Another new Muni bus driver, another request for "Where's my next stop?" as the bus driver moves into the right turn only lane, when he should be going straight.
Watched a bit of the Food Network awards show last night. That was painful. Luckily, I was doing taxes so I was able to mostly ignore it, my poor wife on the other hand got to watch and listen to it. Here is Bourdain's take - absolutely a must read!!!!
I should put this in a separate posting, but I don't really feel like it at this moment. Anyway, our illustrious Mayor and our Board of Social Engineers reached a compromise over the so-called "Healthy Saturday" indoctrination. In essence, the compromise cuts in half the total length of road that will be closed, makes it permanent that it will be closed 6 months out of the year (this year it starts on May 26, just in time for Memorial Day). On the one hand, it keeps open the path from 9th Avenue, through the park, and over to Arguello, a key cross-over point through the park (otherwise you have to go 19th and try your way on Stanyan), and will probably result in Richmond bearing the brunt of this closure, instead of sharing it with Inner Sunset. However, it's obvious that the Mayor and Board simply do not care about the people who live in Richmond and Inner Sunset, not to mention the two ballot initiatives that were rejected by the voters- roughly 70% of voters in Richmond and Sunset voted against the prior ballot measures. Instead, they continue to abide by the will of a vocal minority (that do not live near Golden Gate Park) that supposedly represent so-called San Francisco Values, which can be summed up as, no cars for anyone. Kudos to the Board and Mayor for compromising, compromising away the wishes of the people they supposedly represent.
Needless to say, this issue really gets to me. Almost as much as the Lands Commission and Coastal Commission's rejection of an LNG facility off the coast of Ventura County. The rejection by these two commission's virtually insures that the cost of electricity in this state will continue to rise. At this time, California does not generate enough electricity for its citizens, and relies on imports from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. California also cannot build nuclear facilities, and, due to the brilliant piece of legislation passed by the previous Legislature, cannot contract for cheaper coal-fired electricity. So, we are left with natural gas fired (the predominant source of in-state generation), renewables and conservation/efficiency. A few years ago, an executive for a utility in New England said that people have moved from NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) to BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything), note, he was bemoaning the inability to get transmission lines built in order to get more electricity into New England.
Anyway, some sports related rants.
1) John Shea's article from Sunday's Chronicle about the demise of Saturday day games. Growing up, I used to love going to the Saturday day games, part of growing up in the Bay Area, choose between the sunny, but cold afternoon at Candlestick, or the sunny and not quite as cold afternoon in Oakland. But, surprise, money is again changing the game. As a fan, it is annoying that if I want to watch a Saturday day game, but that game is not a Fox game, I can't watch it (unless, apparently, it's the Cubs, because I was watching a WGN Cubs game on Saturday morning/afternoon last weekend). When the Nationals first played in D.C., wife and I lived about 10 blocks from RFK, so we would have friends over, grill and drink in the afternoon, then head over to the ballpark for the Saturday evening game. Of course, summer days are very different in D.C. than here in the Bay Area. But that doesn't really change my thought- would I rather go to the game in the afternoon, then come home and grill and drink the rest of the night, or vice versa. I can't help but say I'd rather go to the game in the afternoon, then grill and drink afterwards. Of course, I don't have to deal with 98 degree days with 90% humidity anymore.
2) How bout that Marco Scutaro? Quite a comeback by the A's on Sunday. I admit, I turned the game off once Joe Kennedy came in, because, honestly, I knew there was no way he was getting out of that inning without giving up a few runs, and give up a few runs he did.
Off to D.C. for a week on Wednesday. Should be fun seeing some old friends and going to some old haunts.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
New Muni drivers?
So, Tuesday morning I'm waiting at my normal time for the bus to pick me up, and, whoa! a new bus driver. So, I sit down and let the drive progress normally. We turn up Franklin, to make a right on Golden Gate, except. . .bus driver keeps going. After 3 blocks, she realizes she missed her turn, makes the next right toward Van Ness. I ask to get off at that corner, since my work is close-by anyway. She says, You sure? I'm turning right on Van Ness. I still get off, and start walking down Van Ness. As I'm walking, I see the bus come down Van Ness, and, with the right blinker on, tries to merge left so she can turn left on Golden Gate.
