Day 4-6 (of 30) Ipod Listening Challenge

Sooo yah, you are probably wondering why my days are strung together here AND why I haven't posted in the last 2 days... full disclosure, I didn't listen to my ipod on Tuesday (Day 4) or Wednesday (Day 5) so I didn't have anything to say.... but I did listen today! Thing is, when I did turn my ipod on, I was already cued up to Adele so I figured I would listen to her and write about the songs I got to hear (cheating? maybe... enjoyable? YES)

Day 4 - didn't listen as I was chatting with a friend (hi Tim!) almost the whole way to my office.

Day 5 - didn't listen because I was on the phone while walking - can't jam out AND talk, at least not well!

Day 6 (today!)

"I'll Be Waiting" by Adele

I can't say enough good things about this album, 21, as every single song on it is excellent. This particular song has a 70s vibe to me- kinda Chicago-meets-girl groups of the 60s. Great instument highlights- the horns in the beginning set the song up nicely. It is a little bit "I am woman, hear me roar" with a romantic "but I still love and miss you, so i'm waiting for you to come back". Listen to the lyrics because if you just half-listen, you are missing out!

"One and Only" by Adele

This song was one of the standouts for me when I first listened to the album. It is achingly sweet, almost desperate (without sounding pathetic) and the break in the middle is so powerful! I won't ruin it for you, just do yourself the favor and listen to it! It is def a song you sing at the top of your lungs while in the shower when no one is home....

"Lovesong" by Adele

This is a cover of The Cure's "Lovesong". It has been slowed down, a bit dark and again, a crazy good song. This album is clearly a reflection on heartache and Adele sings it beautifully and relatable. Sometimes you just wanna be sad.

"Someone Like You" by Adele

oooh what to say about this song. So you know when you had your first real love? and then you broke up, moved on, yada yada. Years later, you are sooo over him, probably dated some new people, been around the block a few times.. and then you hear he got married (or is getting married).... and you don't know why, but it makes you sad... well this song is the definition of that! Altho, Adele takes it a step further and basically says "I heard you moved on, good for you, I'm gonna find someone too, but someone like you". Some may say" ooh, creepy!" but I say "sing it girl!" because you cannot tell me we've all had that thought at one time?! Hopefully most of us realized we'll find someone else that is a better fit and that everything happens for a reason, but this song will allow you to have that moment. Get a healthy glass of red, ladies, and let yourself wander down memory lane :)

That's it for now... tomorrow back to "shuffle"!

Day 3 (of 30) Ipod Listening Challenge

Helloooo and welcome back from the weekend!

Judging from the cold, it is hard to believe it is the last week in March- the weather person this morning informed me that it was "currently 28 degrees" outside.... what?! TWENTY-EIGHT?! When I see that groundhog....

Anyway, back to the task at hand! Below are the songs I listened to this morning. I jumped on the phone near the tail end of my commute so I only got through two songs, but they were nice while they lasted!

Happy Monday!

"A Snowflake Fell" by Glasvegas

This song is part of a compilation that itunes put out around the holidays in 2009 for free that I downloaded (are you seeing a pattern? I like FREE!) It is a happy little song, kinda sweet. If it wasn't free I probably wouldn't have purchased it, but it is fine because for it free.

"Coming Back to Life" by Minnie Driver (yes, the actress)

A few years ago, Minnie Driver's CD came across my desk and, again, since it was mine for the taking, I gave it a listen. Off the bat I have to say, her voice is impressive. She has a touch of country to her sound but it is easy on the ears. I am surprised no one in the country world as responded, since they certainly welcomed Gwyneth Paltrow with open arms... I'd have to listen to this song again to really get a "feel" for it, but it was mellow without being sad and a nice song to be walking through the city.

Day 2 (of 30) Ipod Listening Challenge

Happy Friday!!! And it is sunny!!!!! Today's list is below - enjoy!

