night i came home and after a kind of awkward night sitting with him watching tv i went to bed and asked him some more questions-
i asked him if he would have her come into the house and sleep in the same bed that we were sleeping in now, next to him
"BM:
Until you sign a paper giving over primary custody to DH, the girls have no insurance. The Medicaid they had in North Carolina is not valid in Georgia and DH's insurance won't pick them up till he has paperwork showing that he has primary custody. They also are ineligible for emergency insurance her in Georgia. We are not asking you to give up your rights to the girls, just sign over primary custody of them. You will still get your visitation rights. Family and Children Services says you also need to close out their Medicaid in North Carolina.
Fat asses should not be allowed on bart trains. The rule should be if you cannot keep yourself contained to one seat you should not be on bart.
Airlines make fat people buy two tickets. If you cant keep them off bart then they should at least pay double or there should be a special car for all the fat tub of lards with one seat per row.
Not to mention how badly they stink because they cannot possibly reach every crack and crevice.
Don't punish society for the bad choices of a few.
Fat people are just disgusting. Stay off bart.
Do we need to get some t-shirts made?
I got on at Union City station last week for my daily commute to Embarcadero station. On the escalator up to the platform was a woman in her late 50s, early 60s. She was standing on the left side blocking the folks walking up.
The guy behind her said "Excuse me", and she just snarled at him and told him where to go. I gently tried to tell her to stay to the right if she wasn't walking up. She then snarled at me and told me she was from Philadelphia and knew how to behave in the train station.
She gets off at the Embarcadero station and I end up following behind her. The escalator is broken down, and she is trying to lug a wheeled cart up the stairs. She isn't having much success, so another patron asks if he can help her. Now she turns all nice and lets the guy carry her cart up the stairs.
Turns out I've seen her twice since then, and she now stays to the right side of the escalator.
There are a lot of complaints about BART. But we do have some of the nicest riders anywhere!
It was my own damn fault, but I really gotta tell this one.
For the last 3 weeks the train I usually take in the morning has dropped from 10 cars to 9. This has basically made it so I'm standing 2 days out of the 4 I commute. This does not thrill me. Today I get on and I see a seat in the back row. There's a dude sitting there, but it isn't until my butt is halfway in to the chair that I smell the smell. Not real strong, but the distinct smell of someone who is about to beg me for money. However, I really wanted that seat today, so I decided to just stick it out. I'm thinking, it won't be the first time I sat next to a bum on the train.
The problem is, he's not sleeping like a good transient and decided he wants to have a conversation. A VERY LONG conversation. About sports, and the first black manager in sports, and how italians in New York fight with italians in Cleveland, and how it's only white folks who get on at Walnut Creek and how he doesn't get why the rich black sports players always have white girlfriends. I also made the mistake of giving him a buck for coffee to not have him antagonize me for the whole ride and I end up giving him another three bucks for breakfast. The second time I was smart and told him I'd give it to him at his stop, so he couldn't beg for any more.
I did manage to get him off sports talking about various places in Philadelphia and the Philly area, where apparently (thank god) he is moving back to with his sister next week. At least I had something to contribute to that 'conversation'. I really think even headphones would not have deterred this guy, and I didn't really want to be rude (though I really wished I could be).
That's it, I'm taking the Montgomery train from now on, and the headphones go on before I get on the train. It's worth risking the boss noticing me sliding in 5 minutes late.
So, I recently won the battle with Muni and TransLink. I had a couple of Muni Drivers throw me off of the bus a couple of months back because I used my TransLink card on board. So I decided to complain and I asked a ton of questions about the program. The Marketing director for TransLink at Muni finally got back to me to tell me that I could use my card on the buses, but to have back-up fare just in case (exactly like the website says). So far, no bus driver has stopped me from using my card.
So... all you TransLink users out there, Muni is available (eventhough you still can't get a monthly pass on it yet). Just beware the system is still "Testing" and not all of the bus drivers have their readers turned on!
"The on-time rate dipped to 69.2 percent during the last three months of 2007, the most recent reporting period. That number represents the worst showing in a year and falls far short of the 85 percent threshold that San Franciscans demanded at the ballot box in 1999."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/21/MNUUVNDDO.DTL
Nathaniel Ford goes on to say "Any drop in on-time performance is unacceptable". Of course, with no repercussions for performance, does "unacceptable" really have any meaning?
