Wednesday November 30, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:22
Weather as I call it: Some rain and warm
Paper Guy: Tan jacket, winter hat, shades, and a big welcoming smile for all!
Shady Gas Price: $1.99 still...
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No

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The Leverett Circle construction is almost complete...It's amazing how smooth traffic is moving through it even though it isn't finished yet. It's psychological...I tell you.

We still need a pedestrian footbridge to be built.

Tuesday November 29, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:24
Weather as I call it: Cloudy but warmer...maybe topping 50 degrees?
Paper Guy: N/A
Shady Gas Price: N/A
Yelled at other drivers: N/A
Feared for my life: N/A

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I haven't been yelling or fearing much lately...wait until winter really kicks in.

I drove my wife to work so I didn't see the regular stuff.

I did see a guy on the Mass Pike heading west with a sign on the back of his mini SUV that stated: "Please don't honk your horn at me. I just got a speeding ticket for $200". He was doing about 55 M.P.H. in the middle lane...I passed him on the left...no honking necessary.

Monday November 28, 2005

Departure Time: 7:37
Arrival Time: 8:24
Weather as I call it: Cloudy but warmer...40's?
Paper Guy: Tan coat, winter hat, shades
Shady Gas Price: $1.99
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No

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I think I am close to having enough data to make some charts and plot out which days really are better than others. Mondays do seem to be the easiest/shortest...

Stay tuned.

Friday November 25, 2005

Oof.

Thursday November 24, 2005

Gobble.

Wednesday November 23, 2005

Departure Time: 7:24
Arrival Time: 8:10
Weather as I call it: Sunny and snowing lightly...no, I am not kidding. Also, pretty cold.
Paper Guy: Tan coat with lots of layers...winter hat...and he introduced a scarf today!
Shady Gas Price: I didn't see it...maybe I should update this post later?
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: Nope

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I am thankful for my easy commute. I will be off tomorrow and Friday. Good luck to all the drivers who still need to work during the holiday.

Tuesday November 22, 2005

Departure Time: 7:27
Arrival Time: 8:18
Weather as I call it: Rainy
Paper Guy: A Boston Globe parka with his winter hat...no shades.
Shady Gas Price: $1.99
Yelled at other drivers: Once
Feared for my life: No

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I have this theory that Boston drivers are more cautious in the rain than they are in the snow...As you can see, my departure and arrival times do not support this theory today. Many people have split for Turkey Day and the roadways are not as congested...but I probably could've shaved 5-10 minutes on today's travel time if peeps had just powered through some yellow lights.

I yelled at someone who started slowing down before the light turned yellow...I guess they felt the staleness of the green light and ensured themselves a steady, sane stop at the intersection. I believe I shouted something like, "Are you kidding me?"

Monday November 21, 2005

Departure Time: 7:33
Arrival Time: 8:25
Weather as I call it: Sunny and temps in the 40s
Paper Guy: Tan jacket! Winter hat! Shades!
Shady Gas Price: $1.99 WOW...it only took 13 days! A milestone, indeed.
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: Not today

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Paper guy had a folding chair (in the folded position) and a US Postal Service bin in his "area" today...his area being the median strip near the intersection of Route 28 and Broadway in Somerville. He must sit down until the traffic gets going.

Friday November 18, 2005

Departure Time: 7:33
Arrival Time: 8:26
Weather as I call it: Sunny and cool
Paper Guy: N/A
Shady Gas Price: N/A
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: No

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I drove my wife to work this morning...so I didn't see the normal stuff BUT:

In Medford, they are selling gas for $1.87 a gallon. Shady gas price has a long way to go.

A state trooper stared into the car to make sure our vehicle was heavily occupied. Yes, we did have 2+ people in the car. No need to pull us over.

See you Monday.

Thursday November 17, 2005

Departure Time: 7:37
Arrival Time: 8:25
Weather as I call it: The sun is back. 44 degrees...or so.
Paper Guy: No hat...black jacket...and the shades.
Shady Gas Price: $2.05 (The station's down the street are at $2.03...hint, hint!)
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: No

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I am still fighting this cold a bit...so my right eye kept tearing up during the drive today...If you were on my left side, I saw you--no problems...If you were on my right side--you were underwater.