1) "Down for the Count" by GirlTalk

I can't say enough fabulous things about GirlTalk. My brother Jimmy first introduced me to them and his (yes, GirlTalk is a he) latest album was available for a FREE download so I did and it has been on "replay" for the past few weeks on my ipod! It is meant to be listened to as one continuous track, so to talk about it individually is weird, but basically its probably the best 60+ minute mash up I have ever hear. Ever. get the album here

2) "It's My Party" by Amy Winehouse

This cover is part of a tribute album to Quincy Jones, legendary music producer. In all honesty, Amy Winehouse is not my fav - I liked "Rehab" but otherwise I am not that in to her so much. She does a good job on this song, but I think more because the style of song is her "style" so it really isn't that much of an effort (or accomplishment).

3) "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows

ahhh Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows... HUGE band in the 90s, reminds me of high school and college, but mostly high school. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this song. Even if you aren't a big CC fan, you like this song - great lyrics, good groove, all around good tune. Great for driving with the windows down! This song also reminds me of homecoming dances in the gym-- when this song would come on, everyone would be out on the dancefloor, singing along, kinda dancing (it's not really a "dance" song) but having a great time!

4) "Intro" by Dave Matthews Band (Listeners Supported Live album)

It is hard to really comment on this "song" because it really isn't a song, but an intro to the night. I can tell you when I hear it , it makes me think of all the DMB concerts (all 13 and counting!) and how fantastic of a show they put on! its the best 2-3 hours spent, especially when you catch them at an outdoor venue... they may not do the whole pyrotechnics, but they put on one of the best live acts I have ever seen (and I have seen MANY "big" bands/artists).

5) "Give Me the Night" by Quincy Jones featuring Jamie Foxx

Another song off the tribute album to Quincy Jones. I almost didn't recognize this cover when I first heard it, its more techno than the originally. Again, I'm not the biggest fan of Jamie Foxx (altho I do love "Blame It (on the alcohol) - great song) and he's not on it much so I guess it really is a wash. There are other songs on this album I like a whole lot more so I'll save my words for when those pop up!

So that is it for today! I'll pick this back up Monday (I don't listen to my ipod much on weekends). Have a great weekend!!

Day 1 (of 30) Ipod LIstening Challenge

Good morning! I am starting my ipod listening challenge today! Here are the songs I listened to (and did NOT skip!) on my way to the office:

1) "The Guide" by Borne

I downloaded this song because I heard it on a "Grey's Anatomy" episode (note: anyone who watches that show knows they have the BEST music -- it was better in earlier seasons tho... ). "Grey's" is one of my fav shows and this song stood out after an episode (can't remember which one particularly) so I downloaded it the next day.

2) "The Russians Skate" from The Cutting Edge by Patrick Wilson

ahh what can I say about this movie other than it is one my favs from the 90s! My sisters' and I would watch this over and over - still has on the best soundtracks (you will inevitably see more songs from this movie on this list), and this particular moment in the movie is when the unbeatable Russian pair mess up BIG TIME pushing Doug and Kate closer to victory! LOVE IT!

3) "Extrordinary" by Liz Phair

this song came out in 2004 but I only know it because it is on the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" soundtrack (can you tell I LOVE soundtracks). Not much else to say about it other than I liked it enough to keep in rotation.

4) Goldslick/Seth Fantasty" from Superbad by Lyle Workman

another soundtrack moment - almost literally because this song is about 45 seconds long! it is when the bottle of Goldslick that Seth buys for Jules is thrown out of his hands and we watch in slo-mo as it crashes to the floor, shattering the fantasty that Jules would "get with" Seth because he successfully supplied her fav liquor (altho we learn later Jules doesn't drink... wah wah).

5) "Say (All I Need)" by One Republic

I downloaded this One Republic album after the song "Apologize" featuring Timbaland came out. That song was crazy good so I took a chance on the album (which can be a big gamble! sometimes there really is just one good song). SOOOO glad I did because every song on this album is GREAT. The break near the end when it is full on orchestrations, music, drums, the swelling of it... .excellence.

