I need to find more events to go during the weekend. Maybe some during the week as well but I'm not going to worry about that - enough things pop up during the week. I already have the next two Mondays booked up.
I need to have the CA vacation booked up. Of course flights are getting more expensive. I already wasted $250 on the Argentine government so I don't want the airlines to get more.
I need to find out more about transportation. Who are the experts, what are the leading thoughts, what are the main messages advocates are trying to convey, what are the bills or goals they want to pass? I need to make it so I don't look like an idiot when I talk about this stuff.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
High-Speed Rail
Everyone is talking about high-speed rail right now because of proposals in Florida and California. Even if those states to get rail, NYC will stay the same for a long time. A colleague mentioned that price could be a big deterrent for Americans to champion rail. It cost 220 Euros one-way from Paris to Marseilles. But it's $175 one-way on Acela for the 3-hour trip between NYC and Washington. Marseilles is more than double the time, although it's actually further away mile-wise because the French rail is much faster.
Another thing is that our roads are more developed and gas is cheaper. That's true so that's why we need to make high-speed rail so much faster and more convenient. Once it's almost as fast as flying and brings the added benefit of no security pat-downs, more people will do it and it will get cheaper. We also need to bring more companies into the business so Amtrak can't charge exorbitant rates. I know I would rather take the train than fly or drive. Considering my many past trips to Lancaster and my recent trip between Buenos Aires and Iguazu, I could have benefited greatly from fast and relatively-cheap rail!
Another thing is that our roads are more developed and gas is cheaper. That's true so that's why we need to make high-speed rail so much faster and more convenient. Once it's almost as fast as flying and brings the added benefit of no security pat-downs, more people will do it and it will get cheaper. We also need to bring more companies into the business so Amtrak can't charge exorbitant rates. I know I would rather take the train than fly or drive. Considering my many past trips to Lancaster and my recent trip between Buenos Aires and Iguazu, I could have benefited greatly from fast and relatively-cheap rail!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Argentina
Back from traveling for 2 weeks. Not only do I miss being on vacation but I truly miss Argentina. Everyone is so relaxed and is always up for having a good time. Things aren't too different south of the equator. Even though it's a temperate climate, it's still sort of a tropical way of life.
One of the favorite pastimes of Argentines is to have a picnic and drink mate. People like just sitting at a park or at a dock, drinking mate, and watching people walk by. Everything closes late because people take their time eating dinner and going to bars. Overall, because I was staying at an apartment and was with someone who lives there, I didn't feel like too much of a tourist so I got the city to really sink in.
One of the favorite pastimes of Argentines is to have a picnic and drink mate. People like just sitting at a park or at a dock, drinking mate, and watching people walk by. Everything closes late because people take their time eating dinner and going to bars. Overall, because I was staying at an apartment and was with someone who lives there, I didn't feel like too much of a tourist so I got the city to really sink in.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Ad reps
It's nice to make people feel happy just because of something I do. The other day I got an email from an ad rep at comcast saying he's happy at the prospect on working with me on the NJAR account and asked if we could set up a time to talk. This was just after I let his supervisor know that we won't be doing any tv ads with NJAR this year. I wrote him back saying there's no room in the budget and that we can't change the budget anymore. A few minutes later I felt like I might have been too curt, especially with someone who was so recently assigned the account and someone whim I have never met. I called and we talked for a few minutes. I said that it sucks he just got assigned this account and it's not moving anywhere. He seemed genuinely happy that I didn't leave him hanging with that email. This is what life is a about i guess - the human connections and making people feel like they have your attention. At first I wasn't willing to give him mine but when I changed my mind I felt accomplished, like I did my job. That's what pr is about.
I'm glad I felt enough human emotion to make me react that way this week.
I'm glad I felt enough human emotion to make me react that way this week.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Subway in the snow
They're really doing a bad job of shoveling. The street corners are full of snow so I have to stand on line to wait to cross the street. In Newark they don't even clean the pedestrian crosswalks, they use them to pile on the snow!
I realize we're getting a lot and there's a problem finding places to put the snow. But this isn't rocket science. I'm sure there's a way to get the snow to a place and melt it. There's really no excuse for not cleaning the snow.
How much more productive and efficient would our lives be if it was faster and easier to get around? There's so much work to do, so many workers available to do it, and governments willing to plan, so why can't we invest in this? Why are our daily lives less important than school vouchers or defense spending in Afghanistan? Why don't people realize we need to spend money on public transportation so that people can be more productive at work and many more money? There needs to be a way to clean up the snow more efficiently. You know it's bad when the businesses and private residences, who don't get paid to do this and aren't required to clean until hours after the snow, are doing a better job than the government who PAYS PEOPLE TO DO THIS!
I realize we're getting a lot and there's a problem finding places to put the snow. But this isn't rocket science. I'm sure there's a way to get the snow to a place and melt it. There's really no excuse for not cleaning the snow.
How much more productive and efficient would our lives be if it was faster and easier to get around? There's so much work to do, so many workers available to do it, and governments willing to plan, so why can't we invest in this? Why are our daily lives less important than school vouchers or defense spending in Afghanistan? Why don't people realize we need to spend money on public transportation so that people can be more productive at work and many more money? There needs to be a way to clean up the snow more efficiently. You know it's bad when the businesses and private residences, who don't get paid to do this and aren't required to clean until hours after the snow, are doing a better job than the government who PAYS PEOPLE TO DO THIS!
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