Travel Firsts

I'm back in the city, after an uneventful flight from Knoxville. I almost expected something to happen, the way there were several firsts on the trip there:

1. The first time I really misjudged how long it would take to get into Manhattan at 2 a.m. (Note to self: it isn't a half hour; it's more like an hour and a half at that time of the morning.

2. The first time SuperShuttle was ridiculously early. My scheduled pickup time was 2:30 to 2:45 a.m.; in the past, they've usually run to the late end of that range. But I got the "Your driver will be there in 15 minutes" reminder call at 1:45! I was still in Astoria at that point (See #1 above).

3. The first time I had to depend on the kindness of a stranger to get where I was going (See "Holiday Heartwarmer" entry). Without that cab driver overlooking my lack of a tip, I would have been dropped off just inside Manhattan and missed my shuttle ride.

4. The first time we had a landing problem not due to weather. I've arrived at Newark in the winter before when storms below forced us to circle the airport with some 20 other planes in a holding pattern, then land somewhere in Pennsylvania to refuel, then go back to circling before coming in for a very rough landing. (Come to think of it, I believe that wild trip might have been last Christmas.) But this time we were approaching the Knoxville airport in clear conditions with little wind-- no problem, right? Well, the landing gear was out and we were about 100 feet or so off the ground when our pilot suddenly pulls up to circle the airport one more time. As he told us, the control tower had just told him we'd be cutting it too close by coming in for a landing at that moment: imminent collision with another plane at the end of the runway! This kind of stuff happens at Newark, or JFK, or LAX, or another major airport with a lot of traffic, not my little regional airport in Knoxville!

With the unexpected problems cropping up on the flight there, I was definitely expecting something to go wrong on this flight, but it couldn't have been smoother. I slept the whole way, even through landing-- another first! We even got in early, which doesn't happen often in New York!

Holiday Heartwarmer

It's no secret: People are a little more generous to strangers as the Christmas holiday approaches. Hence, the toy/food drives and all the bellringers collecting for the Salvation Army outside nearly every grocery and retail store. (And for my fellow NYers, more beggars on the streets, particularly along Shopping Mile of Fifth Avenue.)

I've been on the giving end more than once, but I've never been on the receiving end... until early this morning. I'm flying out from Newark-Liberty this morning at 6:30, which meant I needed to get up extremely early to head into Manhattan and meet my shuttle ride to the airport.

[On a side note, can anyone please explain to me the logic for needing to meet the shuttle at 2:30 in the morning for a 6:30 flight? There's almost no traffic at that hour, so we usually get to Newark in about fifteen minutes, and the TSA security line at that hour of the morning is laughably short. But could I schedule any later pickup time with the shuttle? Of course not.]

Anyway, I'd seriously misjudged how long it would take me to get from Queens to Manhattan at that hour of the morning (Hint: schedule about an hour and a half if going by subway; the trains are really unpredictable in the early morning hours), and I usually meet my shuttle outside the Warwick Hotel on 54th St. Since I was running late, I flagged down a taxi to take me into the city. This isn't as easy as it sounds: why is it so cursedly difficult to find a cab in Astoria after dark?

The problem was, I had only $15 in cash on me, and I knew the fare alone to the hotel would be about $16, not including tip. I told this to the driver before I got in the cab, and amazingly, he was fine with it! As he told me, some people tip more generously around the holidays; he could afford to take a few people who were just short of the full fare. Not only did he not put the trip on the meter, he realized I was late and hurried to get me to the hotel on time.

I didn't even get his name, and I certainly wouldn't recognize him again, not having gotten a look at his face in the first place. But wherever he is, I owe him one. Maybe I'll show my thanks by tipping generously the next time I take a taxi. He'd probably approve.

Coining a new word

Here's a new word for you:

HOL-I-CIDE (noun): The uncontrollable urge to strangle someone in a holiday-related temporary madness.

My first soon-to-be-victim: The street musician who's playing Christmas tunes on his clarinet below my office building. Word around the office is that one of our editors actually paid him last year to move a block away.

Actually, the Christmas tunes aren't so bad, but he plays "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" every other song!

Mixing business with fun? Um...

Ah, the company holiday party...

1. When the bar is open, but too many drinks is not a good idea. I saw it for myself at the last company party, and trust me, that inebriated person does not live it down-- it comes back up in conversation when the next company party rolls around.

2. When you're trying to mingle with coworkers, but the band is so loud, no one can hear anyone else, even when they're shouting right at each other. Ringing in the ears lasts for at least 30 minutes after you leave the party, you can feel tables vibrating slightly from the volume, etc.