I'm fairly disgusted with riding Muni lately. Let's hope the TEP recommendations get implemented and we see some improvement. It's better than staying the current course we're on.
Thoughts anyone?
I heard something about an out of service train and smoke on run 950? Also really loud fan sounds in the tunnel. Anyone know more about this? The train went out of service at around 2:40 PM Wednesday.
It's 11 pm and I just got off the pitt/bp train. we were moving along from the ph station and when we were just about to get to the concord station the train falls a bit (kind of like it jumped off something) and started to bounce like a jack rabbit. The T/O stopped the train and got out of the car and gave it a look over hopped back in and we were off. Only this time the train handled like crap, bouncy and it felt like I may have been bottoming out a bit. Once I got off at the NC/M station I looked at the train and notice that the lead car was sitting noticeably lower then the second car.
Over all quite a eye-opener of a ride home.
But, I did take the advise given to heart from my last post. I have not looked at BM or her friend's myspace page. And, I don't want to either...okay, so maybe I do, but I am refusing to do it.
It's been two weeks, I think, maybe longer. All I know is that if she wants to say nasty things about me there, then she is just wasting HER time and effort, not mine.
after the smell in the house made me sick, and i had gone to work ill and exhausted because my bed smelled like sd when she hasn't showered- like a fart
i was just feeling so sick and nervous. had written about this. so i was afraid of driving. i wrote to a social worker and asked her to talk with me because she had told me i could talk to her if I ever needed to, but she didn't respond, and it turns out that it's because SHE is in the hospital right now. she's having stomach problems, and they don't know why yet, so hopefully she'll be ok.
To call a few days ahead. Bm called last night to ask if ss could stay here with me on Thur.(his first day of spring break). She said that he would rather stay here than go to the babysitter's house.(We don't know who that is. Bm's other child goes there we guess).
Everyone has a right to listen to the music they want to listen to, but this morning I did not want to hear the lady's music across from me. If you know me, you know I hate to be disturbed when I'm reading. I'm thinking, "why don't you invest in a better headset.. or better yet, use the one that came with your ipod."
I may be the only one who appreciates quietness to and from work or even on the weekend. No... actually I'd rather hear a little rumble in the isles on the weekends, that's when it's most lively. But this morning.... HELL NO!!
The music was something motivational, so I will give her a free pass for that. She may have needed the music to keep her uplifted and she also may have wanted us to hear what type of music she was listening to. I can recall a time when I was learning spanish and I was listening to Marc Anthony.. I would have given probably my left lung for someone to say, "hey is that Marc Anthony? Do you speak spanish?" It would have been so liberating and rewarding for me. However, I keeped my desires to myself and utilized the headset that came with the mp3 player and if that one doesn't work, I'll invest in another that actually goes with it.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU USE A DEVICE THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO THE MAIN FRAME. ELECTRICUTION IS A WORD THAT COMES TO MIND!! Pure Shock. Use your devices people. I dont' want to hear another old song from Ingleberg..
DH's Attorney just called me since DH is not available to the phone. Apparently the court order for the raise in CS was entered in on the same date of the court day 3 weeks ago. This means that BM wrote a check to DH with the wrong amount of CS KNOWING she was defying the court order. HA!
Well fiance's divorce has been final for 3 weeks as of today. So he gets a call on his cell phone this morning. He knows that i can't stand when he talks to her in my presence. So he just called me at work and was like guess what she wanted.
The BM told my husband she no longer wanted the girls, but told the girls it was only till the end of the school year. I've been bugging my husband to contact child support and get the ball rolling on stopping BM's child support since the girls are with us.
HEY EVERYBODY, JUST THOUGHT ID SHARE WITH YOU ALL ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON THIS WEEKEND.
FROM THE BEGINNING, MY SON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD(ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPER DISORDER) THIS YEAR.
I FINALLY RESULTED TO TREATING HIM WITH STIMULANT CALLED FOCALIN XR TO HELP CURVE HIS IMPULSIVENESS AND HYPER ACTIVITY SO HE COULD GET A BETTER EDUCATION AND FOCUS IN SCHOOL.
