JimSwift.net

As many loyal readers know, I recently took a time-out from taking Metro every day.

How has that worked out for me? Here is that update.

First off, it hastened some of the problems Condi had. I am not mad about those expenses, rather, the way I handled them. The shop I went to for the first two times did a horrible job. I’ve asked for a refund that will likely not be repaid. If that doesn’t happen soon, the BBB and this website will have the details about that shop. Odds are that those expenses would have needed to be incurred eventually, so I am not too mad about that.

Gas expenses aren’t that bad because Condi gets good mileage. I have, however, taken the Metro on a few occasions, and like Brian Pollock predicted, I do not really miss the Metro.

Sure, I miss having stories to gripe about all of the time, but traffic isn’t that bad on 295 in the morning, nor at night. It’s a question of timing. If I get on the road before 6:55, my commute is a breeze. And if I leave after 6:30, it’s not bad either.

Metro has been typical as of late, and nothing has really changed. Driving has made getting our softball equipment to and from much easier, and has enabled me to drive Mike O. back to Arlington and Betsy home without the hassle of 50 lbs of bats and such when we’re sweaty and tired.

So, on the whole, I like driving. It may be a bit more expensive than taking the SmartBenefits subsidy, but it’s worth it.

As a consumer, I can vote with my dollars, and I’d rather pay a little more not to patronize Metro. And that’s a decision I am largely happy with.

To my friends in St. Louis who are big about expanding MetroLink — be aware. You have the opportunity to make it a good experience, unlike D.C.’s WMATA. I suggest you take it — but we may disagree on how best to achieve the goal of expanding it. I say higher fares, not tax increases. MetroLink needs to prove it’s going to attract more and more customers before we pour billions into making it bigger and costlier. Those customers must be willing to pay the costs of commuting. The burden shouldn’t be shifted to others. D.C. tried it, and it’s been a boondoggle.

I’m speechless.

H/T to BS2SB.

Last night after our softball game, Betsy and I returned home to see that our balcony was sort of flooded. It is a fatal design flaw of our condo building, which they are yet to fix.

Then again, it took them 5 months to fix a broken window in our common area. I think maybe they’re contracting window replacement service out to the WMATA escalator local union, which is horribly inefficient and should be outlawed, but I digress.

How to free the balcony of water? Normally we use a broom and sweep it out the drainage hole. This time, I used a Shamwow, and the results were just like the commercial.

Thanks to Betsy for filming and the commentary.

Seriously. Best. Pope. Ever.

Republicans or Democrats?

Here is the trailer from the Republican Governors Association.

14 Weeks from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo.

Here is the trailer from the Democratic Governors Association.

In case you were wondering, the question was rhetorical.

Pope Benedict isn’t really a Tribe fan (that I know of) but here’s what he’d look like if it were true. Note, this is definitely a photoshop and is not real.

Here is the link to the original.

UPDATE: Thanks to the good folks at Catholic Vote Action for picking up on this. I hope you poke around my site, and if you like/dislike what you see, let me know.

Hat tip to Betsy for the link.

Fellow cigar aficionados.

I just wanted to let you know about a new tobacco shop that recently opened next to Burke and Herbert Bank around the corner from my place in Huntington. It’s called “Tobacco Mart and Cigar Room” and located at 5741 Telegraph Road. With a nice walk in humidor, they have about 55 types of cigars available — including Punch, which is a favorite of mine.

Feel free to check them out. Cigarette and hookah smokers will also be happy to learn they sell cigarettes and hookah stuff.

One year ago today, I went on a date with Mary Olds. 365 days later she still puts up with me.

I am a lucky guy!!

Anyone who’s driven with me in my car in the past 6 years knows Condi.

Over the past few months, Condi has had some issues. First when I left Greendale after volunteering one Sunday, her exhaust system had problems and sounded like a hot-rod. So I took her to a local repair shop, which was officially closed for the day. The guy said he could patch it, and he did so, or so I thought.

A month or so later, same thing, but I didn’t want to risk it, so I had Condi towed to the same place after our softball game. There’s a good story to go along with that, but I won’t post it here — softball team knows it though. They “fixed” it again.

Today, on the way into work. Same problem! But this time I was in bumper to bumper traffic at the I-295/I-395 merge. No way I was going to be late for work because of this. (Kind of similar to the washing machine story.) So, instead of paying to have it towed back to Alexandria (which would have cost about $55) I put my blinkers on and coasted into the Capitol Hill Exxon station, which has a good reputation for fixing the cars of our political leaders, according to my friend Clark, who was happy with their service on his 1979 Trans-Am.

We’ll see how much it costs to get Condi fixed this time, but I am going to ask for a refund from the place near my house. If I don’t get a refund, I will post their name here for all to see. Just like Maani’s company, which has 9 days to respond to me before I express my dissatisfaction with their company publicly.

Condi’s muffler on the ground.

I am thinking of setting up a “Preserve Condi” fund at Burke and Herbert Bank. Donations welcome (kidding, unless you really just want to give me money to save Condi.)

UPDATE: $576 later, Condi is fixed.