So that's it for today. 5 songs, altho 2 of these were so short they almost don't count.... almost!

30 Day Ipod Listening Challenge - get set...

I have just decided (this very minute) that I am going to go on a 30 day ipod music challenge beginning tomorrow, March 24. I generally listen to my ipod on the tail end of my morning commute (because I have a lovely commuting buddy, David, and we chat the entire way from South Orange to Penn Station). So we're talking about 10-12 minutes worth of quality ipod rocking out. I tend to be pretty quick on the "next" button and skip songs, so instead, I am going to NOT skip songs in the morning, write down the ones that pop up on "shuffle music" and write a few words about what I think when hearing that song. Warning: some may be boring explanations, I promise to pepper them with some fun ones too :)

If anyone has any fun memories associated with any songs I detail, please feel free to share!

Happy Listening!

Working on my fitness

Happy March! One of my favorite months, for a few reason..... St. Patty's Day, my birthday, the start of SPRING and warmer weather and not needing to wear mittens! Being that is the first day of the month, I would like to make a public commitment to me starting to work out. I've said this for a while now but I am hoping by making it public, I will be more inclined to actually do it! That being said, I am challenging myself to working out 3 times a week, before work! I figure if I do the "Just Dance 2" game and mix in some yoga, that should be a good start. If anyone has any suggestions on other FUN ways to work out, but that also won't take up too much time (I don't have a lot of it on either end of my day) I am all ears!

So here goes nothin! Are YOU up for the challenge? Let's do it together!

A Fresh Start

since I have tried this before, I thought maybe by doing a complete layout makeover, that would help with a fresh start! So here we go (again) - It is my mission to be more active on this blog. I am going to find things to talk about and make are serious effort! I promise... for real (look, i'm uncrossing my fingers!)

I will be adding pictures - only when appropriate, talking about hot topics, not so hot topics (but maybe interesting nonetheless?) comment on what's what... stay tuned! It's going to be fun, I promise!

....and I'm back!

hello out there - it has been a while since I posted something... that's my bad... things got busy, life got in the way, blah blah blah - isn't the story for everyone? I am making a REAL effort starting today (yes I realize I said this back in March, so here's another go) to post more often. So to recap since my last posting, here's what's been going on:

NJ Transit

Still driving me (and every other commuter) crazy- crappy service, delays allllll the time, more of the same and then some... wah wah -- I truly truly hope there is a resulotion to the terrible service that is NJT.... for now, I have my crochet and train friends to keep me occupied :)

Call for Artists

This has been stalled and there is no excuse for it. I need to get my focus back on it and get it off the ground. I know it is a good idea, just need to DO IT!! (that's a little self motivation, wouldn't you say?)

Shuttin' it Down in Germany

Mike and I took a much needed vacation! We flew to Germany to see some friends (I'm lookin' at you, Erin and CJ!) and had a freakin' blast!! We hit up four (4) countries in six (yes, 6) days: Germany, Luxembourg, France and Belgium. We saw some amazing sites, unbelievable architecture, ate the most incredible food and spent the week laughing - the best way to be!

The House

Since our house is old, its always a project- actually, I hear that sentiment is not unique to old-home owners- but I am very happy to say we finished our major demo project! We completely gutted a small room on the second floor and redid the whole thing - ripped outhe walls, ceiling, old insulation and put up new insulation, new walls, new paint - it is a totally different room! (pics to come - I'll do a "before & after" comparison. I would love to tackle the bathroom next but that will be a HUGE undertaking... may have to "settle" for the guest room- which needs mostly only cosmetic... I'm thinking amethyst!