I was on the Pittsburg train today and somewhere around the tunnel the TO saw a little boy about 8 hanging out with his dad in the lead car. He got on the loudspeaker and in a round about way invited him to come up to the cab.
After a little bit he let him beep the horn in the tunnel a few times and had him get on the speaker and announce the station name.
I know I've ridden this this TO's train before and I like him even more now. You rock, whoever you are, that made one little kid and one not so little kid's day
She feels SD's behavior is manipulative and attention seeking. She also thinks it's time we switch to a new therapist. I have been sensing her pushing for us to switch for several visits, but as SD's behavior is escalating the Dr feels it's more important for her to be seeing someone that she can start fresh and build a trusting relationship with. Since BM alienated SD from this therapist, she doesn't see how she can be effective anymore. The Dr also complimented me on my ability to diffuse this all the time, and reiterated how blessed SD is to have me.
Today at Montgomery Bart I heard what sounded like really sick bagpipes. Come to find out that it's a hurdy gurdy.
Click this link
I met my husband 5 years ago. We were both truck drivers so dating was out of the question so instead we talked on the phone non stop for two week, then we started driving together (much cheaper). After two weeks in the truck together we had a load go thru Las Vegas so we stopped and got married. Total time we knew each other: 1 month, the number of times I had met his kids: 0
Definitions
1. Nemoy - a man's you know what
2. Lola Falona - a woman's you know what
Now read on....
There are lots of people gettng on bart trying to show off there various body parts. Such as the ones who got on today. One nipple in the eye, a butt in the face of another sitting down. It kind of can't be helped. A Nemoy (as in Leonard Nemoy from StarTrek) lunged forward toward a hot woman while exiting the train or someone staring at my butt or giving me a signal that they'd like to stroke my Lola Falona if I gave them the proper eye contact or go-ahead.
When the train is crowded, I don't think it can be helped to have a body part flung at you. Most of it is unintentional because we are all so cramped and smooshed together. Especially this morning. The trains were so backed up so there were back to back SF trains at MacArthur. It was crazy. Someone said there was a person with a gun and that's why we had delayed trains. I guess by the time I got there, the gun was gone and yet left on the platform were many who felt jaded and unaware of the gun.
Many smooshed in rubbing and touching one another. I refused to get in to feel the Gyrating of a leather knock-off in my back or the gassy presence of curry. I just wouldn't do it. I let three trains pass me by and got on to a semi-crowded yet welcoming train. I actally got a seat at Berkeley when a man got up from his seat. Thanks Mr. Bald Guy. I don't know your name so you will be Mr. Bald Guy for today... No offense to the Bald Guys out there.
I think I like the fact we have options to catch two or three trains later to avoid the Gyration.
My husband and I are back in court with the BM. She wants custody of the children again. Five years ago she gave up custody voluntarily now she is claiming that circumstances have changed. We have a GAL and the BM has the GAL convinced that she is "Supermom". When in reality she is just the opposite. We have not been to the final hearing yet but my husband and I don't ahave a good feeling about what the GAL'S determination will be. She has been arrested and conviced of a felony, lied, stole from the food stamp program, manipulated the children it goes on and on.
So, second post of the day today. I guess I'm just in a blogging mood. On a more serious note, though, I am really starting to worry about SS. The more I think about it, the more I'm seeing some scary signs and after my chat w/him this weekend, I'm starting to *really* worry...
i was out of the office for awhile and don't have a clue where my phone is so i don't know if H ever called me again after i told him that i wasn't feeling well and to please call me later.
twice i rang his phone once and hung up, trying to give him a signal to call me back, because i want to tell him to tell the kids that i won't be home tonight and to use the alarm and wake themselves up
There is hope out there for all of us stepmom's! Recently, I went to a movie with my SD who is 17 and her mom, we did shopping, lunch and movie. It went quite well, and actually to be honest with you, I enjoyed the mom's company more then my SD's. When I personally got over the jealousy feeling of her having my husbands past and having kids with him, things were better. I have since realized that him and I would never have been able to have the relationship we do now, if we had a child together, because we parent so differently. Which is ok, GOD has a plan for all of us.