So, yesterday on the bus ride home, another new bus driver. As we are driving down Fell, she says loudly, I'm gonna need some help with directions. She has the directions for the route written out, but doesn't know the streets near the Panhandle and GG Park. The riders simply tell her to move over one lane, and just follow the traffic onto Lincoln. At least she knows what the next stop is; I once had a bus driver that everytime someone asked the bus to stop, he'd stop at the next bus stop, even if it wasn't a stop for that route.
All of this makes me wonder: Does Muni actually do any training for their drivers on new routes? Wouldn't you think that it would be beneficial to have that new driver ride along one or two days to get an understanding of the route, especially an Express route?
Note, I have no comment on the problems related to the Third Street line, mainly because I don't ride it. I will say that not having the N run to the ballpark is kind of annoying. HOWEVER, was at the corner of 9th and Irving the other day and I saw a Muni train claiming to be a Ballpark Shuttle that was running on the N line track from the Sunset to Pac-Bell Park. So, maybe there still is a way to get from the Sunset to the ballpark without having to switch to the J.
So, yesterday on the bus ride home, another new bus driver. As we are driving down Fell, she says loudly, I'm gonna need some help with directions. She has the directions for the route written out, but doesn't know the streets near the Panhandle and GG Park. The riders simply tell her to move over one lane, and just follow the traffic onto Lincoln. At least she knows what the next stop is; I once had a bus driver that everytime someone asked the bus to stop, he'd stop at the next bus stop, even if it wasn't a stop for that route.
All of this makes me wonder: Does Muni actually do any training for their drivers on new routes? Wouldn't you think that it would be beneficial to have that new driver ride along one or two days to get an understanding of the route, especially an Express route?
Note, I have no comment on the problems related to the Third Street line, mainly because I don't ride it. I will say that not having the N run to the ballpark is kind of annoying. HOWEVER, was at the corner of 9th and Irving the other day and I saw a Muni train claiming to be a Ballpark Shuttle that was running on the N line track from the Sunset to Pac-Bell Park. So, maybe there still is a way to get from the Sunset to the ballpark without having to switch to the J.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Solomon Islands
I am just amazed at this news article. The 8.0 earthquake that caused the Solomon Island tsunami apparently uplifted a significant portion of the island Ranongga, exposing coral reefs, and changing the entire environment of that island. As a result of the uplift, the numerous coral reefs are now above the ocean level, and are dying everyday without the nutrients the ocean provided.
All this shows is that despite our best attempts living in, on and with the Earth, there are still events that, no matter what we do or don't do, it simply will not matter. The Earth will do what it wants.
All this shows is that despite our best attempts living in, on and with the Earth, there are still events that, no matter what we do or don't do, it simply will not matter. The Earth will do what it wants.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Waste of time
Got off the bus this evening, and noticed this taped to a telephone pole-
Notice is hereby given to the general public that the Land Use and Economic Development will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 9, 2007, at 1:00pm, in an unknown room at City Hall, at 1 Dr Carton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, to consider the following:
File (070269) Ordinance adding Section 6.12 to the San Francisco Park Code to prohibit, on a trial basis from Saturday May 5, 2007 and continuing for six months to Saturday November 3, 2007, motor vehicle traffic on Saturdays in Golden Gate Park on John F. Kennedy Drive between Kezar Drive and Transverse Drive; Arguello Boulevard; Conservatory Drive East and Conservatory Drive West; 8th Avenue; Bowling Green Drive between John F. Kennedy Drive and Middle Drive East; and Stow Lake Drive between Stow Lake Drive East and John F. Kennedy Drive; to require reports from the Recreation and Park Department and Department of Parking and Traffic pertaining to the Saturday road closures; to require the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority to share its own data and reports that are relevant to the Saturday road closures with the aforementioned departments; to require a hearing on the Saturday road closures before the Board of Supervisors or a Board committee; and making environmental findings.
