Monday, May 11, 2015

Work day up in smoke

I climbed aboard an Orange Line Washington Metro train this morning and wound up sitting on the damned thing for over an hour (I was deeply engrossed in a book) before calling Mrs. Paco to let her know what was going on. She told me that she had checked the web site and there were a couple of tunnel fires, and that the Orange Line service had been cancelled. I suppose that must have been the message the motorman was giving us over the intercom, but unfortunately, the intercom system on this train (as on so many of them) is so fouled up that all I heard was "Attention...shssssst...trains at....shsssst...due to...pop...whizzzz...and...shsssst...your patience." I finally just had Mrs. Paco come pick me up at the station.

Even though it means I'll be that much closer to handing in my dinner pail, I can't wait for the next three years to be over. Then I can escape from Washington and the bureaucracy and the deteriorating subway service and the sheer miasma of the region's infernal politics and head for healthier climes.

6 comments:

RebeccaH said...

I'd suggest Ohio, but you're probably better off joining Iowahawk in Texas.

Paco said...

Property taxes are too high. Right now I'm thinking North Carolina, Arizona or southwestern Utah.

JeffS said...

It's not that the infrastructure is any better out in "Flyover Country", it's just that there's less of to fail (and fail it does!).

Also, people are more independent away from the cities; that "helping hands" versus "handouts" mentality, I mean.

rinardman said...

Oh, yeah. St. George. You've mentioned that before.

As I get old(er), the cold Midwestern winters are starting to annoy me more & more. Relocating to a warmer clime crossed my mind a few times, on the days I was clearing snow from my drive this past winter. I drove through St. George once a long time ago, on my way out west. It was a lot smaller then. Wiki says it's the second fastest growing city in the US, and is now over 150k, in the metro area. A nice little park home in a place like that doesn't sound too bad. The summers get hot, but I guess it's a "dry heat", and I can tolerate a little extra heat more than cold.

Robert of Ottawa said...

Talk about miasma, I read that the GOP congress is about to give Obomber a fast track on the Pacific Rim trade talks, without even being allowed to see the draft. ObomberCare redux.

What Svengali power does he hold over the GOP?

Skeeter said...

You won't believe how pleasant it is to be retired. It's now 29 years since my last pay cheque and those years have been the best by far.
I seem to recall that Paco Enterprises owns a delightful subtropical island quite close to me. Is that is being considered by you for your next abode?
Avoid fast-growing cities. They share a lot in common with plagues.