over the last 6 or 8 months the idea has solidified in my head that living in the suburbs is only any good if you live there and vice verse. i live in the city, where i tend to find myself more happy. i dont have to go more than a mile to find most things that i need on a day to day, week to week basis. but my happy home in in Bloomingdale in central DC is not convenient to my job in Fairfax near the Dunn Loring metro.
possible commute reducing/ending options include moving to be close to the job, but then theres my distaste for the burbs and that coffee shops, bars, concerts are at my doorstep. so the next option is get a job closer to home. thats a big ole can of worms. i like my company. i like what i do for the most part. i dont want to start over again in a new field, so my options arent all that great. one, because construction companies usually own their headquarters in cheaper areas(burbs) to lower overhead, and two, because i am in the stage where im not a trainee, but i dont have all the tools i would need to step into a new company without much training. three, i dont have the credentials to get a cushy consultant job because of the limited experience ive had.
so i think im stuck. riding metro might be better for the environment etc., but it also takes twice as long as driving. meanwhile, my company is building us a new home. a brand new building thats going to be quite nice, though still rather distant from my home. and in this time of woe, i still have a good job. all this when i am thinking that decentralized office would benfit workers and the company. for one like myself who lives in the city and has most job sites there, i would spend a lot less time on the road if my office was there as well. and for those who live in the burbs and have jobs there, well, they can have their suburban outpost.
in the construction industry working 100% from home is not really an option. but working out of a few satellite offices would work. sure it separates various employees from each other, and maybe requires more than one receptionist, but really, one person can answer phones remotely. maybe im being too idealistic, but what is the detriment of having 10, 20, 50 people at a handful of locations rather than having 300 all together? especially when half of our staff are field employees who work from various job sites. alas, thats not the state of affairs today, and i dont have a solution to offer up. i could ask to work from home, but i dont think thats a good idea as ill just look like a lazy bastard and at home i probably would be.
i guess i just grin and bear it and hope one day to live a par five from work. and be happy i have satellite radio and an extensive music collection and NPR.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
hey, dc, sign this
so WMATA thinks theyre better than google. all they have to do is provide their schedules in a google friendly format so that when you get directions on google, you can choose a 'get there by transit' option. among those participating are NYC's subways and commuter trains, and, well, pretty much every major system.
well GGW, an all around great blog, put this petition together. you should sign it and tell your friends to as well. especially if you live near here.
well GGW, an all around great blog, put this petition together. you should sign it and tell your friends to as well. especially if you live near here.
like a smokey bar and PBR
thats how well Kevin Divine and Manchester Orchestra go together.
Friday night i trekked down to Richmond's Canal Club to see Manchester Orchestra, who i have admired for about two years now. the club was great in ambiance and size, in a small old warehouse under the freeway, but was smokey like Detroit bars. DC's smoking band has spoiled me. Kevin Divine played as well, making the trip a must. i was giddy on my way to Fredricksburg to meet up with my accomplices.
we arrived in Richmond at 8:30 or so, half an hour after the doors were to open and Dead Confederate were in the middle of their set. i was a bit surprised as i thought another band was playing first. oh well, we still caught 6 or so of their tunes. i have to say that i did like them. i was only familiar with a couple tracks going in, and i think its safe to say ill be getting to know those guys better. since i know you rely on me for timely and accurate reviews of bands and why or why not to listen to them, i will tell you that they sound like Skynard crossed with Trail of Dead. in a good way. its southern rock like Skynard brought up to date with punk and melodic hardcore all really brought together by one helluva drummer.
Kevin Divine is a guy i think i should be more into. i have not heard anything that i have disliked, but moreover, i really like a lot of what i have heard. and no one has made a name for themselves by being adequate. hes definitely more than adequate. hes quite good. and maybe its because of the soulful way he presents most songs, and maybe its the couple whiskey drinks i had imbibed at this point, but his set more struck me based on the overall feeling rather than just the songs and lyrics. the visuals became as important as the sounds. standing to one side of the stage, watching him sing his songs with the stage lights behind him, silhouetting him with a colorful glow. his hair and beard, both just short enough not to be a liability in a fight, glowed with the green stage lights as he sang about the world he saw. anyway, despite my lack of description of the musical aspect, it was quite good. the music and booze lulled me into a kind of stupor in which i was observing minutia like the moon through the skylight and the green glow around Mr Divine. but it was, trust me, a good show. if you like Conor Oberst or Brendan Benson, youd like Kevin Divine.