For more details, go to www.sfgov.org/bdsupvrs or call (415) 554-5184
Gloria L Young, Clerk of the Board
Yes, the Board is dead set on setting up a Healthy Saturday for Golden Gate Park, which means the closing of JFK Dr. from roughly 19th Avenue east towards Stanyan. The Board's continued attempts at social engineering is an unending source of frustration on my part. Previous attempts by the Board to close JFK for just this purpose have been voted down by the voters of this city, yet at the urging of a vocal minority, the Board will not rest until it has subjugated the residents of San Francisco to all forms of government interference and regulations, all in the name of progress. I already have difficulty with finding parking on Sunday, when JFK is already closed, I can only imagine the increased difficulty on Saturday. As an added annoyance, meters are active on Saturday, which increases the competition for parking spaces in the Inner Sunset.
The purported study commissioned last summer to study the effects of the closing of JFK Dr. is hilarious in its research. It basically was a guy walking around asking people what they thought about closing JFK. Assumptions made in the report failed to account for the reopening of the Academy of Sciences, was done on 2 weekends on a Saturday in August, and does not go into the neighborhoods to ask what residents think about the closure.
The Richmond ReView recently began researching and laying out the case of a possible recall of Jake McGoldrick who is the sponsor of this legislation. The supervisor for my district is not beholden to the people who live here; the Inner Sunset is merely a handle attached to the larger swath of Haight, Panhandle, NOPA/Alamo Square and Western Addition, who will not feel the direct impacts of this measure. Here is another article on the lunacy of this measure, from the editor of the Sunset Beacon and Richmond ReView. Fire away.
Notice is hereby given to the general public that the Land Use and Economic Development will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 9, 2007, at 1:00pm, in an unknown room at City Hall, at 1 Dr Carton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, to consider the following:
File (070269) Ordinance adding Section 6.12 to the San Francisco Park Code to prohibit, on a trial basis from Saturday May 5, 2007 and continuing for six months to Saturday November 3, 2007, motor vehicle traffic on Saturdays in Golden Gate Park on John F. Kennedy Drive between Kezar Drive and Transverse Drive; Arguello Boulevard; Conservatory Drive East and Conservatory Drive West; 8th Avenue; Bowling Green Drive between John F. Kennedy Drive and Middle Drive East; and Stow Lake Drive between Stow Lake Drive East and John F. Kennedy Drive; to require reports from the Recreation and Park Department and Department of Parking and Traffic pertaining to the Saturday road closures; to require the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority to share its own data and reports that are relevant to the Saturday road closures with the aforementioned departments; to require a hearing on the Saturday road closures before the Board of Supervisors or a Board committee; and making environmental findings.
For more details, go to www.sfgov.org/bdsupvrs or call (415) 554-5184
Gloria L Young, Clerk of the Board
Yes, the Board is dead set on setting up a Healthy Saturday for Golden Gate Park, which means the closing of JFK Dr. from roughly 19th Avenue east towards Stanyan. The Board's continued attempts at social engineering is an unending source of frustration on my part. Previous attempts by the Board to close JFK for just this purpose have been voted down by the voters of this city, yet at the urging of a vocal minority, the Board will not rest until it has subjugated the residents of San Francisco to all forms of government interference and regulations, all in the name of progress. I already have difficulty with finding parking on Sunday, when JFK is already closed, I can only imagine the increased difficulty on Saturday. As an added annoyance, meters are active on Saturday, which increases the competition for parking spaces in the Inner Sunset.
The purported study commissioned last summer to study the effects of the closing of JFK Dr. is hilarious in its research. It basically was a guy walking around asking people what they thought about closing JFK. Assumptions made in the report failed to account for the reopening of the Academy of Sciences, was done on 2 weekends on a Saturday in August, and does not go into the neighborhoods to ask what residents think about the closure.
The Richmond ReView recently began researching and laying out the case of a possible recall of Jake McGoldrick who is the sponsor of this legislation. The supervisor for my district is not beholden to the people who live here; the Inner Sunset is merely a handle attached to the larger swath of Haight, Panhandle, NOPA/Alamo Square and Western Addition, who will not feel the direct impacts of this measure. Here is another article on the lunacy of this measure, from the editor of the Sunset Beacon and Richmond ReView. Fire away.
