I Learned Something Today...

Unfortunately not in a "South Park" kind of way.

I'm at the Walnut Creek BART station, and I'm wheeling my bike to the gate to exit.  I'm seeing a bunch of guys in suits heading to come in, but they're swinging wide of the over-sized gate (for bikes and wheelchairs and people with large bags, and sometimes, just large people).

Except for this one guy.

The first mark against this guy is that he looks like Marco Rubio.  The second is that he's walking fast toward the large gate.  The third is that he's seen me, and is trying to beat me there.

You see, the over-sized gate is the only one that is the most fitting for the San Francisco Bay Area, because it goes both ways.  And whoever uses it first sets its direction for a few seconds and then it rests to accept riders from either direction.

And what happened was that both of us touched our Clipper cards to the sensor at the same time,  And that essentially shut the gate down for a few seconds.  I stood there until he moved on to another gate, then tried again, and it still wouldn't scan me.  So I moved on to another gate, lifted up mu bike and exited.

All because he couldn't be bothered to walk a couple more steps to a one way gate.

Pressure Equalization, Part 2

Yeah, so it looks like it's going to be one of THOSE days.

So not long after I posted, the previous post, I got a notification that BART was now back up and running.

So, I said goodbye to the cats again, got in my gear and rode to BART.

Now at work, and just a little bit winded.

Pressure Equalization

So... BART's shutdown.

Apparently it has something to do with a computer system problem.  At this point, I'm kind of wishing I had taken a picture fo the station.  The metal gates were almost closed, and people (including me) would walk up to them in confusion, getting slower and slower, then read the signs and walk away with a puzzled look on their face.

The wind was absolutely insane last night.  The gusts were so powerful that up on the top floor it felt like a series of magnitude 4 earthquakes.  thew cover was halfway blown off of my grill, and the empty, spare propane tank had been rolled around the patio.

On the way to BART this morning there were lots of empty garbage cans on their sides as well as broken  branches.  I saw one tree that was at least a foot and a half in diameter that had been snapped off just above the ground.  Luckily it fell towards the street and not the house it was in front of.

But, at least the predicted 30+ mph winds weren't blowing on my way to (and much slower return from) BART.

Fool Me Once...

So some people might remember this post about me getting on the wrong train at MacArthur.

This morning I was a little earlier, and was standing with my bike at my usual spot having noted that the next train (Concord was next) was a few minutes out.  I have my headphones on, and I'm reading, so I vaguely hear the sounds of a train coming, so I begin getting ready.

Then I not that the train is shorter than advertised, so I check the signs.  They say "Richmond".

I didn't get on, but I watched several people rush on and I wonder if they ended up going the wrong way for a few stops like I did that one time.

I do wonder though, why the train occasionally ends up on the wrong track.

Is it a switching issue?  Or is it just a little hiccup?

Either way, I was glad I had arrived 5 minutes prior.

Divergence

So today is a day of split feelings.

I am glad that BART is running.  All thanks to the governor and judge who enacted a 60-day cooling off period for the union and management negotiations.

At the same time I am bummed, because I could have worked from home.  There's just something nice about working at a computer and having a purring cat on the desk with you.

But I guess that ius all delayed until sometime in October, unless of course negotiations get everything worked out before then.

Haste Makes Waste

So, sometimes things go differently than what you expect.

At MacArthur BART (and most BART stations), it is stated on signs and therefore, predictable what train is on which track.  This morning I came up the stairs and there were two trains waiting at the platform.  On any normal day, from the stairs, Concord/Pittsburg/Bay Point trains are to the right, and Richmond trains are to the left.  The doors to the trains were open, so I rushed into the nearest car, and waited for the doors to close.

As the train took off, I started reading, but I noted that we got to a tunnel before stopping.  I thought I must have not been paying attention, and missed Rockridge.  Then the next station we stopped at was underground.  Neither Rockridge, not Orinda are underground.  Then right before the doors closed, I heard the voice of the operator say, "Richmond."

Damn, wrong train.

So, I got off at Berkeley, thankful that there was a new bike policy in place from July 1 allowing bikes in the commute direction, and rode back to MacArthur where I got on a Concord train, and ended up at work no earlier than I had been getting there.

Telecommunity

So BART is on strike.  And being in negotiations with someone over buying my car, I didn't really have  way to get to Walnut Creek.  I explained my situation with my office manager, and he gave me permission to work from home.  At least this week.

So I've been working in my home office with my work computer.  I've reviewed boring logs, and have been working on reports.  Yesterday was so nice to sit with Jennifer and have lunch together.  And the weather has been so wonderful.

Why Did We Move?

So, I successfully rode my back to and from work yesterday, arriving safely home a sweaty mess.

Why?

Well, first of all, I’m still getting back into bicycling shape.  I lost some of my stamina after the accident and then having my bike stolen.  Things are getting better though.

Second of all, there’s this whole reason why living near the water is awesome.  Large bodies of water act as temperature buffers for the air around them.

It was in the mid-90s when I left Walnut Creek yesterday.  The BART car I chose to ride on had no air conditioning.  And it was about 75 degrees when I got off the train in Oakland.

A difference of 20 degrees is quite a shock when you step directly from one to another.

I have to say, I love my home.

Halfway There

So, it’s a new week, and after a little trip to Lodi for work yesterday, I decided I’d ride my bike for the rest of this week.

It even seemed auspicious when driving home yesterday the freeway sign said that Tuesday (today) was a “Spare the Air” day.

So, I’m here at work after two bike jaunts separated by a BART ride.

Now I just need supportive thoughts (and a safer route than last time) to get me home.

BART Excitement

So I’m sure by now that everyone has heard about  how Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) shut down cell repeaters in its San Francisco stations and in the Trans-Bay Tube last week.
Well, now the FCC is looking into whether or not this is a fineable offense.  Last night, Anonymous hacked the MyBart database, and there was a protest scheduled for today.
Around 4:45, the principal of our company was watching a group of helicopters circling west of our office.  I figured they were over the Civic Center BART station as that was where I had heard the protest was going to be staged.
I just checked the BART iPhone app to see if Civic Center had been reoopened, and the BART Twitter feed is an amazing read (Times are relative to 8:00 PM PDT).

All stations open. For advisories visit bart.gov or m.bart.gov; sign up for email/sms at bart.gov/alerts; or txt "BART delay" to 878787
7:40 PM
Embarcadero Station reopened.
7:18 PM
Embarcadero Station now closed for entries and exits.
6:46 PM
Embarcadero now open for exits only.
6:41 PM
Montgomery Station reopens for entries and exits.
6:30 PM
Civic Center Station reopens for entries and exits.
6:20 PM
Trains now stopping for riders to disembark at Powell.
6:12 PM
Montgomery Station closed due to civil disturbance.
6:02 PM
Powell Station closed due to civil disturbance; trains now stopping to let riders off at Civic Center.
5:47 PM
Civic Center Station has been closed. Trains are running through.
5:29 PM

I got to the Montgomery station gates about 5:05, and waited less than 5 minutes for a train.  We sat for a long time for people to board (I got a seat, lucky me), so I think the times above may be the announced closure times, but not when it really happened.

Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow will bring.

UPDATE: Got the real times off of the Twitter feed on the BART app.