So that about sums it up... up next is our annual Munch Bunch Brunch! My family (and extended "family" of friends!) particpate in the Race for Hope event in Philly for the National Brain Tumor Society. It is November 7. Check out my page here

until next time.. Stand By for Further Announcement :)

Hey NJ Transit Execs - how do you sleep at night?

Here is my open letter to NJ Transit Board members -- I also copied Senator Codey and 2 Assembly people from my district -- its TERRIBLE what they are doing (raising train fares 25%!!!!) and I just couldn't sit in silence:

As a commuter for the past seven (7) years on New Jersey Transit rail,
I have relied on this service as my daily method of commuting to and
from New York City. I also tend to favor public transportation when
traveling to the city for pleasure rather than adding to the
congestion that is already so present on our overcrowded highways. I
also like to think, in some small way, I'm doing my part to be
eco-friendly by using mass transit which is supposed to be a more cost
effective and efficient form of transportation.

I find it offensive, borderline abusive, the increase that you are
going to put into effect on May 1. It is, without question, the most
insulting measure you can mandate to the riders. I'm sure I don't
have to remind you that we are in a recession and everyone is feeling
"the pinch" - you have used that line to justify such an increase. I
also should not have to remind you that those of us lucky enough to
still have jobs are, in many cases, supporting a family on one salary.
Some family members have lost their jobs in these difficult times
forcing families to take measures they probably didn't have to take
two years ago. With the unemployment rate in New Jersey topping 10%
how can a 25% increase be justified? Now that you are enforcing these
increases, are you going to be hiring? Because I fear there will be
people who can't afford to keep their job due to increased commuting
cost and will be forced to look for work closer to home if work is
available.

As much as I would like to believe that you do take the "riders
concerns seriously", you have clearly failed to act on that notion.
If you did take the riders seriously, you would not ask us to find an
extra 25% to pay this increase. I understand that periodically fares
will have to be increased to keep up with the increase of gas, wages,
maintenance. But 25% is staggering!

It has been stated that executives are taking a pay decrease of five
(5%) percent- that's a pretty modest decrease when you are asking the
very people who ensure you have a job to dig deeper. I read the press
announcement dated January 28, 2010 that you, Mr. Weinstein, receive
your salary ($261,324) plus an annual incentive compensation of
$10,000, based on performance AND car. How about you forgo the car
and YOU take the train to work and see the performance of NJ Transit.
I ask you to take it daily for one (1) month, during normal rush hour
times paying the same price we do and tell us your experience. This
is not a reflection on the hard working men and women, especially the
conductors, who I see more than I see close friends. It pains me to
read you are eliminating 200 people. My heart goes out to them and
their families.

I voice my thoughts in hopes that it will at least give you pause as to what you are about to do. People will not allow this type of monopolized transportation system to take more and give back less. Continue to push riders away and you will see true detrimental results to your actions – you will have more than just a budget gap to fill.

I know I don't have a lot of followers on this blog, but to anyone out there who is reading, I would love to know your thoughts on the matter! Don't be quiet-- make your voice heard!!!

We've Got to Stop Gov Christie!!!!

For those of you who don't live in NJ or in any of the neighboring communities (NYC, Philly, CT, DE) our new Governor, Chris Christie (never trust a man with 2 first names, thank you CJ), has the grueling task of closing up the state's deficit of $11 Billion. One of his ideas is cutting $820 Million from education. Are. You. KIDDING ME? He wants to put a spending freeze on teacher's salaries for a year, suspend pension payments, and also let go 1,300 people. He wants to open more charter schools -- hmm, maybe because the current Commissioner of Education OWNS a charter school? and they are not publicly funded so therefore cutting public funding to education doesn't effect his buddy....http://www.goldendoorschool.org/principal-msg.html

Good schools mean more than just quality education (which should really be enough of a reason). Two years ago when Mike and I were looking for our first home, we looked in over 10 different towns.... you know what to know what one of the top three "must haves" was? Good school system! Why? because good schools mean you have a more desirable town, you have an active community and even if we move before we have kids, the next owners may have kids and need a good system and if its between my house in a crappy school system or one in a desirable system, i'm gonna loose -- and then that snowballs into crappy housing markets... it just goes downhill from there. My girlfriend as 19 month old -- she wants to move to an area that is being redeveloped for an arts enclave in Orange/West Orange borders. The apartment sits in the town limits of Orange... first thing I said to her was "you know, Orange doesn't have great schools... i'm just saying you should consider that" -- and everyone I know who has bought a house considers the school system.