Quick update
Walked past Canvas again this morning on the way to the bus stop and realized that I put the wrong name of the restaurant taking over the Canvas space. It's called Pacific Catch, which bills itself as a "Fresh Fish Grill" and currently has two locations, one in the Marina and another in Corte Madera. I suppose a non-sushi fish place is missing from the 9th and Irving area, especially if I can get some fish tacos.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Whoops
Didn't mean to take a week between posts. Things happen, you get busy, stuff like that.
OPENING DAY!!!! One of my most favorite days of the year as baseball season starts. Spring brings hope to fans of every team this year, even the Royals and the Pirates, as they look for any bit of forward progression. I couldn't but help forward to my wife this article from today's Chicago Tribune by Rick Morrissey-
1. Denial (May). This isn't happening. This season isn't going down like the previous 98 Saharan seasons. No sir. The sky is always blue. Everybody has perfect posture. We'll all live forever. Heidi Klum/Brad Pitt wants me.
2. Anger (June). What kind of benevolent God would allow the Cubs to do this to me again? This kind of benevolent God: The kind of benevolent God who gets his kicks out of using a magnifying glass to burn the wings off defenseless butterflies. Me mad? No. But if the popcorn vendor looks at me the wrong way, I'll rip his lungs out.
3. Bargaining (July). OK, there is a God, and if He just lets the Cubs win a World Series, I promise I'll go to church every day, be kind to attorneys and work for a cure for post-nasal drip.
4. Depression (August). The Cubs are 25 games out of first. I don't want to get out of bed. The ivy at Wrigley is poison, all games should be played under the cover of night and cotton candy is the handiwork of the devil. Just to sum up.
5. Acceptance (September). Hello darkness, my old friend. Well, if I'm going to die, I can't think of 3 million paying customers I'd rather die with. I want an umpire to sweep my ashes off home plate. Woo! Woo!
Shortly after publication this morning, news broke that the Chicago Tribune, owner of the Chicago Cubs, is being sold, including the Cubs. The winner of the bidding is also a partial owner of the Chicago White Sox and will be forced to either relinquish his portion of the White Sox, or put the Cubs on the market; it's presumed he will see the Cubs.
I can't wait to read the reviews of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" after the first wave of Oprah viewers/readers get through with it. "The Road" is just a brutal work by my favorite living writer (Sinclair Lewis being my favorite). The journey the father and son take in the aftermath of a presumed nuclear holocaust is just terrible, and, maybe I'm not giving them enough credit, but I just can't see Oprah readers finding the beauty of McCarthy's language, the storytelling and the brutality that McCarthy describes. I am reminded back to when the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik" came out, and "Under the Bridge" became this huge hit; how many people were prepared for "Breaking the Girl" or "Sir Psycho Sexy"?
I took a contemporary American literature class in college, and McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" was one of the books that we read that year. The class was good for 2 reasons- 1) it introduced me to McCarthy and Annie Proulx, the good, and 2) it made me sure that I would never read another Anne Tyler, Jane Smiley, Saul Bellow, or John Irving book again. Yes, I'm sure that there are good books by them, but after what I read by them, I have no desire to read them.
After watching the the first two games of the Final Four, I am convinced that Greg Oden needs to stay in school at least one more year. He is immature and too raw of a talent. It is in spite of him that Ohio State is playing for the national champion ship game today. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, is at too large a risk to stay in school another year, by that I mean he's liable to blow out a knee and only have a measly education to fall back on, poor thing. Instead, he can come out, make a ton of money, get bounced around by NBA centers and forwards, and be good in 5 years when he finally bulks up. Oden has the size, but he just does not have the temperament, in my opinion.