by the time Andy Hull and company took the stage i had a nice buzz going but had managed to shake off the stupor i had during Kevin's set. they started by playing a number of songs from their upcoming album, which i am happy to report is coming out early in the spring time. i enjoyed the songs quite a bit, thought, if you are familiar with early, more rough Manchester, it took on that feel a bit. im unsure as to why, but they lacked the more polished sound of 'Like a Virgin Losing a Child.' i do have a history of finding myself disliking band who cannot live up to their recordings live. but Manchester doesnt fall into that category. the energy more than makes up for the rough aspect, and the older songs from Virgin were great and had the raw edges that make their songs so powerful. Golden Ticket was pretty much amazing to witness live.
in the end Andy and company put on an excellent show that made me marvel again that the kid is barely old enough to drink. the highlights came toward the end of the show as Andy sand solo a song for 50cent. it went something like 'its been two weeks since you gave me your numbers and after 17 calls im still waiting for you to call back.' i love an artist who can make fun of himself and others. it was hilarious. then during the encore, Kevin came back on stage for a rendition of the theme for the Fresh Prince. again, it was rather funny and awesome, and strangely beautiful.
i cant wait to get my hands on MO's new LP and collecting some of KD's various records. it was definitely worth driving 2 hours from DC and 13$ for the show, but guys, next time would it kill you to stop in DC? had it not been Friday, this show might not have happened. and i am oh so glad it did.
Friday night i trekked down to Richmond's Canal Club to see Manchester Orchestra, who i have admired for about two years now. the club was great in ambiance and size, in a small old warehouse under the freeway, but was smokey like Detroit bars. DC's smoking band has spoiled me. Kevin Divine played as well, making the trip a must. i was giddy on my way to Fredricksburg to meet up with my accomplices.
we arrived in Richmond at 8:30 or so, half an hour after the doors were to open and Dead Confederate were in the middle of their set. i was a bit surprised as i thought another band was playing first. oh well, we still caught 6 or so of their tunes. i have to say that i did like them. i was only familiar with a couple tracks going in, and i think its safe to say ill be getting to know those guys better. since i know you rely on me for timely and accurate reviews of bands and why or why not to listen to them, i will tell you that they sound like Skynard crossed with Trail of Dead. in a good way. its southern rock like Skynard brought up to date with punk and melodic hardcore all really brought together by one helluva drummer.
Kevin Divine is a guy i think i should be more into. i have not heard anything that i have disliked, but moreover, i really like a lot of what i have heard. and no one has made a name for themselves by being adequate. hes definitely more than adequate. hes quite good. and maybe its because of the soulful way he presents most songs, and maybe its the couple whiskey drinks i had imbibed at this point, but his set more struck me based on the overall feeling rather than just the songs and lyrics. the visuals became as important as the sounds. standing to one side of the stage, watching him sing his songs with the stage lights behind him, silhouetting him with a colorful glow. his hair and beard, both just short enough not to be a liability in a fight, glowed with the green stage lights as he sang about the world he saw. anyway, despite my lack of description of the musical aspect, it was quite good. the music and booze lulled me into a kind of stupor in which i was observing minutia like the moon through the skylight and the green glow around Mr Divine. but it was, trust me, a good show. if you like Conor Oberst or Brendan Benson, youd like Kevin Divine.
by the time Andy Hull and company took the stage i had a nice buzz going but had managed to shake off the stupor i had during Kevin's set. they started by playing a number of songs from their upcoming album, which i am happy to report is coming out early in the spring time. i enjoyed the songs quite a bit, thought, if you are familiar with early, more rough Manchester, it took on that feel a bit. im unsure as to why, but they lacked the more polished sound of 'Like a Virgin Losing a Child.' i do have a history of finding myself disliking band who cannot live up to their recordings live. but Manchester doesnt fall into that category. the energy more than makes up for the rough aspect, and the older songs from Virgin were great and had the raw edges that make their songs so powerful. Golden Ticket was pretty much amazing to witness live.
in the end Andy and company put on an excellent show that made me marvel again that the kid is barely old enough to drink. the highlights came toward the end of the show as Andy sand solo a song for 50cent. it went something like 'its been two weeks since you gave me your numbers and after 17 calls im still waiting for you to call back.' i love an artist who can make fun of himself and others. it was hilarious. then during the encore, Kevin came back on stage for a rendition of the theme for the Fresh Prince. again, it was rather funny and awesome, and strangely beautiful.
i cant wait to get my hands on MO's new LP and collecting some of KD's various records. it was definitely worth driving 2 hours from DC and 13$ for the show, but guys, next time would it kill you to stop in DC? had it not been Friday, this show might not have happened. and i am oh so glad it did.
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