Gov Christie is an evil, evil man who will just slash and cut and not think about the residents in this great state. I'm pretty sure you went to school, Mr. Christie, and you wouldn't have had the foundation you needed to get you to your current position (altho, having friends in high places probably didn't hurt either... man politics are nasty). without the help of your teachers teaching you to READ and WRITE.

I ask you, readers, to think of how many people you know personally who is a teacher -- I bet those numbers add up REAL quick. Now, do you want any of them to lose their job? OF COURSE NOT -- so get vocal, write some letters, make some calls and tell Christie to think again -- cutting education is not CUTTING IT WITH US!

next post will deal with allll the other "lovely" things Mr. Christie plans on slashing 'for the greater good'

Mailing address for Gov Christie

Office of the Governor

PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000

Back in the Saddle... and looking for artists...

OK, I am going to try and be a LOT better about blogging! I started off strong and then.... poof... nothing... I'm making a stand now to jump back in and get blogging!

I am trying to get a small business (but one day a BIG business!) off the ground. Its kinda like a gym for artists.... myself and Katie C (or Kate as she is now known, but she will always be Katie C to me!) are getting all our ideas streamlined and then we'll write a business plan and look for money (if you are out there with some extra dough laying around and want to help new art-centered project, let's chat) . Basically, the idea is this:

we'll have a space that will be multi-functional - a workspace, studio, gallery, event site, classroom, resource place, all-around-very-cool-place-to-be environment. We would offer different levels of membership which would provide certain perks. You wouldn't have to be a member, but it would be beneficial in the long run. It would be a place that different artists - fine arts, theatre and music -- can come and work on said craft. If you're a painter, we would have an area you can set up your easel, or drop or whatever you're working on , and provide storage area/bin/shelf/locker (still working that out). I know when I was an apartment dweller, there wasn't a lot of room for much more than my personal stuff, let alone any type of work space. Also, if you wanted to have an art-opening, we would provide our studio space to double as a gallery! Want to teach a class? We can be your classroom! Same could be said for staged readings, caberet nights, the possibilities are endless. So this is the call to arms:


ATTENTION ARTISTS!
If you're looking for a place to be around other artists, a place to perfect your craft, WE HAVE IT! (well, we will soon). It is in the West Orange/Orange bordering neighborhood and its going to be GREAT! It will be affordable (because hello, we're a-r-t-i-s-t-s, not investment bankers*) and will be a creative, inspiring, family-friendly place.

I'm serious. Very serious.

*we do not discourage investment bankers nor would we turn you away, just saying.. you are probably a bit more financially secure (perhaps you want to invest in our little company??) :)

So the Phillies lost the World Series. It was a great series, fun to watch, and that is all I will say about it - I don't want to look like a bitter fan nor give my Yankee fan friends any fuel to their winning fire... There's always next year! (AND we didn't give it away either- made them Yankees EARN IT!)

Moving on...