A new restaurant is coming to my neighborhood. Canvas, a local bar/restaurant/entertainment place was apparently bought out by a company called Pacific Fish. There is a notice of new ownership in the window, along with closing specials, not that I'd really call a $5 Irish Coffee a closing special price. This is in addition to something opening up next to Masala on 9th Ave., and a new zone diet restaurant called Good Earth Cuisine is opening where the Burger King used to be on 9th, between Irving and Judah. Walked past that place and their menu is up, and I am quite excited to find that a Bison Burger is listed. Love me some bison burgers.
OPENING DAY!!!! One of my most favorite days of the year as baseball season starts. Spring brings hope to fans of every team this year, even the Royals and the Pirates, as they look for any bit of forward progression. I couldn't but help forward to my wife this article from today's Chicago Tribune by Rick Morrissey-
1. Denial (May). This isn't happening. This season isn't going down like the previous 98 Saharan seasons. No sir. The sky is always blue. Everybody has perfect posture. We'll all live forever. Heidi Klum/Brad Pitt wants me.
2. Anger (June). What kind of benevolent God would allow the Cubs to do this to me again? This kind of benevolent God: The kind of benevolent God who gets his kicks out of using a magnifying glass to burn the wings off defenseless butterflies. Me mad? No. But if the popcorn vendor looks at me the wrong way, I'll rip his lungs out.
3. Bargaining (July). OK, there is a God, and if He just lets the Cubs win a World Series, I promise I'll go to church every day, be kind to attorneys and work for a cure for post-nasal drip.
4. Depression (August). The Cubs are 25 games out of first. I don't want to get out of bed. The ivy at Wrigley is poison, all games should be played under the cover of night and cotton candy is the handiwork of the devil. Just to sum up.
5. Acceptance (September). Hello darkness, my old friend. Well, if I'm going to die, I can't think of 3 million paying customers I'd rather die with. I want an umpire to sweep my ashes off home plate. Woo! Woo!
Shortly after publication this morning, news broke that the Chicago Tribune, owner of the Chicago Cubs, is being sold, including the Cubs. The winner of the bidding is also a partial owner of the Chicago White Sox and will be forced to either relinquish his portion of the White Sox, or put the Cubs on the market; it's presumed he will see the Cubs.
I can't wait to read the reviews of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" after the first wave of Oprah viewers/readers get through with it. "The Road" is just a brutal work by my favorite living writer (Sinclair Lewis being my favorite). The journey the father and son take in the aftermath of a presumed nuclear holocaust is just terrible, and, maybe I'm not giving them enough credit, but I just can't see Oprah readers finding the beauty of McCarthy's language, the storytelling and the brutality that McCarthy describes. I am reminded back to when the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik" came out, and "Under the Bridge" became this huge hit; how many people were prepared for "Breaking the Girl" or "Sir Psycho Sexy"?
I took a contemporary American literature class in college, and McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" was one of the books that we read that year. The class was good for 2 reasons- 1) it introduced me to McCarthy and Annie Proulx, the good, and 2) it made me sure that I would never read another Anne Tyler, Jane Smiley, Saul Bellow, or John Irving book again. Yes, I'm sure that there are good books by them, but after what I read by them, I have no desire to read them.
After watching the the first two games of the Final Four, I am convinced that Greg Oden needs to stay in school at least one more year. He is immature and too raw of a talent. It is in spite of him that Ohio State is playing for the national champion ship game today. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, is at too large a risk to stay in school another year, by that I mean he's liable to blow out a knee and only have a measly education to fall back on, poor thing. Instead, he can come out, make a ton of money, get bounced around by NBA centers and forwards, and be good in 5 years when he finally bulks up. Oden has the size, but he just does not have the temperament, in my opinion.
A new restaurant is coming to my neighborhood. Canvas, a local bar/restaurant/entertainment place was apparently bought out by a company called Pacific Fish. There is a notice of new ownership in the window, along with closing specials, not that I'd really call a $5 Irish Coffee a closing special price. This is in addition to something opening up next to Masala on 9th Ave., and a new zone diet restaurant called Good Earth Cuisine is opening where the Burger King used to be on 9th, between Irving and Judah. Walked past that place and their menu is up, and I am quite excited to find that a Bison Burger is listed. Love me some bison burgers.
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