Paper guy appears as if he is mumbling to himself as he looks through the lines of cars to find customers...I'm not sure if his mumbles are audible since my windows have been rolled up over the last few months.

He may be cursing under his breath...or singing a happy tune. I prefer the latter theory.

Wednesday November 16, 2005

Departure Time: 7:38
Arrival Time: 8:26
Weather as I call it: Foggy and damp
Paper Guy: The hat is back on today...
Shady Gas Price: $2.05
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: No

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I don't get this one scene...Every once in a while, I see pedestrians trying to cross Storrow Drive. They have somehow accomplished getting across one direction of traffic...which is a feat in itself...scurrying across two lanes of cars going 55+...pretty good. Now, they are stuck standing anxiously in the divider..wait for that split second where they can hustle across the last two lanes of traffic.

Peeps, let's get into footbridges...that's what they are there for.

Tuesday November 15, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:24
Weather as I call it: Cloudy with some rain along the way
Paper Guy: Black jacket and shades!
Shady Gas Price: $2.05
Yelled at other drivers: Not today
Feared for my life: No sir

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I hope you picked the under on the gas price.

Feeling sorta under the weather today. It didn't effect my driving all that much.

Monday November 14, 2005

Departure Time: 7:28
Arrival Time: 8:19
Weather as I call it: 55 degrees and sunny...global warming anybody?
Paper Guy: N/A
Shady Gas Price: N/A
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: Nope

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Drove my wife to work today. The tolls on the Tobin bridge are under construction...still...so traffic was backed up for a good mile on dangerous Route 1.

I am a big fan of the South Station exit in the 93S tunnel. It's pretty sweet to come up the ramp to street level and be met with not only a traffic light but also a traffic cop who will wave you through red lights and make pedestrians stop for you.



Usual stuff tomorrow...what's the over/under on the gas price? $2.10?

Friday November 11, 2005

Departure Time: 7:29
Arrival Time: 8:03
Weather as I call it: Sunny and a "brisk" 40 degrees
Paper Guy: Didn't see him today
Shady Gas Price: Didn't see it today
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No

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I will tell you one thing....when schools are not in session...when many people have the day off...driving to work is a whole lot different. I took 93S to Storrow Drive today....smooth sailing.

I drove down Storrow and rode in between lanes...because I could.

Remember the veterans today....like Grandpa George.

Thursday November 10, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:26
Weather as I call it: Cloudy with temps dropping fast
Paper Guy: Ok. Same black coat, but no hat and nooooo shades...or glasses....whoa.
Shady Gas Price: $2.15 as a guess...
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No

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No state police today. Maybe enough people got caught over the last two days.

No close sideswiping incidents today.

Once winter gets going, maybe I can audio blog about the long snow-filled commutes. Just the thing to past the time...

Wednesday November 9, 2005

Departure Time: 7:35
Arrival Time: 8:29
Weather as I call it: Thin layer of clouds blocking the sun...a little chilly.
Paper Guy: This week's wardrobe...but the shades were in effect.
Shady Gas Price: $2.15
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: Yeah.

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Yesterday and today...pretty similar. Another almost sideswipe on the way to work (see Feared for my life response above) and State police pulling people over on Soldier's Field road again. Tip for fellow commuters: do not floor it after the light in front of WBMX turns green...If you are headed westbound, you will be in for a surprise.

Some dude who was stopped at a light opened his driver side door so he could spit on the street...all while talking on his cell phone. Is there some etiquette around spitting while on your cellular telephone?

Wednesday November 9, 2005 (supplemental)

To paraphrase my "Welcome to AudioBlogger" email, I am revolutionizing the revolution!

Tuesday November 8, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:25
Weather as I call it: Partly cloudy and warm. I didn't wear my jacket today.
Paper Guy: Same new outfit from yesterday.
Shady Gas Price: $2.18...let's get under two dollars!
Yelled at other drivers: Once
Feared for my life: Once-ish

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This guy decided that he wanted to move his car to be in the exact same place as mine as the light turned green. I yelled at him.