I would like to talk a little bit about TV and the shows currently running. Just by glancing at the weekly schedule, it seems as tho there is a pretty good blend of scripted and non-scripted shows currently streaming into our living rooms (or family rooms, bedrooms, whatever you TV room of choice is). I personally wasn't always the biggest reality (aka non scripted) fan- because I always associated "reality TV" with shows like "The Hills"- which I am VERY proud to say I have never watched one minute of that show. I like some pretty ridiculously mind-numbing entertainment, but this who concept of "real" life is just insane. IT IS FAKE PEOPLE! Those "stars" (which is a term I use oh so very loosely) are told what to do, what to say, who to fight with, sleep with, eat with, get drunk with, you name it. The site of "Spiedi" makes me want to pull my eye lashes out one at a time... I'll give them credit tho - they have found a way to extend their 15 minutes.... I digress... Being that I work in "the biz" (that would be in TV/entertainment) I try to educate myself on what's playing across the board - I may not watch each show (altho my husband would probably disagree!) I at least KNOW about pretty much every show making headlines out there.. My current favs (in no particular order):

Grey's Anatomy - I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain what this show is about - medical show with personal antics that create dramatic working/living environment - cue awesome soundtrack. (THANK YOU for getting away from the super-soap-opera-y stuff and back to some drama!)

Private Practice - I got sucked in after the "cross over" episodes between Grey's and this show - gotta tell you - VERY. GOOD. (sorry Michele...)

Glee - this show is just wonderful - LOVE the music, love the little quirky ways the characters interact, love the "will they/won't they" and major kudos to Jany Lynch for being nothing short of Brilliant - I have loved everything that she does and this particular role is top notch.

Modern Family -- I started watching this online and so glad I did. The writing is sneaky good - listen for the little one-liners, the interaction between the couples is awesome, they act the way REAL couples do - and the whole concept is not too far off in la la land. love it.


Locked Up Abroad - this is a nod to those unscripted shows. This show will suck you in and before you realize it, you're yelling at your TV "who tries to smuggle a duffel bag of coke thru Columbia?! HELLO!". It's great because the real victim (sometimes just unlucky, sometimes just plain dumb) is the narrator. The reenactments are shot well, the drama is laid out for you in the situation the victim finds themselves...now THIS is reality!

Head Games -- ok, ok, shameless plug... my company created/produced this show, half hour trivia show that works like a game show- answer question, win money, learn something cool - WATCH IT!

I could go on and on, but for your sake, I won't -- I'll just leave with this - it seems that TV has gotten creative again and it's about time!!!

One Down!

In case you were under a rock last night.... and your power was out... and you didn't talk to anyone on your way in to work today....

PHILLIES WON GAME ONE!

It was an amazing performance by Cliff Lee on the mound. Those Yankees just could not get on base very much... I so badly wanted to text my Yankee fan friends the following question:

"so.. just how many pitchers will it take to try to take down the Phillies? Because right now it is at four..." The final count was six. That's right ladies and gentlemen, S-I-X! And Cliff Lee pitched the entire game!!!

Tonight, Game 2, Pedro Martinez is pitching. Now, Pedro does not have the best history with the Yanks (I'm sure everyone remembers the Zimmerman incident.. yikes), but he is also good in this atmosphere. I am so looking forward to see how this goes tonight. The first game jitters are over and its on to battle!

Ok boys, make me proud! GO PHILLIES!

Phillies Phever! Bring it on, Pinstripes

So here's the thing... I am a born and bred PROUD Philly fan (as I have said in previous posts). I also have a special place in my heart for the Big Apple - I work here, I have friends here and it is a fantastic city.

that being said

I am OVER the claims by certain newspapers (and I use that term v-e-r-y loosely because I am speaking about the NY POST) when they tap some Yankee fans for quotes like like "It's a nothing city - it is insignificant in comparison to New York" or " "The big meal there is a steak with cheese and onions on a hero, but they don't even call it a hero. It's a hoagie. What the hell is a hoagie?" Don't get me wrong, I have been known to talk some trash myself, but I keep it related to the GAME. I just find it funny that all these NY fans say that Philly fans are "bitter", "whiners" and "unruly" - I prefer the terms "boistrous", "passionate" and "determind". Yes, we had jail at the Vet -- extreme? maybe... but I also have to wonder if it kept violent behavior down.... but back to the topic - if you are going to sling some mud, keep it relevant... stick to the game! To me, it sounds like Yankee fans are nervous because Philly has quite the talented line up and let's be honest -- it is not like the Yankees swept the Angeles... they BARLEY squeeked out that win... unlike the Phillies who CRUSHED the Dodgers in a few games... 11-0, 8-0 .... I'm just saying....

