Not a good morning for the MBTA

Image by shersteve via FlickrThe Franklin Line was significantly delayed all during the prime time for commuting today. I got the first indication of trouble from the T-Alert saying that the 5:05 was not going to start at Forge Park and that the 5:45 was going to run 15-20 minutes late. Reading between the lines, I could guess that the 6:15 wasn't going to run on time either. It didn't.

At 6:25, the T-Alert said it was going to run 20-25 minutes late. It actually got me into Boston about 40 minutes late. I continued to see alerts about the 7:07 and the 7:45 running late. When did the Franklin Line get back on schedule, about noon time?

I did experience a first this morning. The one conductor (a female by the voice but unseen during the journey) did get on the intercom when we left Franklin with the standard reminder about having your passes and tickets ready. I guess it was about Norwood Depot she came back on and said, "You can put your tickets and passes away. I am not going to get around to checking them today. Don't leave them behind."

That was considerate of her. First time I heard on the intercom that they wouldn't check the tickets. Usually, the aisles are too crowded (not the case today) and they just don't come by. If this happens too frequently, this may cause the T to consider raising the parking rates more than the double they have scheduled for November 15th (from $2 to $4).

If you haven't signed up for a T-Alert, you can do so here.

You can also join Clever Commute where the riders share the updates.

Young at Heart - singing for life

I have long been attracted by music. I have been known to re-write some lyrics. I read with great interest "This is Your Brain on Music".

Part of this attraction I guess is because I have been told I can't carry a note. Part of it is also that music is a universal language.

Dolores and I viewed the documentary Young@Heart this weekend. What a hopeful story! View the following trailer and take my word that it is well worth viewing the full length film.



Currently available via Comcast OnDmand or DVD via your favorite rental option.

For more information about the chorus from Northampton, MA please visit their website here

Make it right - summary

As a follow up to my pledge to help Make it Right by Writing made here and here, I have tallied the posts that I published between October 18th up through and including November 1st. According to my count I wrote the following quantity of posts:

Steve's 2 Cents - 35
Franklin Matters - 37
quiet poet - 17
Joyful Jubilant Learning - 2

This totals out to be 96 posts (assuming my math is correct). At $2 per post, that will be $192 split between the Franklin Food Pantry and the MA Good Neighbor Energy Fund.

What can you do to help fight poverty?

Henry Jenkins on spreading political messages

Catching up on some of my RSS feeds this wonderful autumn afternoon, I find some great insights and examples on spreadable media from Henry Jenkins.

What is the difference between spreadable and viral media?

Click through to find out here.

Possible solution

Maybe this will do the trick. I visited Dr. Kenneth Leavitt at New England Baptist today and walked away with this for my left ankle. We'll give it a try.

Mobile post sent by shersteve using Utterli. Replies.