I've always thought my ss10 was strangely clingy w/his mom, and I've posted about this before, but I'm starting to realize, it's not SS, it's Bm!! For the past 3 years, SS would call home on Friday, to let Bm he had gotten home safely, which is perfectly understandable, but recently, his mom has been calling him on Saturdays for no apparent reason. This past weekend, she thought it a good idea to call, speak w/him and then put his baby cousin (who can't talk...) on the phone.
I recently received a letter in the mail inviting me to participate in the Group Interview for Train Operator. Any tips on what to expect or what I should do to pass? Also, what should I expect of Train Operator Classes? Thanks!
To those of you who dont know what I am talking about, see my previous post: Waving the White Flag. Long story short, I sent BM and email basically apologizing for my part in our relationship and asking what I could do to improve it. Here is her response:
Well once again (bet your tired of hearing that!) My paycheck was wrong again! Got to admit that the last two where ok (well almost) I gave up approx 22 mins of pay because I'm tired of writing out the paper work. Soooooooo now Im short 9hrs at time and a half. Oh I did check online first! (not my job by the way) Also I had a forworker check it and sign a note to that effect. Thanks BART for making BAP work. I think you should trash the bap and save yourself and the public a pile of money. Hey maybe you can give yourselfs a raise also. Ohhh wait you already did that huh. Now dont get me wrong, BART is a great place to work, but I think that they should put people in charge with the vision of the future in mind.
ok i posted this under security even though it could have fallen under other categories.
bart pd was pretty busy across the bay area tonight from what i could see lol. first off i was leaving powell street tonight and about 10 bart cops, complete with shotguns, stormed a dublin train and pulled some lady off who i guess had been waving a knife around on the train! she was pulled off by shotgun wielding officers and wrestled to the ground, eventually they sat her down and searched her and omg was that kinfe big lol . they held the train there for 10 minutes while police investigated and when it finally left the bay point train was right behind it, full of nosy people asking what happened!
got on my bay point train and come macarthur (final destination rockridge) we pull in and are informed that we will be holding with doors closed until further notice. 20 minutes later the operator repositions the train and doors open, and we notice about 5 bart officers posted on the platform. the t/o says that due to a police emergency we had to hold. do any cops know what was going on for 20 minutes? and how often do trains hold with doors closed?
of course i took pics. not the best quality but they were all taken on the down low. i noticed of the cops there, there were 3 female officers, but one who stood out? is this the famous Officer Shrapnel? (if it is, feel free to remove the pics if you want!)
police tactics question here... i noticed that only one of the female officers was involved in the takedown, the rest being the male officers. the lady (one handcuffed sitting down) wasnt that big, so i dont think it was an over powering issue. policy? coincidence? oh, and only the men had shotguns! lol
I'm always compelled to look in the direction of the panhandler. The person who is waving the cup, jingling the hat chanting such things as, "spare change!"
This one particular day, a man whom I see frequently at the Powell Street station is always jingling his cup. He does however have the famous "Street newspaper" to offer in exchange for the change. I have never given him any change. I figure he is a Bart employee. He's there all the time, he has something to offer and he has a sales pitch. To me he is getting a check from whomever is producing the newspapers.
One day I passed by and he says, "You know I have to contribute to my pension fund." I started to laugh hysterically. I thought, "this guy takes the cake."
He was honest and had a spin on how to get money. I'm not mad at him for having a different strategy for getting money. It's all in the approach. He's doing it his way. Some do however piss me off and I have to read them my own person scroll of by-laws.
BY-LAWS FOR THE TRAMP
1. If I offer you an apple and you beg for my pretzels, we will be fighting. I offered something so don't go to the extreme dammit!!!
2. I'll give you a dollar for gas, don't go and ask for an additional $2.00 after I smell the alcohol on your breath and make you aware of the fucking alcohol. You are a bold bitch for that one!!! You're strategy was kick ass, but don't breath on me next time!!!