3. When, near the end of the night, you see people you would never expect out dancing. Gotta admit, I was thoroughly impressed by several people on the dance floor. Yes, I was out there too, even if I was partially deaf (see #2 above).

There's a strange split personality about company parties. You're supposed to be able to relax outside the office, but you can never get too comfortable with your supervisors around!

This year I've been with the company for nearly a year and a half, and the difference in the number of people I knew at the last Christmas party and those I know now is amazing. The entire time I was there this year, I was playing the name game in my mind: 'Yeah, that's so-and-so from Production, and that's so-and-so from Marketing, and-- is that so-and-so from Legal out on the dance floor?? Wow. Who knew he was a dancer?

All in all, though one friend was gone this year (you were missed!) it was a pretty good night, I think!

Apartment Living

Man, you really don't realize what a luxury a doorman (or woman!) is until you've lived with one... and then have to live without one!

(Yeah, yeah, I know everyone who hasn't lived in an apartment high-rise in the city is going, "Huh? Doorman? Why would you need one?")

Well, doormen are more than just door-openers for the apartment building: they are greeters/gatekeepers who usually know faces and sometimes names of most of the tenants who live there-- and conversely, those strangers who don't live there (and sometimes shouldn't be there!). Sometimes they're liaisons, if something in the apartment or building needs fixing and you need to get in contact with the super. They often help you with luggage, if you're heading out to or coming in from a day of travel. And--this is what I'm most lamenting since I've moved into a non-doorman apartment!--they sign for packages and leave them where you can get them later. I SO miss that!

Now that I live in a 3-story walk-up in Astoria, there's no doorman, or for that matter, anyone at home to sign for packages, and no safe (or dry) place to leave the packages except inside the front door, which is locked all day. I came home unexpectedly in the middle of the day yesterday, and who should catch me walking out of our building but the local UPS delivery guy! He told me he was really glad he caught sight of me-- my building is one of the most difficult addresses on his route, simply because there's rarely anyone at home to sign for the packages.

I miss my doormen. Doormen and bellhops across NYC are talking about striking on New Year's Day, to try to convince building owners to give them more of a share in the buildings' profits. I think they're worth it-- we take their services for granted when we have them, but let me tell you, we sure miss them when they're gone!

New York events

Relatives ask me sometimes if I ever go to the major New York City events: Macy's 4th of July fireworks show, the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the big one: New Year's Eve in Times Square.

(Answers, in order: twice, never, always out of town on that day, and HELL NO!)

The "never" and "hell no" are the primary reason I'm at home in my apartment in Queens tonight instead of at Rockefeller Plaza watching the lighting of the giant Christmas tree. My office is half a block from Rockefeller Plaza (yes, we've been hearing Christmas music from the sound system setup since yesterday morning). From our office windows, we can even see part of the crowd that started forming throughout the afternoon. There are an estimated 100,000 people out there right now and I really didn't want to get stuck in that!

As for New Year's Eve in Times Square... you got any idea what a security nightmare that is? In order to keep out alcohol, drugs, guns, terrorists, etc., the NYPD locks down the Times Square area for several blocks in any direction. They keep people trapped within a ring of barricades like cattle for hours.

So no, I probably won't be found at any major NYC event, even though I live here and could get to any location easily on the subway. It's the crowds that keep me away-- I'll just watch the event from some other location, thanks!

[Upper photo courtesy of me-- early one December I took my camera on a tour of some of the city's Christmas decorations.]

Lights, Camera, Action!

After three and a half years in NYC, I'm still entertained (and yes, sometimes star-struck!) when I see television shows or movies being filmed here... when I notice them, that is! Every so often, you'll see a couple of streets around the city blocked off for filming some scene, and you know there's a celebrity around when you see crowds of people gathered nearby.

I think I might actually have been an extra in one movie! It was being filmed right in front of me while I ate lunch outside, and I'm sure all of us sitting around this particular fountain were probably caught on camera. You won't find me on any credits, though! I'd just be part of "Random People at the Fountain." No star sighting on this day, but Terrence Howard was listed in the credits on the movie's web page.

And then there was the movie I saw being filmed in Washington Square Park last fall. I stopped to watch for a bit as Robin Williams, in boots and a ten-gallon cowboy hat, took the same stroll through the park over and over, about a dozen takes of the same scene. Washington Square Park was also the scene of a Law & Order Criminal Intent episode I witnessed. The really strange coincidence here is that I don't normally watch that particular show...but I happened to be watching it the one night that episode ran!

