Ian's blog

How am I going to survive? We are moving everything this weekend but I haven’t set up cable or internet yet. The DSL line is scheduled to be provisioned on the 14, not that they are actually going to hook it up just connect the cables between the house and CO. So it will probably be a little longer before that happens. I also haven’t done anything about TV. I still haven’t decided on if I should get directv installed, have fios installed or get cox. I would normally say get directv, but my HD directv tivo wont get the new HD channels and I bought a HD series 3 tivo a while back which doesn’t work with directv. I am probably going to follow the path of least resistance and get a couple cable cards for cox, and use them there special offer ends. Decisions Decisions.

This is even cooler, you need google earth installed

dulles-arlington.kmz

Following on my post earlier about using Cotogps to collect gps information via my treo 700p, I managed to get my own google api key and post a map of my commute from Dulles to Arlington.

I Kind a, sort a, on purpose I decided to try taking the bus and metro to work today. I am normally a late riser so don’t appreciate getting up before 8 to get to work, but today and yesterday I have been in training so I had to be at work by 9am. Before my job was moved out to Dulles I used take the metro to West Falls Church and then a reverse commute bus to Reston. This worked out great I left about 8:45 and got to work about 9:30. The Loudoun County reverse commute bus isn’t quite as nice. I have to be out the house by 8am to get on the metro by 8:07 to get to west falls church by 8:25 where I pick up the last reverse commute to dulles.

Overall I have been very pleasantly surprised. The Loundoun County Buses now take the smart trip card and they are lot more comfortable than the bone grinding buses that Fairfax connectors try to run at 65 along the toll road. I didn’t even have to pay today since it was a code orange day for pollution.

After looking at the schedules I notice that they are changing the route to make a stop at the Herdon Monroe Park and Ride in Reston, which will be prefect once we move to reston, this is all assuming we can find a house we like.

So the Loudoun County reverse commute bus gets a b+. I just wish they ran a 9:30 am bus in the morning and a 7PM bus in the evening to give me a little more flexability on my work schedule. Plus one of there buses I see when driving generates huge puffs of black smoke every so often as it drives down the toll road.

metro is handing out emergency guide material today. The little red pouch has antiseptic towelettes, Neomycin antibiotic cream, plasters (or bandaids as they are called here)

Ever since I heard about being able to use the smartrip on the metro bus I have been patiently waiting for it on the Fairfax connector. No more hording change digging in drawers for enough coins to make up the dollar for the ride home. All I need to do is swipe the same smart card I use on the metro as I enter the bus. It even handles transfers so you don’t need to remember to pick that piece of paper as you rush for your train in the morning.

The only problem is my work is moving out to Dulles on the 15th of June and Loudon country commuter bus doesn’t do smart trip DOH.

The metro is running faster than 66 behind it