3. I can't give you a ride to your house!!
4. If you approach me on Monday and then again on Tuesday I might cut you.
5. They are giving out shoes at Ellis & Cyrill Mangrin so stop acting like you can't get any..
6. Some people do like you, but not on Thursday when you picked my pocket and took my daughter's happy meal money.
7. I know you don't have a dental plan, but if you ask me, I will give you a toothbrush and toothpaste. It helps to ask and YEE shall find. "HEY YEE.. IF YOU ARE OUT THERE AND YOU READ THIS. YOU REALLY PISSED ME OFF DUDE!!! I SEE YOU EVERY FUCKING DAY AND I'M TIRED MAN. GET ANOTHER GIG!"
8. If I ask you for a quarter dressed in my Armani suit.. would you give it to me?
9. I know you already have a bart ticket, so I can't give it to you today. Maybe Monday or maybe not!!
10. Seek Jesus!!! or Hay-Seus!!!
I welcome nakedness on my journey to work.
I typically park outside the station on the street, but today since I had my boo?s car, I parked inside at the McArthur Bart station where you can always find a hypodermic needle, a used condom (aka parachute) and luckily flyers for near by strip clubs. Who would have thought that you could see something so sultry and definitely rewarding on the way to work?
It was just a postcard, but one so graphic that I had to pick it up.
As I walked towards the station I bumped into several cars perusing the postcard from front to back, looking at every detail.
Ok get over your fear of the nakedness!!
Do you remember National Geographic, Benny Hill, or that forbidden night at you know who?s house doing you know what? Yes we all remember. If it weren?t for nakedness we wouldn?t have the Exotic Erotic Ball, Janet and Justin, Little Kim and Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera and Marie Claire.
If there is an opportunity to do a ?Look See? then by Gosh Googlie Goop!!! I shall look. You were produced with nakedness and fine nakedness you turned out to be when everyone saw you coming from the canal into the nurses arms and then into your mommy?s arms. Pooping all over the dam place for the all the world to see.
You are saying, ?where was my mind?!? It was in the gutter today and I?m proud and satisfied because I got to see what most avoid in the morning. I shall keep my new nakedness postcard, right next to the magazines and videos on the top shelf in the box marked high school scrapbook and memories.
So the BART board recently voted to increase advertising and raise parking fines as a way to up revenue, and as a second pressing matter of business . . . unanimously voted themselves a pay raise?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/14/BALOVJJAG.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Okay, so I was pushing it a little ? with 4 minutes to spare I was flying through the bart terminal trying to get my ticket through the little slot and then pay for parking at the kiosk, run down the stairs and board my train from Ashby to Civic Center, SF ? when I get the most dreaded message: See Agent. Yes folks, my ticket was demagnetized, hence begins my bart drama!!! So I?m thinking this is going to be a pain in the you know what, but I?ll have to get the magic paper ticket written by the agent and then swap out my ticket in SF ? Oh but not so fast! This morning was my lucky morning and I got the agent from?.you fill in the blank! She blatantly refused to give me a ticket to my destination. In all the rudeness she could have possibly conjured up at 8:23 AM ? she told me that my only 2 choices are to ? ONE purchase another ticket and then when I get to SF, switch out the demagnetized ticket. Having not a penny on me, she told me I could also use my debit card! (Thanks for the advice lady!) But I didn?t have that on me either. So that meant I would have to leave the bart station after securing one of the VERY LAST parks available, drive home, get money, come back, drive around hopelessly looking for a park, until I probably broke down and drove in to work ? now officially late beyond explanation, pay the $4 to cross the bridge and the $12 to park in the city. Well that didn?t seem acceptable or doable to me.
So she said my other choice was ? oh wait, she said I had 3 choices, so my second choice was ? as she asked, ?do I have someone that can meet me at the civic center and pay for my fare there?? Okay ? so how was that going to work? I don?t have the energy to dissect why this is one of the most ignorant questions she could have asked?.And why was it okay to give me the paper ticket if someone stranger promised to meet me at the Civic Center and pay my way instead of my promise to exchange my ticket at the bart counter? Wondering minds will never know! Okay, and my final choice was that she would give me a paper ticket to the Civic Center, but she was keeping my demagnetized ticket with the promise that Bart would mail me another one with my remaining $25.30 minus the one-way trip she would write up. So now I am out of my $25.30 until Bart sends me another ticket? But in no way was she going to give me a paper ticket to get to the Civic Center and then allow me to exchange my ticket there because, ?according to the agent? there is no way to debit the one way ticket?!?!?!?!? For real? Now the ever so helpful agent based her rationale on the ?fact? that she received a memo 7 months ago that stated they were not allowed to ?do that anymore? ? that being: provide a paid rider a trip to their destination, regardless of the fact that the cheaply made ticket malfunctioned as of no fault of mine. Is this only absurd to me? She furthered lectured me about how I was the cause of my ticket being demagnetized because of my ipod, although I showed her the pretty little clear plastic casing I keep my bart ticket in. However, it seems that ownership of the ipod proved my guilt!!!! After watching my train bolt at full speed pass me and knowing another would be following shortly, I walked outside contemplating my dilemma.