There was a state cop pulling people over on Soldier's Field Road near the Watertown line. I think the speed limit is 35 or 40 miles an hour around there. Be careful.

Monday November 7, 2005

Departure Time: 7:32
Arrival Time: 8:23
Weather as I call it: Mostly cloudy and cool. High around 50 degrees
Paper Guy: Whoa. Black coat. Brown winter hat. New look!
Shady Gas Price: $2.18...I was calling for this price last week...give or take a cent.
Yelled at other drivers: Nope
Feared for my life: A little bit.

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1. Big changes in the normal items: Paper guy's brand new wardrobe. Shady Gas Price is at a new low. Good times.

2. Sneezing while driving is pretty scary...but I think I have mastered the ability to get a snapshot of what is happening on the road right before the sneeze forces me to close my eyes. Then when I reopen my eyes, there is less of a surprise...I usually can recover quickly after a sneeze. I wonder if I could master sneezing with my eyes wide open? Would that be 'freak show' unique or what?

3. There was a nearly avoided sideswiping accident on Soldier's Field Road today. Some pickup truck realized he had to exit at Central Square and almost took out a Volkswagen Passat by merging into the right lane without checking his blind spot. After a few horn blasts, the pick up driver swerved back into his lane. I am amazed this sort of collision doesn't happen more often.

Friday November 4, 2005

I took the day off from work today...but let me take some time to discuss the Leverett Circle debacle.

I am not sure who this Leverett person is or was, but the circle is awful. It's the place where Storrow Drive, Route 28, and the onramps to Route 93 meet...and some other smaller roads like Nashua St.

They have taken down the elevated pedestrian walkways, so now there are big crosswalks for people to use...since there is a Green line stop nearby. Pros: prettier intersection. Cons: more traffic.

The worst part for me is the lack of a right turn arrow for cars coming off Route 28. Right now, if you travel south down 28, you are meet with a standard traffic light. Unfortunately, people don't know they can turn right on red.

Please see this post for more information.

There is still a lot of work to be done on this intersection....and it seems like it hasn't improved in the past 8 months.

I am confident that everything will be finalized soon enough. .

Thursday November 3, 2005

Departure Time: 7:29
Arrival Time: 8:25
Weather as I call it: Partly cloudy. 55 degrees
Paper Guy: Autumn Wardrobe (See yesterday's post)
Shady Gas Price: $2.29
Yelled at other drivers: Not today
Feared for my life: No

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I can't believe nobody commented on the post from yesterday. Baboons? That's comedy gold.

I wish I could do something to stop tailgaters. Maybe it should be a rule that they give me a piggyback ride up 4 flights of stairs if they are caught hugging my rear bumper for over 2 miles...not sure how we will implement that one.

Wednesday November 2, 2005

Departure Time: 7:27
Arrival Time: 8:26
Weather as I call it: Sunny and cool
Paper Guy: I think we know what his official uniform is for Autumn
Shady Gas Price: $2.29
Yelled at other drivers: Not particularly.
Feared for my life: Thankfully, not today.

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Do you ever look in your rear view mirror and see some guy in the middle of a giant yawn and for a moment do you wonder, "Who is that baboon behind me?"




I do...I do all the time.

Tuesday November 1, 2005

Departure Time: 7:30
Arrival Time: 8:22
Weather as I call it: Sunny and 57 degrees.
Paper Guy: What do you think he was wearing? (Answer: tan jacket/teddy bear ear warmer)
Shady Gas Price: $2.31...Down doobie doo down down.
Yelled at other drivers: Once
Feared for my life: Sorta

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• Some minivan jumped the double line, but he wasn't going that fast so I didn't fear for my life although it was a potentially dangerous situation.
• I yelled at some guy with a smirk on his face as he crossed the street in front of me. He was in the crosswalk, so the law states I must stop...but his pace and the expression on his face was unnecessary. The exact exclamation was "C'mon man!"