From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V7 #145 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Thursday, July 25 2002 Volume 07 : Number 145 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Alloy: More on Dolby Rarities [Merujo ] Re: Alloy: More on Dolby Rarities [William Steffey ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 01:51:00 -0400 From: Merujo Subject: Re: Alloy: More on Dolby Rarities "p.latham2" wrote: > I cant even imagine what those can of temperatures are like -- we all moan > in the UK that its never warm, but 98% humidity -- i dont think id be able > to move never mind work. Well, wait - it gets better. I live 16 miles from my office in downtown DC. I drive to work (long story about why I hate the DC Metro subway system some other time), and, normally, my commute is 30 minutes to 1 hour (if the traffic is horrid.) I left home at 7:15 this morning, wanting to be in the office an hour before an important meeting. I got on the Clara Barton Parkway, one of the more scenic commuter roads to DC (which follows the towpath for the historic - but really smelly - C&O Canal, along the Potomac River.) Just as I passed the point of no return, I found traffic had stopped completely. Turns out, someone decided to drive 70 mph in a 25 mph zone and ended up quite dead after smashing into a massive stone retaining wall. With the traffic backup, it took me 1.5 hours to move 1/2 mile to a point where I could get off that road and try another route. Escape made, as I was about to pull onto the Washington Beltway, I saw a police car come and block off the entrance. Turns out, two tractor-trailers and two passenger cars had all collided moments before, cutting off all lanes of traffic. I, along with tons of other frustrated commuters, got shunted out onto a semi-rural road that runs through the suburb of Potomac, the land of the estates of the Washington "horsey set" - with pastures of polo ponies in front of the columned mansions. Very pretty, but, by now, I'd been behind the wheel of the car for 2.5 hours... I finally hit the border with DC, only to find the road ahead of me shut down due to a water main break. The police directed us off onto an access road that took us to... wait for it... the damn Clara Barton Parkway, location of the original road-closing fatal car accident. I actually screamed in my car at that point. Long story short, at the 3 hour, 15 minute mark, I finally was in downtown DC, having totally missed the morning's important meeting. I zoom up to the block before the White House, knowing my office is a mere 6 blocks away. And what happens? The police block the road directly in front of me, and, for the next 45 minutes, Falun Gong practitioners, on a protest march from the Chinese Embassy to the National Mall, slowly walk, single file, down the center of 17th Street. I turned off my engine, asked a mounted police officer to wake me when it was over, and slept in my car in the middle of a busy downtown street. *AND* it was almost 100 friggin' degrees outside, yet again. Ozone Code Orange. I got to work today after a 4-hour commute. And then we had torrential rain for the drive home, making that drive extra long. Man, I want the weekend now. About to pop a handful of Exedrin P.M. and curl up into a fetal ball, Melissa J. - -- Melissa R. Jordan Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.  The Shawshank Redemption ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 03:26:52 -0500 From: William Steffey Subject: Re: Alloy: More on Dolby Rarities Melissa- that's truly incredible. I'll never complain about Chicago Cubs traffic again. I must admit I am partial to the inside-the-car scream. Glad you made it out alive, W Merujo wrote: >"p.latham2" wrote: > >>I cant even imagine what those can of temperatures are like -- we all moan >>in the UK that its never warm, but 98% humidity -- i dont think id be able >>to move never mind work. >> > >Well, wait - it gets better. I live 16 miles from my office in downtown DC. I >drive to work (long story about why I hate the DC Metro subway system some other >time), and, normally, my commute is 30 minutes to 1 hour (if the traffic is >horrid.) I left home at 7:15 this morning, wanting to be in the office an hour >before an important meeting. I got on the Clara Barton Parkway, one of the more >scenic commuter roads to DC (which follows the towpath for the historic - but >really smelly - C&O Canal, along the Potomac River.) Just as I passed the point >of no return, I found traffic had stopped completely. Turns out, someone decided >to drive 70 mph in a 25 mph zone and ended up quite dead after smashing into a >massive stone retaining wall. With the traffic backup, it took me 1.5 hours to >move 1/2 mile to a point where I could get off that road and try another route. > >Escape made, as I was about to pull onto the Washington Beltway, I saw a police >car come and block off the entrance. Turns out, two tractor-trailers and two >passenger cars had all collided moments before, cutting off all lanes of >traffic. I, along with tons of other frustrated commuters, got shunted out onto >a semi-rural road that runs through the suburb of Potomac, the land of the >estates of the Washington "horsey set" - with pastures of polo ponies in front >of the columned mansions. Very pretty, but, by now, I'd been behind the wheel of >the car for 2.5 hours... I finally hit the border with DC, only to find the road >ahead of me shut down due to a water main break. The police directed us off onto >an access road that took us to... wait for it... the damn Clara Barton Parkway, >location of the original road-closing fatal car accident. > >I actually screamed in my car at that point. Long story short, at the 3 hour, 15 >minute mark, I finally was in downtown DC, having totally missed the morning's >important meeting. I zoom up to the block before the White House, knowing my >office is a mere 6 blocks away. And what happens? The police block the road >directly in front of me, and, for the next 45 minutes, Falun Gong practitioners, >on a protest march from the Chinese Embassy to the National Mall, slowly walk, >single file, down the center of 17th Street. I turned off my engine, asked a >mounted police officer to wake me when it was over, and slept in my car in the >middle of a busy downtown street. *AND* it was almost 100 friggin' degrees >outside, yet again. Ozone Code Orange. > >I got to work today after a 4-hour commute. And then we had torrential rain for >the drive home, making that drive extra long. > >Man, I want the weekend now. > >About to pop a handful of Exedrin P.M. and curl up into a fetal ball, > >Melissa J. > >-- >Melissa R. Jordan > >Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. >And no good thing ever dies.  The Shawshank Redemption ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 23:29:57 -0400 From: Merujo Subject: Re: Alloy: More on Dolby Rarities William Steffey wrote: > Melissa- that's truly incredible. I'll never complain about Chicago > Cubs traffic again. I must admit I am partial to the inside-the-car > scream. Oh, no - go ahead and complain! :-) (But, hey - no matter how lousy the Cubbies might play, at least the traffic is an indicator that their fan base will always be there!!!) On my recent trek to Illinois, I got caught in the Stevenson Expressway repair work traffic trying to drive to Moline - that was totally ugly. Chicago has evil traffic, too, man. Seriously heinous. In the words of Bill Clinton, "Ah feel yer pay-een." Worked from home today, much happier camper. No screaming necessary. Cheers, Melissa J. - -- Melissa R. Jordan Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.  The Shawshank Redemption ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V7 #145 ***************************