Debating Travelling
So in my attempt to get the creative juices going again, here's ridiculous forced set of thoughts that I will throw together in no particular order to placate my sense that I need to post something here.
If you played a drinking game where you take a shot every time I post an entry in this journal, you would have been sober for a very long time. And you would have taken shots at strange times, particularly when I used to update it during my radio show at 6:30 in the morning at WSUM while I waited for "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" to finish.
So it was another debate gathering here at Pete Schramm's Election Headquarters. Once again, no minds were changed, thus putting this debate in the "As Expected" column, along with every other debate of my voting life. You have to think Cicero, the great Roman orator, would be immensely frustrated with these events. They basically turn into a joint press conference.
I don't know why, but the phrase "uncommitted voter" makes me giggle a little but. Can't explain it.
For anyone who asks nicely I will, at no charge, do my heralded impression of Barack Obama after being slapped by John McCain. People from all sides of the aisle say it's superb.
The questions being asked about "average Americans" have only led me to one realization: there is no way I would vote for myself.
I am a huge fan of train travel, but after fooling around with Amtrak's website, I have determined I am unlikely to ever use it unless it gets less expensive or faster. Travel times to cities that I seem likely to visit: Seattle, Washington - 43 hours, 15 minutes, San Francisco, California - 61 hours, 50 minutes, Washington, DC - 20 hours, 23 minutes. That's a long time to be stuck anywhere, much less in a train.
Another reason why I love European travel, when I compared the times it took to travel. Paris, France to Moscow, Russia - 38 hours, 31 minutes. And most of that is because the trains get a lot slower once you clear Poland. The fun part about that train: you pass through six countries on your way.
Fun with other travel sites, Greyhound was another laughable experience with hypothetical trip planing. A theoretical trip by bus to DC would take 32 hours, with layovers in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. Signs point to no.
Oh, and let's play the cost game, because you'd at least think for the time it took, it would be substantially cheaper than flying, right? To Washington, DC - Greyhound - $288, Amtrak - $819, Orbitz Flight on American Airlines - $263. Wow.
And yes, as you can tell, I'm in "I have to get out of dodge for a little while" mode right now.
If you played a drinking game where you take a shot every time I post an entry in this journal, you would have been sober for a very long time. And you would have taken shots at strange times, particularly when I used to update it during my radio show at 6:30 in the morning at WSUM while I waited for "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" to finish.
So it was another debate gathering here at Pete Schramm's Election Headquarters. Once again, no minds were changed, thus putting this debate in the "As Expected" column, along with every other debate of my voting life. You have to think Cicero, the great Roman orator, would be immensely frustrated with these events. They basically turn into a joint press conference.
I don't know why, but the phrase "uncommitted voter" makes me giggle a little but. Can't explain it.
For anyone who asks nicely I will, at no charge, do my heralded impression of Barack Obama after being slapped by John McCain. People from all sides of the aisle say it's superb.
The questions being asked about "average Americans" have only led me to one realization: there is no way I would vote for myself.
I am a huge fan of train travel, but after fooling around with Amtrak's website, I have determined I am unlikely to ever use it unless it gets less expensive or faster. Travel times to cities that I seem likely to visit: Seattle, Washington - 43 hours, 15 minutes, San Francisco, California - 61 hours, 50 minutes, Washington, DC - 20 hours, 23 minutes. That's a long time to be stuck anywhere, much less in a train.
Another reason why I love European travel, when I compared the times it took to travel. Paris, France to Moscow, Russia - 38 hours, 31 minutes. And most of that is because the trains get a lot slower once you clear Poland. The fun part about that train: you pass through six countries on your way.
Fun with other travel sites, Greyhound was another laughable experience with hypothetical trip planing. A theoretical trip by bus to DC would take 32 hours, with layovers in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. Signs point to no.
Oh, and let's play the cost game, because you'd at least think for the time it took, it would be substantially cheaper than flying, right? To Washington, DC - Greyhound - $288, Amtrak - $819, Orbitz Flight on American Airlines - $263. Wow.
And yes, as you can tell, I'm in "I have to get out of dodge for a little while" mode right now.