So I called customer service. Explained the situation to the rep on the phone and she was just as bewildered as I was as to why the agent didn?t provide me a paper ticket to get to my destination, write the debited amount on my ticket so that I could exchange it in SF and be on my merrily way! So I returned to the counter and gave the agent my cell phone (this is all before my morning coffee, so by now I was beginning to get ?slightly? irritated :) with the bart agent who in a weird way had way too much power!) The agent spoke to the rep on the phone and explained that she offered me a ride, but conveniently left out that she also demanded to keep my ticket and force me to wait on my $25.30 in the mail. Seriously, my bart commute is roughly $160 per month, give or take a day ? how do they know that my financial situation allows me to ?just wait? and somehow purchase another ticket in the meantime?!?!? And no, this isn?t their problem, but the demagnetized ticket is ? it?s been an ongoing issue with bart and the only solution they have is to make the rider further suffer! So back to the long story ? well let me wrap it up, after the rep and agent went back and forth, passed the phone back to me so I could clarify that I never turned down the ride, I just didn?t want the agent to keep my demagnetized ticket when I KNEW for a fact that I could exchange it in SF at the bart counter, and then passed the phone back to the agent, and let the agent and rep go back and forth, and back and forth, and umm, back and forth ? the agent finally agreed to write out the paper ticket. Oh but first she felt the need to tell me that ?just because you call customer service does not mean anything and you will not be given this courtesy the next time no matter who you call.? And then she rummaged through her purse looking for a pen just long enough for me to miss THE THIRD TRAIN to SF ? I finally got the paper ticket written! 35 minutes late to work.
I hate bart today!
Seriously, I want to see this memo that the agent said was ?passed out? 7 months ago ? where is it posted? Why is she the only one to enforce it? And more ? well MOST importantly WHO wrote the memo and decided if a ticket gets demagnetized its just the riders bad luck. I mean at least get me to my destination ? but maybe I?m asking for too much ? pay for a ticket and get a ride, what a concept?!?!?
Hey Bartrage. I completely forgot that when I applied for TCET, I also applied for this one. The test is on the 24th. Looks like I've been blessed with another opportunity sooner than I thought. If you know any TVET's on here, it would be great to talk to them. By the way, does this job relate to actually working on the train?
There is something to be desired on Bart. This one particular evening I was leaving work and entered the train. A man got on at the same time I did. He had two large Trader Joe?s grocery bags full of meat. The man, with a loud voice, gets on his cellular phone and calls a friend. He announces to the friend, ?HEY MAN!!! I GOT YO? MEAT!!!?
Now it really disturbed me that he would be calling someone about meat. I was reading so it really disturbed me. I looked at him as if to say, ?YOU ARE A CRACKHEAD AND I HATE YOU!!!? (giggle).
It was clear and evident that he was missing something upstairs or within. The Dumb Meat Man then gets off the phone with his friend and starts repositioning the meat from one bag to the other. I guess this was for balancing. All the while, he is talking to himself about the meat. He talked about how great the meat was, how much meat he had and what he was going to do with the meat.
We knew what he was going to do with the meat. He was going to give it to his FUCKING FRIEND! Dumb Ass Meat Man!!!!
After his short episode the man proceeds to take the meat out of the bags and line it up on the floor of the bart train for all to see. He then looks around to see if anyone is looking at him display his meat on the floor, for all to see. ?WELL FUCK YEA!!!! We?re looking at you and your fucking meat, you dumb son-of-a-bitch!!!?