Yes, that really is Vincent D'onofrio, of L&O: Criminal Intent. And I didn't even have to zoom in on this photo-- I was that close to the set. (Taken 7/24/06)

But the one movie/TV show filming I've seen that takes the cake would definitely be the Sex & The City movie. The cast and crew were filming a scene outside Christie's auction house... which happens to be right at the bottom of my office building in Midtown! It was something to see-- not so much the actresses, as all the girls in my section of the office peering out the window at the action below! ;)

Of course, I usually see actors only when they're filming. One New York habit I picked up pretty quickly is not paying attention to people passing by me when I'm walking somewhere. I could chalk that up to being in a hurry to get to my destination, or I could make the excuse that I can't people-watch for fear of breaking an ankle on uneven pavement and sidewalks!

[That habit is partly what makes NYC a good place for actors to live when they want some anonymity. It's not that we don't have our photographers trailing certain celebrities (the Olsen twins are a favorite target), but compared to Hollywood and Southern Cali, far fewer people in NYC actually notice celebs when they're out and about, doing everyday activities. I'm sure I've walked past more than one celebrity without ever noticing!]

Dating in the City

Found a great place for a date-- I'll have to remember it for the future.

It's the rooftop bar at the Peninsula Hotel, called the "Pen-Top Bar & Terrace." Drinks are pricey (read: go elsewhere for the drinks and order sparkling water here), but man, what a view!!! It's 23 stories above street level, so you've got a nearly 360° bird's eye view of Midtown Manhattan, all lit up at night. The night I went there with a date, we couldn't have asked for better weather-- late September, still warm, and not a cloud in sight.

The only drawback this night was the plethora of helicopters flying back and forth all over Midtown: both the Iranian president and Bush were in town, at hotels just a few blocks away from the Peninsula. The helicopters quartering the skies were likely part of a very heavy police detail for them both, as well as some from the media!

[On a side note, I'm kind-of glad I don't live on the East side of Manhattan anymore. Any time a head of state or international VIP visits NYC, they tend to stay on the east side near the U.N. building... which fouls up subway and street traffic for about 10 street blocks and 2 avenue blocks in any direction. That encompasses Grand Central Station (42nd St. at Park Ave.), a big transfer point and one of the busiest stations in the subway system. Trying to get around when all traffic is diverted around that station takes forever!]

The DMV, Part II

So here's the second half of the NY License story:

After being turned away at the DMV after waiting there 2 1/2 hours, I went to the License XPress place on 34th St. at 8th Ave., which both a friend and a coworker had recommended over the main DMV office. (Thanks, Kari and Allison!) It's a smaller branch of the DMV that deals only with licenses and registration/tags for your car, unlike the main branch which handles everything, including tickets, impounded cars, driver education classes, and whatnot. My coworker said it was so much easier to go to this branch office-- she went there to trade in her out-of-state license and was out in about an hour and a half.

And sure enough, it was SO much better than the main branch that it hardly compares. Workers seemed friendlier and less harried, the lines moved quicker, and this time I had the non-laminated copy of my SS card to show at the desk. I got out of there and checked the time on my cell phone: I'd been there exactly one hour. Now, that's how I expect a DMV to work!

Purgatory, otherwise known as the DMV

What did I do to deserve this????

I'd been thinking about getting a NY driver's license for some time, since my TN license expires next April. So on one of my summer Friday afternoons when S&S let us out early, I decided to go to the DMV. I had put my passport and Soc. Sec. card in my purse that morning, and I filled out the application form I had printed from the NYDMV web site.

I got to the office and waited in a long line, finally getting up to the counter where the official handed me... and application (see above--I'd already filled one out). He directed me to a second, slower line for the photo and the first ID check.

I get to that counter--finally--and get the privilege of meeting Prince Charming. Seriously, this guy was a textbook case of office rage in action. He's muttering about how people don't understand all the crap he goes through and then he gets made out to be the bad guy and they're yelling at him and they ought to try working his job for several hours... you get the picture.

I didn't say anything, not wanting to antagonize him further, so I handed him the application and my passport/SScard/TNDL, and pulled out my health insurance card for additional ID, asking if he needed that too. Mistake #1. He yelled at me, "NO!" and shoved the card back across the counter. Then came the photo... and the camera malfunctions, so now he's practically growling. He barked at me to step out of the picture range while he fixed the camera, then barked at me to step back. Man, he needed either some serious counseling or a new job! [The whole time I was in the waiting area for the next counter to open, I was eyeing the guy the way you might eye a mad dog snapping and snarling at the end of a chain-- I wondered if we might actually have someone going postal on us before I could get out of there!]