So BRING IT YANKEES! I think this will be a battle, no doubt, and I am excited to watch how it unfolds!

Phillies Phever!

I have been a Philadelphia sports fan since before I was born (the Phillies and Eagles were in their respective championships in the 1979-1980 season and I was born in March of 1980. ) my Dad has made me a proud fan! I have stood my ground over the years when the teams were crappy, when I was a bartender in Giants territory (and wore my Eagles jersey PROUDLY) and even now when we have some talent in our line ups and the North Jersey crowd still gives me a hard time - that's fine, I can take it! I bleed Red (or Green or Orange, depending on who I am defending! lol) and right now I am extremely excited that my Phillies are KICKING TAIL!! I stayed up last night to watch them pull off the 5-4 win over the Dodgers at just moments to Midnight. AMAZING! They have one more game until WORLD SERIES time!! Normally I'm not a huge follower of baseball, but playoffs are always fun to watch and when its my boys? forget it.. I'm In!

I won't use this particular post to talk smack on other teams- as much as I cannot stand the Yankees, I would like to see a Phillies-Yankees World Series!

I also won't use this post to talk about how the Phillies put up more points than the Eagles did on Sunday against the Raiders... WOW... I mean, it was the RAIDERS. Andy Reid - if by some wacky chance you catch my blog (... you never know) PLEASE get some cajones and try something NEW! If Donovan is having an off day -- PULL HIM -- lord knows you stacked up your QBs! The only good thing was the Giants choked too, so at least it wasn't a total bummer of a day!

CATCH PHILLIES PHEVER!! GO PHILLIES!!

Stay Away from Spirit Airlines!!!

This blog is not big enough to really support how incredibly upset I am with Spirit Airlines. I don't think any space is big enough... they are shady, terrible at customer service, their website is riddled with sneaky ways to get MORE money out of you and just when you think you haven't purchased that airline ticket? check your bank account because as soon as you enter your cc info and click "next" - the money is already gone. At least, this is what happened to me! Those jerks took $666.40 for the two airline tickets I did NOT think I had bought. When I got to the screen that allows you to pick your seat (which, PS, they charge extra for if you want to guarantee a seat in advance... apparently spending almost $330 isn't enough to get a damn seat) and learned it would cost anywhere from $7-20 PER SEAT I decided this was silly and wasn't going to proceed. Boy was I wrong... I went into my email and saw a "your confirmed itinerary" email from Spirit Air (what?) and that's what prompted me to check my bank account... and there is it was, in pending transactions "debit card purchase of $666.40" .... now I know you may be saying "why did you put it on your debit and not a credit card?" because I had the money to spend and why rack up more debt when I could just pay for it? I spent an hour on the phone with SpiritAir's customer service -which I'm pretty sure was recorded and I'm probably an example of an irate customer... yah, it was not cute.. there was yelling... lots and lots of yelling. After the rep told me his name (Jim Edwards) and his client ID ("my location: India" - that's a direct quote) I called my bank to put a stop to the charge and applied for a fraudulent purchase request form. This whole thing is still pending (I won't get into a rant about TD Bank - right now the most Inconvenient bank -- COME BACK COMMERCE!) and I am losing faith I will get the refund. I have since read scathing reviews from other blogs -- really wish I had read them before.... Mr Ben Baldanza, the CEO of Spirit Air (click here) , will be getting a call from me. He already got an email but knowing it is so easy to ignore emails or "lose" them... I'll go the old-fashioned route and get on the phone...

So in short... stay away from Spirit Air --- they don't have the best deals - it's a total rip and not worth the aggravation!

