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It’s Half Empty

ira My Rollover IRA from my previous job that is.  Look at that number!!  Yikes!

In other news, I’m going to try to get back into the swing of things here.   I’ve noticed that my posting has greatly tapered off.  Be on the look out for more posts in the future!

12 of 12 – February 2009

What is 12 of 12?

So I forgot all about January’s 12 of 12.  That being said, here’s February’s 12 of 12!

1
My Morning Routine!  Olive is a good girl.

2

After a walk, I need coffee.

3
I finally got a new computer at work with Office 2007.

4
Lunch!  Leftovers and a Coke.

5
The temperature here in Phoenix at 4:30ish.

6
Olive loves her chew bone, especially after dinner.

7
It’s like never ending play time!  Exhausting.

8
My favorite sign in Phoenix got a facelift for 2009!

9
Some special deliveries showed up!

10
My mom got a new laptop that didn’t come with Windows.  I’m trying to install it for her.

11
The items that were in my special delivery from Threadless!

12
I’m buying my cousin a birthday present becasue he deserves it!

There’s my 12 of 12!  For spending 8 hours in a cube in front of a computer, not bad at all!  See you next month!

Historic Homes with Historically Low Prices

I have been searching the home prices of places that are located in this historic district here in Phoenix. These homes, for the most part, used to sell at over $500,000 a few years ago. Now, some of them are selling just above $200,000. A lot of hard work has been put into some of these places. Lots of nice upgrades, plumbing completely redone, electrical totally replaced, etc. As I sit and wonder if I can afford to buy one of these places (sadly, I don’t think I can) I seem to forget that someone is probably losing their shirt in the deal. I don’t quite know how to feel about that. Anyway, I won’t be moving any time soon, unless I win the lottery or someone decides to come and rent my place from me at a price that is higher than they could rent a larger apartment nearby.

Anyone reading my blog in the position to purchase a house in this wonderful buyers market?

Windows 7

I just installed Windows 7 on my MacBook. I know. Anyway, I’ll review it later after I’ve had a few days to mess around with it. So far, so good.

Valley Metro – Raising Fares?

faresToday it was announced that the City of Phoenix along with Valley Metro are looking to raise fares across all public transportation by 40% (at the minimum).  The news story on AZCentral had over 15 pages of comments just a few hours after it was published.  People are pissed and that’s understandable.  Who wants to pay more to ride the bus or the light rail?  Obviously, the rate increase will hurt those who have to use mass transit the most – the working poor and elderly.

This post isn’t really about how I agree or disagree with the rate increase as much as it is about how dumb the people are at the AZCentral site.  They try to make the comparison between the new proposed fares and the fares of mass transit in other western states.  The article focuses more on the one day pass being doubled in price along with mentioning that the one way ticket will go up by $.50 to $1.75.  I have included an image of the proposed new rates for Valley Metro along with the comparisons they showed on AZCentral.com.  Unfortunately, they don’t clarify what the comparison fare is and this, I’ve found, caused confusion among those who read the article and resulted in a lot of comments being posted on the story.  So, let’s do a better job in giving some comparisons.  Since the article focused both on one way tickets and daily passes, here’s what I’ve found while looking up the prices in other western cities.

  • Denver – Bus and Light Rail Fares (2 zones) – One Way Ticket = $2 – All Day Pass = $6
  • Dallas – Bus and Light Rail Fares (Dallas Only) – One Way Ticket = $1.50 – All Day Pass = $3
  • Las Vegas – Bus Fares (Local Only) – One Way Ticket = $1.75 – All Day Pass = $4
  • Los Angeles – Mass Trasit (No Metrolink) – One Way Ticket = $1.25 – All Day Pass = $5

So, as you can see, PHX has had pretty cheap mass transit fares compared to other cities on the west coast, especially when it comes to all day tickets.  These mass transit systems are surviving and have decent ridership.  I think people will be shocked by the changes initially but will get over it quickly.  Do I think an increase in fares will make people choose to drive instead of ride? Possibly, but only by a small percentage.  Some of the new riders that came on board because of the light rail may be turned off and might go back to driving. People that relied on the Red Line that was replaced with the Light Rail will continue to ride it.  The increase in fare may also keep some occasional riders from using it as often as the currently do, depending on their reason for riding.

How will this rate increase change how I use the Light Rail?  It won’t really have an impact.  I use the rail to get downtown because parking is atrocious and PHX is upping the rate at the meters, extending metered time, and will start charging on Saturdays.  I guess what will change is that I won’t be buying an all day pass when I want to take a round trip ride downtown.  I’ll end up having to buy two single ride tickets.  It’s not really that big of a deal if you think about it.

Are You Kidding?

One of my pet peeves is people who don’t download pictures from their cameras to their computers.  It’s most annoying when you have it sit there while they scan through hundreds of items before getting to the one photo they want to show you.  Anyway, as I was combing the internet for interesting items to read, a story was posted about items lost by the passengers of that US Airways flight that crash landed in the Hudson a few weeks ago.

Like any doting father, Joshua Peltz captured every one of his firstborn’s “firsts” on film.

Adalind’s first steps. Adalind’s first New York City pizza. Adalind’s first kiss with Mom.

Now the 39-year-old Charlotte, NC, man fears the cherished footage – stored on his cellphone – is somewhere on the bottom of the Hudson River.

He had to leave the device behind during the scramble to escape miracle US Airways Flight 1549, which crash-landed in the icy Hudson River Jan. 15 after both engines lost power upon colliding with a flock of geese.

“I’m very upset, disappointed and frustrated,” said Peltz, who was never able to make backup copies of the 40 videos of his daughter, now 2.

Ummm, what?!  You’ve had those pictures and videos on your CELL PHONE for over a year?!  Talk about an unsafe location to save those precious memories.  Who here hasn’t had a cell phone stolen, lost, or even just die on you?  I get it, he’s upset because he’s lost those memories, but come on!