So now I had to wait until they called my assigned number before I could get up to a third counter. This time, my wait was over an hour and a half! But they called my number, and I got to the counter where I had to show my ID again... and I was turned away because I'd made the apparently critical mistake of grabbing my old SS card that had been laminated years ago (which makes it hard to verify the card's authenticity).

That's three hours of my life I won't get back, with nothing to show for it but frustration. I've NEVER had that kind of experience at a DMV, or any bureaucratic office, for that matter. No wonder people hate the DMV!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, the date really was Friday the 13th. I'm not joking. I'm not a believer in the whole Friday the 13th and superstition kind of thing, but obviously the person who started that superstition spent a day at the DMV.

Generation Gap

This was too funny!

I was sitting on my balcony this evening, toasting marshmallows for s'mores over the dying coals of my little grill (yeah, I know, grilling on our balcony--gasp!! But we're extremely careful about it...) when I heard the kids next door talking and laughing. This is nothing unusual; if the weather's decent, they're outside for hours in the early evening, riding bikes and socializing with the kids on the block.

What made this evening different is that they started singing along to a music player one of them brought out. The first song was something I didn't know, but the second song was... "We Are the World"!

Yeah, that's right--one of the defining songs from the Eighties, a song that raised funds for the children in Africa and brought together such artists as Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper, among others. To anyone who was a child of the Eighties: does it bring back a couple memories of the era?

What I found so funny was not the song itself, though that brought out a couple of grins, remembering Cyndi's New-Yawk accent, singing "Wehll, wehll, wehll, let's realize..." 

No, what had me nearly in tears laughing was that these kids were playing it and knew the words to it!!! They couldn't have been more than 10 or 11 years old. They weren't even a gleam in their parents' eyes when that song came out!

It all left me with two reactions: 1.) shaking my head in disbelief, that this song continues to pop up even today, and 2.) laughing myself silly, that kids in the online iTunes era are singing the words to a song by a number of singers whose careers peaked before these kids were even born... :)

Yes, cuz, the smile paired with narrowed eyes usually means "Don't go there."

Family weddings... love them AND hate them!

Tampa was great, and as seen in the Florida Tourism Industry advertisement I just wrote, it's definitely worth going back. Even seeing family was great, since that side of the family has people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, NYC (me), Tampa and Key West in Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, California, and Washington State. Pretty much everyone but my elderly grandmother (who was too frail to make the trip south) and one relative living out west made it into Tampa for the wedding and at least part of the week.

It was good to see everyone in one place again. We usually see most of the family for Thanksgiving (the reason I'm never in town that day), but the ones who live farther away don't often come to the holiday get-together. It takes a family wedding to get the whole crew in one place. However, as no fewer than four different cousins reminded me, we're running out of cousins to get married!

*Note to all: if you attend a family wedding anytime soon, DO NOT ask The Question of your unmarried female family members or refer to it in any way. I'm in no hurry to get married anytime soon, but by the time the fourth person asked me, "So, when are YOU getting married?" I wanted to smack somebody!!!

I think I need to start developing some flip answers to The Question, such as these:

• "When you realize your question is utterly offensive to any modern, feminist, career-oriented woman."
  
• "When my psychic gives me the okay. She's recommended I delay getting married until the moon is in Saturn's house and Mars is in retrograde."

Any other ideas?

And now, for an advertisement from the Florida tourism industry...

Well, I'm back from Florida. Man, the weather could not have been any nicer down there... mid-80s, dry and breezy all week long. It was fantastic!!!

I took a shuttle from the airport to my hotel in Clearwater Beach, where we were on the Clearwater Harbor side of Sand Key; the Gulf of Mexico was across the street. As I was in the shuttle, I was smiling at all the palm trees everywhere, and also struck by all the space!! A clear sign I live in a compact city like NYC: I was amazed by how far apart things are and all the single-level buildings. And parking lots! I almost didn't recognize what they were! ;)

Normally I tune out a chatty shuttle driver or give the "I'm not really listening to you" answers ("Uh-huh, hmmm... that's nice."), but for some reason, I was paying attention to this chatty driver. Good thing--he gave me some good tips about how to get around the area, good restaurants to try, and times to avoid traffic snarls or tourist-y areas. He was totally right about everything, including this great seafood restaurant (ohhhhh... fresh seafood!!) that specialized in several "just caught it a couple hours ago" Catches-of-the-Day. My cousin asked what I was getting, and before I could even answer, my dad and sister piped up with "crab legs" (and they were right-- apparently I am just that predictable when it comes to seafood!).

