Some thoughts on transportation

Last weekend I was able to take a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are a few of my thoughts from the trip regarding transportation.

1. SFO - San Francisco International Airport.
My only other experience with this airport was when I flew here from Salt Lake City, Utah, to connect to a flight to Munich, Germany last December. I remember being appalled at how disorganized the airport seemed and how far I had to walk to get to my connecting flight. It turns out there is an electric train in the sky that circles the entire airport and makes it relatively easy to get around. So what was a "wag of my finger" has turned into a "tip of my hat" to SFO, with the caveat that they need to advertise the train a little more clearly to hurried passengers trying to make it to the international terminal in less than 15 minutes.

2. BART and mass transit
Outside the U.S., public transportation is very much a way of life. Growing up in the U.S. though, I very rarely had any encounter with any form of public transportation. The question of public transportation has been a tricky one in Seattle. I would be pleased if we arrived at something similar to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). This electric train system made traveling around the bay area quite simple and cost-effective, especially as gas prices continue to rise.

3. Airports
I've loved airports since I was a kid. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my dad took me flying when I was a kid. Maybe it was because there were escalators and huge indoor spaces to run around and play in. Maybe it was because of my fascination with airplanes. Whatever the reasons, I loved it.

Things have changed in the past 20 years. Security restrictions have closed off most of airports to only those who hold a boarding pass. Gone are the days where you could meet your loved ones as they walked off the jet bridge, or see them off at the gate. The security aspect of airports has made them more and more a genuinely unpleasant experience. This is really unfortunate, as I feel it would be impossible for a kid growing up today to have the same experience in an airport that I had as a kid.

No other place has the same appeal of reuniting loved ones and connecting people all over the globe. Even when you see someone off at an airport, it reassures you that they are really only a flight or two away. They really have made the world smaller. And for me personally, they bring back those exciting memories from my childhood.

Seatac's central terminal is a great place to sit back and watch the planes takeoff and land. This was originally supposed to be open to the public without a boarding pass. Security said otherwise, which is a most unfortunate blow to aviation and the public's opportunity to enjoy it. I still love airports, but it makes me sad that we're forced to give up something special in the name of security. The awe-inspiring world of aviation has been limited, and I can only hope that after another 20 years, we won't be continuing down this same path.

Me so sleepy

I just saw a commercial that was talking about the need for sleep research. That was all fine and good, until they brought up this reason:

"Even Tiger Woods said of his Stanford days that he didn't get enough sleep."

Are you kidding me? A college student not getting enough sleep? It must be something genetic! Or some other sleep disorder! I can't think of any circumstances that would prohibit an otherwise normal college student from getting enough sleep every night!

Google, please fix Gmail

Dear Google,

You've made good products in the past. In general, your products have a very polished feel.

Why, then, must I tolerate a change in design and functionality in this latest "version" of Gmail? Now when I click in the empty box below a conversation thread, the default behavior is to reply to all instead of reply. This has caused me to accidentally reply to dozens of people. This has the unfortunate side effect of automatically adding dozens of people I don't know to my contact list.

Google lists this as a "known issue" but I'm not sure how this could be a known issue and not simply be fixed. The workarounds are "click reply" or "use the older version of Gmail". It seems like it would be an easy fix. But then again, it's not happening to everyone that uses Gmail.

It certainly happens to me though. Maybe this is what we get for using a "beta product"...?

Gas prices

With rising gas prices, everyone is concerned with fuel efficiency and finding ways to cut back on gas consumption. In true Stephen Colbert fashion, I'd like to encourage everyone to burn as much gas as possible before it becomes prohibitively expensive! It's our duty as Americans.

The new place

Some people have asked to see pictures of my new apartment. (You know who you are!) For you, I dedicate a small portion of my blog.

I was somewhat surprised at how hard the decision was to find an apartment. I figured I would look at several options, and one would stand out as being "the best". It turned out that it was hard enough to narrow it down to 3 or 4, much less one. Regardless, I made my choice, and here is where I live and why.

One of the main reasons I chose this apartment was because of the size. The living room, dining room, and kitchen areas were much larger (up to 50%) and much more open. The apartment also boasts 11' ceilings. Some may consider that too open for an apartment, but I enjoy it. What I would like to change would be to have one of the walls painted, and to add some throw pillows to the couch. Oh yeah... a coffee table or dining room table wouldn't hurt. See for yourself in the following pictures: (If you don't want to click on all the links, you can see the whole album at http://picasaweb.google.com/smerkerg/Apartment)

Living area from the entrance
Living area from the back
Living area from the kitchen (most apartments had the kitchen very separated, not open like this)
Pantry in the kitchen (no other apartments I saw had as much storage space, especially in vital locations like the kitchen)
Kitchen from dining area
Kitchen - proof that it is my apartment!
"Dining Room" - further proof that it is my apartment!
In-wall bookshelf, more storage space

The bedrooms and bathrooms are nothing amazing compared to other places I looked. If they had some of the amenities here that were to be found in other apartments, it would have made this apartment that much more appealing.

Walk-in closets
Master bedroom
Master bathroom
2nd bathroom

The other downside to the apartment is the location. It was a little farther from work than I was hoping for, but so far the commute really hasn't been too bad. I don't mind driving too much, and I am exploring some other bus options as well. Hopefully I will get to the point where I can be on a work schedule that starts and/or ends during non-peak traffic times.

All in all, I've been pretty happy with my choice, and I'm enjoying the experience of having my own place!

Hungry? Open that bag of charcoal

This is sad stuff of course, but what's with the picture? The article is about food stamp recipients starving because of rising food costs, but the most prominent item in the picture is a bag of charcoal? I think there may be more wise investments for food stamps if you're worried about starvation...

Read the article here.

B- for life

I recently graduated from college. During my last semester, I eventually grew tired of one of my courses, and felt it no longer as necessary. So I didn't go for the last 2 weeks and stopped completing the assignments. It was an empowering feeling, one that I had not previously felt during my college career. I felt good, until I realized that my A in the class had turned into a B-...

It was then that I began to consider what I had done. Was it worth it? I had always been diligent in my studies, and received good grades for my effort. Was this something I would regret for the rest of my life? It turned out that while it may have lowered my GPA, it didn't change my graduating status at all. I graduated magna cum laude with my B-, and I would have graduated magna cum laude without it.

Of course, no one should want to lead a B- life, and that's not what I'm condoning. If I had a B- average, I obviously wouldn't have been able to graduate with academic honors. So when is it ok?

Life is all about balance. What did I do with the extra time, effort, and attention that became available when I gave up on that course? Did I devote those resources to something more meaningful? Unfortunately not. And that made me think.

What does my life's report card look like? Do I have an A in my career and a C in my relationships with friends and family? Am I graduating with honors in my plans for the future while having to take remedial classes for serving and caring for others? Who will look at my life 50 years down the road and give me a B-? What am I doing about that?

Who would have thought that my decision to be a slacker would cause so much introspection? I may have got a B- in the class, but if it helps me to earn an A from those I interact with... I'll consider it the best grade I ever got.