As I said before.. at this point I was pissed off and looked at him with disgust to say, ?you are a crackhead and hate you because you are disturbing my reading time.?
This is the reason we all have books to read, texting devices, ipods, even boom boxes?. ?TO AVOID YOU AND YOUR FUCKING MEAT ! YOU DUMB ASS MEAT MAN!!!?
I thought, ?Am I the only one with the balls to tell this man that he is stupid for showing us his meat?? Probably so. (giggle).
A new website on the net that allows BART, and other bay area transit riders
to place classified ads to buy, sell, or trade.
- Blog
- events
- news
- weather
- and more!
Check it out..
http://www.transitbayareaclassifieds.com
I think I have a good idea of why, but why do all of the TOs seem to be issued handheld radios? Is this actually the case, or do just some people have them and some do not?
It seems redundant when there's a radio in the operator's cab? Also, how long are your shifts generally? From my previous experience with handheld radios, the battery life on them isn't more than 5-6 hours.
Thanks!
And...
Is this the little car I see parked under a tin shed in the far back corner of the oakland yard?
http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?19639
jbap21
Found this pic on another forum. Its a caltrain bike car and yes it is unusually full according to the poster. I wonder if bart could ever do something like this. Maybe even half or a third of a car?
On my way home last night, my train must have been running late and one car short because it was packed. I tried a different car, same thing. What did I do? Jam on with my bike? I thought about it, it might have worked, there was a some space and it was only going to be getting less crowded, but no. I waited for the next. Cost me 11 minutes. c'est le vie. MythTV was recording the Sharks anyways.
Four minutes late and one less car can make a huge difference.
Then this morning there is some dumb a$$ sleeping in the 2 seats of last row with his his bike next to him in the isle by the inter-train doors. What a d-bag.
Who is the artist T/O that does cartoon drawings on little post-it notes?
I normally ride last car during the evening commute (5:30pm-6:30pm) and
get off at del Norte.
Sometimes I look back through the empty T/O cab.
I have seen these little ink drawings stuck to the operators console that are actually pretty good. Sometimes they are of a cartoon-ish nature, others may be more of an actual portrait.
Who is it?
Who is expressing their creativity on little yellow sticky notes?
who is it?
jbap21
i havent had a day on bart this eventful in a while. a picture is worth a thousand words, so they say.
first two pics are of a girl on the san francisco airport train. boarded at Rockridge at 9:30am. my god, does it get any ghetto-er than this? she had a metro cell phone, was playing music, the speaker was rattling, and she was dancing in her seat. i damn near called bart police because i thought she might be in some sort of medical distress. false alarm. she was just being ghetto. that tiny purse made it all the worse lol
third pic is of a woman on the fremont train (SRO) taking up THREE SEATS with her grocery outlet bags. note the bike wheel in the foreground. that man was resting his bike on my leg. until i pushed it off.
fourth and fifth pics are of a super-secret entrance i discovered at 12th street this evening. door was open but no one was there, then a chinese man emerges singing. is this the hideout of the bart janitors?
sixth pic is of a secret platform and door at lake merrit station. who or what lives in there?
seventh pic is of a bart cop at bayfair writing a guy a ticket for taking his bike up the escilator. i guess it does happen, despite what ive read on this site.
last night on the way home from work, our train exited the transbay tube and stopped just short of west oakland station. it was probably just after 5:00pm. the TO said something like "someone was discovered running through the tunnel near 12th street. we are holding here until the police catch them." then about two minutes later, he says something about the power being out in the tunnel, but it has been restored and we are clear for takeoff.
i'm not sure if they killed the power so they could bumrush the douche in the tunnel, or if i totally mis-heard his first announcement. anyone got details???
Operators - Now I see what you guys see. I like how the operators door can swing out and use the other door jam - clever thinking. This car had a sliding door in front to connect it to the car in front of it. Are these cars ever used as lead cars?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/11/BATFVH84F.DTL&hw=bart+parking&sn=001&sc=1000
this sounds like a good idea to me.
although, i am not sure how much it will help with freeing up spaces. the article states that bart currently writes 66,000 parking tickets a year and most of those are permit and redzone violations. This works out to less than 5 total violations per station per day, and less than two violations for illegal parking in regular spots. can that be correct? any parking enforcement peeps care to comment?