By the way, if anyone's planning a trip down to Clearwater Beach or the Tampa area, I'd recommend the Marriott on Sand Key. They had everything we needed except the beach, and that was just across the street. And Clearwater Beach has got to be one of the nicest beaches along the U.S. coast-- the finest powder/sand I've ever felt, a shallowly sloping shelf and moderate surf that doesn't pound you to death.

I even saw several dolphins while I was there. One evening when my sister, brother-in-law, little niece and I walked back over Sand Key's causeway, we caught sight of three dolphins in the channel from the harbor to the Gulf and stopped to watch them swim under the bridge. And the day before I left, there was a whole pod of them in the harbor during lunch... According to the locals, the dolphins are a fairly common sight in and around Old Tampa Bay at that time of year.

Sharing the love...

I'm also appreciating SuperShuttle this morning!

I called up the shared-ride van service SuperShuttle--love them!-- because who wants to try to catch a subway train to JFK at 3:00 in the morning while toting two large bags and one suitcase? I definitely didn't. And taxis are pretty scarce around my section of Queens at any time of day, let alone at 3 in the morning!

Besides the convenience of having someone pick you up at your door at any hour to take you to the airport, cost was another factor on my mind-- since I moved out of Manhattan, my rides to my usual airport, Newark, have skyrocketed from their usual $17 to nearly $50-- for that price, I might as well pay a bit more for a cab and not have to share it with anyone! 

[For the record, a cab ride from Newark to Manhattan costs about $60, which includes the tip and the toll fees between NJ and NY. I don't know how much it would cost to get there from Queens--I've never tried.]

But I've never flown out of JFK before, so that, combined with the early flight time, extra bags, and unpredictability of catching a subway train or cab at that hour, convinced me to call up SuperShuttle. It wasn't a bad price (only about $30 plus tip), the driver arrived at 4:30 on the dot (when do rides ever arrive entirely on time?) and he took me straight to JFK.

Normally the shared rides pick up several passengers in the area before heading to the airport, in order to make an efficient trip. But apparently, I was the only Astoria-to-JFK customer at that hour. Hey, no problem-- I don't mind being the only passenger!

I've had the occasional problem with SuperShuttle, usually involving the length of time it takes to get a ride from the airport, but for the most part I really like them. I switch back and forth between them and AirlinkNY, the other shared-ride van service. For anyone visiting NYC, that's one of the best ways to get from the airport, in my opinion. Yeah, you can take a cab, but the cost can add up quickly unless your hotel is nearby.

Even better, I found out after my flight landed in Tampa that SuperShuttle operates in Florida, too, so I had an easy ride to the hotel in Clearwater. One much-needed vacation and family reunion, coming up!

Jet Blue love

I am all about JetBlue!

I haven't had the opportunity to fly JetBlue before, mainly because they don't fly to my main destination, Knoxville. I WISH they would (ahem, JetBlue!), but the closest they get is Nashville, so I'd have to rent a car and drive about 3 hours east. Kinda defeats the purpose of flying, right?

I arrived here at JFK at an ungodly hour in the morning (anything before 6 a.m. is far, FAR too early for my tastes), and nearly every food vendor in the JetBlue terminal is open for business. What a difference from my usual airport, Newark-Liberty (EWR, for those familiar with airport lingo), where my regular terminal, Terminal C, is busy with passengers even in the early hours but only two or three food vendors are open at that time. JetBlue also offers free Wi-Fi --at least, in this airport. 

Yes, I really was blogging at 5 in the morning! [Picture taken 5/23/07]

And with the exception of the Valentine's Day disaster, JetBlue usually has great service, too. I haven't encountered a single employee who hasn't been really helpful and even (I can't believe it!) a little cheerful at 5 in the morning! When I forgot to take my laptop out of my bag at the security checkpoint--I was still half asleep--and my bag got flagged for inspection because of it, the screener was joking that he sees this kind of stuff all the time... he didn't have any problem inspecting yet another bag. Of course, maybe his shift had just started, so it could be that he hadn't checked that many bags yet today!

