On a rail

On a train bound for nowhere.
Kenny Rogers

Yet another morning finds me on the train to NYC. Anyone who knows me knows I love trains. It probably seems silly to some, but I still get excited when I get to ride the new NJT double-deck cars. Today I scored the singe seat with the baggage bin next to it. Ahh, luxury.

This week I've been working in Flushing, which means the E train from Penn Station to Queens. That's fun too, because I love the new NYC subway cars.

(BTW, right now I am side-by-side with a Metroliner, keeping almost perfect pace. Wait... taking the lead... and first into Newark Penn!)

Anyway, where was I? The new Subway cars (more information than you could imagine here). They have the clear automated voice and best of all, this electronic diagram of the line showing you what stops are ahead of you. Of course, you need to check the board and listen to the automated voice. The other day I didn't and ended up on the F which takes an entirely different route to Manhattan, crossing the E's line on the way.

That's happens a lot with the NYC subways. Other subway systems, the Boston T, for example, look much more organized. There is an organic quality to the NYC subway map which is annoying or cool, depending on how you look at it.

So, running out of power and no outlet nearby. A useful project would be mapping NJT rolling stock to show where outlets are....

Note to self

That's the political equivalent of reminding yourself to breath.
Daily Beast columnist John Avlon (on CNN's American Morning)

Thinking about the crib notes on Sarah Palin's palm, I suspect some are pointing out that a few scribbles are not the same as an entire teleprompted speech. Which is true, except that Obama doesn't hide the teleprompter.

But whatever, put aside the hypocrisy point. It's the notes themselves that kill me: "Energy," "tax cuts" and "lift American spirits." That is what she needed to write down. Really. No joke.

That is pure Palin.

A state cannot so deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
(Romer v. Evans)

It's time I dusted off this blog, and what better reason than tommorow's State Senate vote on Marraige Equality in New Jersey.

Everyone deserves to marry the person they love. It's that simple. I stole the following action list from Sharon:

1. Call your State Senators and tell them to do what's right. (When following that link, click the "state" tab.) If you already know who your Senator is, go here for contact information.
2. Email your Senator. It can't hurt to do both.
3. Go to Trenton tomorrow. Garden State Equality has info here.

This is our best opportunity. Let's not squander it.

Goodbye Green-eyed Lady

Green-eyed lady, lovely lady.

Green-eyed Lady by Sugarloaf
(words and music by J.C. Phillips and David Riordan)

We lost Gypsy last night. Her back legs weren't working and she was in pain, so we took her to the vet. It was likely a clot blocking the flow of blood to her back legs, but that didn't really matter. She was sixteen and in a lot of pain. They administer a strong sedative first, so nothing after will be felt. Almost immediately she stopped howling and slowly drifted off. That's when we knew we'd made the right choice.

We'll miss you lady-cat.

Space

Space, the final fronier.
Kirk

Let's put some space between here and election news.







That's better.

"Belched into the right-wing echo-chamber"

In law, this would create a mistrial.
Greta Van Susteren
No, it would get the lawyer fired.
Keith Olbermann

The right-wing noise machine is in full bluster mode because they "just learned" that Vice Presidential moderator Gwen Ifill is writing a book titled titled Breakthough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama News of the book appeared in print as early as July 23, weeks before the debate moderators were even chosen and agreed upon by both campaigns.

But I digress. Here is Keith Olbermann telling us what he really thinks about Ifill's so-call conflict of interest, among other things....

"If the McCain campaign, which could have found out about it at any time over the last two months and nine days by simply googling her name, if that campaign really didn't know anything about this book until Greta Van Susteren emailed them last night...

They're morons!"

Rick Wright 1943-2008

And no one called us to the land
And no one crosses there alive.
Pink Floyd
Echoes
(Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour)

Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright died today. Damn. At least they had this one last gig together:

And way back when...

The Soup covers Kathy Hilton's response to McCain

Now I'm not a political analyst, but when your candidate for president is wrong and Kathy Hilton is right....
Joel McHale

I wish I'd found this when the McCain's Britney/Paris add was still running, but this clip still cracks me up...