"Slippery Rail Conditions"

So I subscribe to to NJ Transit alerts, which is kinda comical in that the point is to keep passengers up to the minute with important info especially when there are delays (which is all to often) and I normally get them a good 5-10 minutes AFTER I learn of any said delays while standing in Penn- side note: thank you to CleverCommute.com for their fantastic communication system- I rely on these MUCH more than I do NJ Transit alerts.... I digress... Today I get an email from NJ Transit with a link to their site for their alert about "Slippery Rail Conditions". It basically goes in to detail that with leaves falling with the change of seasons and the cold weather approaching passengers should be warned that there "could' be delays. They even go into a scientific explanation of how when the leaves fall and are crushed (their word, not mine) by the train wheels it creates pectin which is "an oily residue" that does not allow the trains to keep their grip on the tracks and will render them unable to climb up steep grades. I don't know if I should be thankful for this heads up OR frustrated to know this will inevitably be a new reason (excuse?) for making my commute even longer... then again, it will be nice to hear a different reason than the overused ones like "congestion" or "at a stop signal waiting for a different delayed train to pass" or "due to downed wires, we're being held... thanks for your patience". These annoucements have become the white noise of my commute along with that guy who assumes just because he is in a tie and cuff links we all want to hear him on his cell dissecting his schedule for the day with his poor assistant who clearly got in at the crack of dawn... seriously dude - it's not even 9am... the cuff links don't make you that important! side story-- (yes, I tend to go off on side stories that relate to the original story, but I feel deserve a quick mention) when I used to take a different line (Montclair-Boonton) one of my "train friends" (you know, the people you are buddies with for that 28 minute ride in the morning but probably never see outside of a train car? HI NICK, ROB, MARC and GREG!) told me that one time an especially loud passenger was on their cell and was leaving his number for the person on the other end to call back. So my friend took down the number and woke up in the middle of the night to call this guy -- I believe the convo went something like this:

loud passenger: ... "hello?"
train friend: "yah, how do you like it, being distrubed?"
loud passenger: "what?"
train friend: "no one wants to hear your conversation on the train in the morning so keep it down"
CLICK

BRILLIANT!

So... in summary... watch out for slippery tracks, subscribe to CleverCommute.com and when on a train (day or night) please keep in mind everyone within earshot would rather not know your business so please keep it down :)

HEAD GAMES!

The company I work for, Whoop, Inc, has produced a brand new game show for Discovery Science Channel called HEAD GAMES! Hosted by the hilariously brilliant Greg Proops (go ahead, IMDB him - you totally know who he is) this is a half-hour show that will tickle your noggin with fun, quirky science trivia by way of video clips and make you say "ooh I didn't know that!!" and then you will run and tell EVERYONE you know to tune in and watch... seriously... put it on your Facebook, Twitter, emails, whatever and spread the word...

The big premiere of HEAD GAMES is Saturday, Ocotber 17 at 9pm on Science Channel

so take half hour of your life and relax and learn something! You'll have something fun to talk to your co-workers about on Monday -- be that guy with the cool triva fact :)

First Post!

Well.. this is my first post as a blogger...although I feel funny even calling myself a blogger since I've never done it before... ah well! You may be asking yourself "what's up with the title?" I wanted to start this blog as an outlet to communicate the crazy things that I experience as a commuter in and out of this fabulous city I get to work in every day (NYC). The two most dreaded words I fear to see displayed on the track listing screen is "Stand By", which is generally followed up by an announcement "attention NJ Transit passengers, there is (pick your issue - downed wires/congestion/delays) please STAND BY for further announcement". There are things I see and hear that even the most gifted writers could NOT make up. So in effort to stay sane during my travels to and from the office, I will use this as my forum. I'll probably throw in some non-commuter related stuff too... life has a funny way of playing out and sometimes I wonder if I'm not being followed by cameras...