My only disappointment so far is that JetBlue has changed terminals at JFK. Back when they were still small fry in the airline world, JetBlue used to be housed in Terminal 5 or, for those of you into architecture, the old TWA terminal designed by renowned Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. It's a pretty cool building, designed to evoke impressions of--what else?--flight. But it's also a small building, and like other airlines that were once housed there, JetBlue has outgrown the space and moved to a larger terminal next door. I think the officials at JFK are on the verge of expanding the terminal, if they aren't in the process already. I just hope they work with Eero Saarinen's design-- yeah, they really need a larger terminal to handle the passenger traffic they see on a daily basis, but it would be a shame if they replaced a structure shown in many architectural books with something more utilitarian. Hopefully they can find a way to incorporate the original design into their new plan! 

The old TWA terminal at JFK, designed to give the impression of a bird in flight.

More New York for you!

I was headed to Home Depot earlier today when I nearly stumbled over some New York roadkill. I'll give you three guesses to figure out what it was, but trust me, you'll need only one... Yeah, it was a rat, completely flattened. It looked like the Roadrunner cartoons where Wylie E. Coyote gets run over by a steamroller or squashed under a giant boulder. Eeew!!!

Just when I was beginning to think we didn't have roadkill in the city! Reminds me a bit of home... and one of the reasons I'm glad I don't drive anymore. I must have been a magnet for roadkill as a driver, or maybe I was just driving at the wrong times, but I swear, I seemed to hit at least one of just about everything! To date, I've hit a rabbit, two birds, a snake, two or three squirrels, a handful of chipmunks, numerous cicadas during the summer of 2004 when they emerged from hibernation, and even a skunk-- that one I felt really bad about, since it happened in front of someone's house! Thankfully, I never hit a cat or any really large animals, such as deer or cows. But the one thing I expected to hit--and never did--was a possum. Never could figure out why I didn't-- they're everywhere back home during the Spring.

A Job Well Done?? Are They On Drugs????

Showing our love for ConEdison from our balcony. [Picture taken 7/23/06]

Last July, my roommate and I went through one hellish experience-- we live in the section of Queens that got hit with The Blackout. You probably heard about The Blackout; it even made the national news, that the electric company serving the largest city in the U.S. couldn't restore power to a significant portion of its customers for a week.

Yes. We were without power for seven days. 

During a week where the temperatures hit triple digits on three consecutive days.

And we were fairly lucky, if you can call anything about this situation "lucky"-- at least we had running water all week. It was cool water (brrrr... quick showers!), but it was more than some people had.

Yesterday, New York's state Public Service Commission issued a report about the ConEdison blackout of Summer 2006, and they found ConEd's performance in the whole fiasco "unacceptable."

Back in October, when ConEd finished their own investigation, they actually praised their handling of the blackout! Of course, this is the company that severely underestimated the number of affected customers, too:

• On July 20th, they estimated the number of people without power at about 8,000 to 10,000. (Um... No. Not even close.)
  
• The very next day, their estimate jumped to 10 times that: over 100,000 people. (Getting warmer, ConEd. Oh, wait-- no, it's getting warmer because we have NO AIR CONDITIONING, OR EVEN A FAN!!)

In yesterday's report, the Public Service Commission put the final estimate at 174,000 people. Hmmm... which estimate would I be more likely to trust-- the one by the independent commission, or the one by the company responsible for the whole mess? Given that I was one of those affected by their screwup, I think it's safe to say I wouldn't trust ConEd further than I could throw them.

I'm not looking forward to this next summer. I'm half-expecting another blackout the way we did for the rest of the summer of 2006, waiting for the electrical system to fail again.

Oh, and to our bonehead mayor, Mr. Bloomberg: No, ConEd was not doing a good job. If you'd been in Queens since the first day, instead of waiting four days into the mess before you deigned to come visit us common folk, you'd know this. We wouldn't have had a problem in the first place, or had the blackout last so long, if ConEd had updated the power system in Queens. When 10 of 22 major feeder cables break down, it's quite evident that the area's electrical system is antiquated and needed replacing long ago.

And ConEd wants to push through two rate hikes over this next year. What the hell have they been doing with the money we pay them throughout the year?

To ConEd's credit, we did get a check from them to reimburse us for the perishable food we lost when the refrigerator stopped working, but I'm still ticked off that this "perfect storm" was even in the making at all.

For more on this topic, check out a timeline of the events in the ConEd Blackout of 2006. 

A letter from ConEdison CEO Kevin Burke about the blackout. Yes, Mr. Burke, I'm sure you were aware --no, deeply aware-- of the hardships we faced while you were sitting in your posh, air-conditioned office and went home at night to your posh, air-conditioned home.