The first pic the lady is hogging up the seats and is probably faking that she is sleeping.
The second pic - ok the train wasn't crowded, but damn dude - represent - show other bike riders how and where to stand.
here's a link about the ugly parking garage at the new dublin station. funny, because i was driving by it last week and couldn't help but comment on how ugly it was to mrs. jones. but, i do have to agree with linton that alameda county has been involved in the planning process from day one. forcing bart to spend an additional $500,000 on paint after the fact is LAME. and we end up paying for it. scott hagerty can kiss my ass!!!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/10/BAESVG4KG.DTL
My first post!
While daydreaming on the San Bruno BART platform, I noticed the placement of advertisements were pretty odd. The vast majority of advertisements were positioned near the center of the platform. However, the stairs and escalators end at the ends of the platform. Since everyone uses the stairs and escalators, wouldn't it make more sense to have advertisements there?
If I were BART and I were trying to make more money, I'd also clump the advertisements right in front of the black marks where the train doors open. Since most people stand around in front of those things, I'd imagine people would notice the ads more At most stations I see, the ads are evenly spaced, which might not be the most optimal way to place things.
If there were better ad placements, I'm sure there would be more demand for advertisers, and potentially more revenue to BART. And in theory, more revenue to BART should mean better service and fewer fare increases. In theory.
I ride BART every day I work when I am not traveling, and I ride my bike to the WC or PH station. I have had 2 wheels stolen, and 2 bike vandalized since commuting, so I decided to call and see the availability of bike lockers at these locations. The person that picked up the phone laughed at me and told me there was no way that I would get a locker this year...all I can think is wow. They have all these people wanting to have secure bike parking, $ just waiting to be had, wouldn't it make sense to take out that stupid little market in PH(can't eat or drink on BART anyway) and put in a monitored bike cage for people to drop off their bikes? I know that there are still way more people that drive, yada yada yada, but providing this service could actually increase the # of people that bike to the stations, decrease the # of people parking, again yada yada yada...rant is over, I will keep locking my bike (2 locks you scum-bag thieves) and enjoying my traffic free commute.
Continued from here. The elusive janitor does work at the San Bruno station. He even busted me taking his pic.
I have always been a big fan of the no-bikes-during-commute-hours rule but as of this morning, I will start calling the T/O when it is violated.
I realize not all bikers are a-holes, but enough are that they really make me dislike anyone on two wheels. This morning solidified that position. I normally catch the 6:14 SF airport train at Orinda, but this morning we had people coming to work on the house, so I got a late start after waiting for them. A guy had his bike on a full train no-bikes train at about 8:15. I was standing near him. His bike fell (tipped -- it didn't hurt or anything) against my leg when he was trying to dig his ringing phone out of his pocket somewhere near West Oakland. I glared at him but by then he was on his phone ("I can't hear you! I can't hear you! We're about to go into the tube, so I'm gonna lose you buddy!") and didn't care, so I tried to let it go. After exiting at Embarcadero however, I noticed that I had bike grease on one of my pants leg. So my morning has consisted of going out and buying new pants AND taking the messed up ones to the cleaners, when I was already 2 hours later than I normally am to work.
In some ways, today's morning commute was quite relaxing. On my way to Cal, I didn't have to stand from Glen Park to Embarcadero before finally getting a seat I could snooze in. I also didn't have an annoying newspaper reader, anyone large and smelly, or even someone blaring music through their iPod headphones sit next to me. I had a whole car to myself! This wasn't one of the disgusting cars either; it was one of the newer Demonstration Cars.
The catch? The demonstration car was locked out with the lights off. I had to enter the car from an adjacent car, which was unusually extra packed because of this locked out car. I wonder why no one else decided to enter the car and grab a seat, but I'm not complaining. It's not very often I get a private car during rush hour.
It amused me to see adverts in the car asking the riders for opinions on the car. What's even more amusing is that the mini "Door not working" stickers plastered to the doors were less than 2 feet away from the blue "Demonstration Car: Funded by regional tax dollars" sign on the train exterior. Our tax dollars, truly at work!