another mass update

Hey all,
Lots of random thoughts and dividers in this one. It has been assembled over a few days. I just haven't felt too chatty lately.
Another mass e-mail. I know that some of you get upset that I don't talk to you more personally, but e-mail works both ways. If you e-mail me I promise a regular e-mail in return, or double your money back, guaranteed! Others of you can feel free to just enjoy the pointless yammering on about this and that. There is no need to respond if you don't feel like it. If it makes you actively upset to get these e-mails, please tell me and I'll stop sending them to you. As a famous song lyric goes, "I just want to be your friend."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, there is not much new here. I'm settling into the patterns of my life. I ride the trolley to work everyday and I've expressed to you how much I love it. There is a very nice wooded stream valley that goes right next to the track. I'm excited to see it change green with the springtime. I'm getting used to the characters on the trolley. (If anyone would like a visual aid see http://www.septa.org/schedule.cgi?route=101&day=1). Until Landsdowne Avenue it is filled with school kids. It is fun to hear them giving each other pop quizzes for upcoming tests. I'm glad I don't need to know those things anymore. Then at the Beverly Hills stop this older man gets on and likes to sit near the fourth window seat. When people are in his seat he looks very disappointed and moves there as soon as the offending party leaves. There is also an extremely clean cut guy who wears a coat with a hospital insignia. I like to imagine him as an ambulance driver on TV, but who knows. We are the only three that have the same issue of having to transfer from one trolley to another.* Ambulance guy gets off at Drexel Hill Junction / Shadeland Avenue, the first stop one can get off on every time. Beverly Hills guy rides the trolley to Springfield/ Woodland Avenue which is the last stop that that trolley goes to. I, on the other hand, like to get off at random stops. I have seen every stop between Drexel Hill Junction / Shadeland Avenue and Springfield / Woodland Avenue. It really perplexes the trolley driver, who like most in the transportation industry, values consistency above all else. Now that I have seen them all, though, I usually transfer trolley's when I'm at a convenient point in my book, such as a new chapter. I have some favorites, though. Aronimink has a lot of pigeons and it is fun to watch them and the squirrels fight over food that someone leaves for them.

*Sidebar on the overly complex trolley system
------------------------------------------------------------------
Transferring from one 101 trolley to another 101 trolley is an inordinately complex and seemingly unnecessary procedure that exemplifies some of the problems with transit here and why it is the most expensive in the country by some counts. Only one trolley every 20 minutes can go all the way to Media ("everybody's home town") where I work. This is because there is only one set of track between Woodland Avenue in Springfield to Orange Street in Media. Also, the trip is a two zone trip, which means it is 50 cents more. By getting off and transferring I not only have a slightly shorter ride (because I don't have to walk to 69th Street terminal, but can leave from walnut street near my house), but I also save myself that 50 cents by taking two trolleys. It took me a month to understand the nuances of this process.
________________________________________________________________________
Today I changed over at Saxer Avenue. It was strange imagining in what ways my life would be different if I lived at this stop. In some ways extremely different. It has a much more linear and suburban characteristic, but many of the same things as my stop. Every stop pretty much has a pizza place, a Chinese place, a bar, and a bank. There are things in addition that change the characteristic of the stop, but they all have the basics. It is amazing how different my life would be in many places if I lived at a different one and yet how similar it would be.

Other regular trolley patrons include Make-up lady (who applies her makeup during the ride with a vehemence I have rarely seen), the conductor's best friend (she always talks to the conductor for the majority of the trip, though at times she does handicrafts including a needlepoint that was all the same color. I really didn't get that, but she seemed very intent on it), the cell phone guys (they sit in the far back and talk on their phones the whole time, though I can't imagine who there is to talk to at 7:30 AM), serious newspaper woman (she reads and doesn't look like she has ever smiled in her life).

I've also attached a picture of the office and the people in it. I was out at a meeting when this was taken.

There is more political forwarded stuff below... Those of you that are so inclined should stop reading now. That includes mostly those of you who don't care for politics, but also those of you who will have more respect for me not knowing my politics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is going to be another vote on drilling in the wildlife refuge in Alaska. The following website has some information on the issue and an easy way to contact your representative and make your opinion known.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/arctic_drilling0303/wu5w6d4z783jb5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a little petition thingie in this section, but it is too late for that. Hopefully the US learns its lesson sooner than later, but I doubt it. I had a discussion several years ago with my now estranged friend Kate Bosquet about how there will probably be a violent revolution in the US in our lifetime. I feel as though unless there are major changes it is inevitable and recent changes have marked a strong movement in that direction. Kate and I both agreed that we would be out of here, and I suppose that is still true. The question is knowing when things have gone too far. I suppose people never do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The media is so excited about the coming war. Watching them almost literally jump up and down with joy at the coverage they are going to give us makes me cringe. They really can't wait for the action. They have reporters stationed with the troops and video fly throughs pieced together from satellite images. It will keep us all glued to our TV's. The world is turning into a video game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote from today's Delaware County Times:
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, America's Children have been forced to welcome several foreign and unfamiliar terms into their vocabulary. A few examples include Iraq, Saddam Hussein, al-Qaida, Afganistan, weapons of mass destruction, diplomacy, Osama bin Laden and terrorism."
I don't know if this quote requires my sharp cynical touch, but I will give it anyway.
Since when has it been unfortunate that children learn geography
Diplomacy is a concept it may be traumatic for children to be forced to understand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also came across this pledge. Vague and easy enough for me to keep since I mostly follow it anyway. I suppose the symbolic value is what it is supposed to be about. In the end, of course, it is mostly pointless I suppose....
America's warriors have dismissed peace marches as "irrelevant." It's time to build a second mass action against the war -- the Boycott Brand America Pledge: Because I am one of the millions of people against the war; And because America has made it clear that it won't listen to world opinion; And because the symbols of America are its corporations and their brands; I hereby pledge to boycott Brand America, from the moment the war begins and to the best of my ability until the empire learns to listen.
Sign the Pledge: http://adbusters.org/campaigns/boycott_america/