Monday, June 22, 2009

Metro Rail Crash

There has been a horrific train collision on the Metro system with one train over the top of another. The news reports are early and a little hysterical. There are four people confirmed dead and possibly more.

It holds particular interest for me because the accident occured about three blocks from where I grew up, so I know the area well. Of course in those days there was no Metro, only freight and passenger trains. I've raided veg from the community garden near where the triage was established. I've crossed the bridge hundreds of times on foot usually on the way to the Kennedy Movie Theatre (now a church) and thousands of times by bus.

The number of fatalities has just risen to six. What is odd, is that stretch of track has a clear line of sight for a little over a quarter mile. But then I've seen train drivers on mobiles or chatting to people in or standing in the doorway of the cabin, in short not giving their full attention to driving.

One of the fortunate things for the rescue is that the accident happened on an area of open track instead of tunnel. Although Blair Road, Nicholson and Oglethorpe our narrow neighborhood streets (Blair is two lanes in both directions, if memory serves). But it the open area allowed people, who could get out, to move away from the scene.

A real tragedy.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

First Post

Hi, I'm Croby.

Not sure what this will be about except it will be about me.

I'm single, never married. I live with a tempermental, demanding, thoroughly cute and adorable cat named Toupie Alpaniste. He's well known in the corridor of my apartment building and even runs into neighbors apartments, if they leave the door open too long. Toupie has a twin brother, Thunder who will be moving to Houston next week. And a sister named Annie, who lives in Western Maryland. His mother was found pregnant by a road in West Virginia. I adopted him from a woman who rescues cats. He's a wonderful, if sometimes irritating (I'm sure I irritate him too), companion.

One of the highlights of this weekend was finding a really nice, in excellent condition and clean, Sterilite 4-drawer storage unit in the giveway corner of our laundry room. The giveaway corner sort of started by osmosis. One day there was a long table against the wall and since then people have been leaving their, gently--and sometimes not so gently used items. I've been able to dispose of books I've read but will never reread and magazines. I have been able to get a nice comforter and DVD rack and now the cabinet, which I am filling with most of my knitting stash.

Biophilic experience: click The other highlight was spending an hour yesterday watching a deer graze on the verge between my apartment building and Rock Creek Park. My apartment building abuts the park and it is one of the most wonderful things about where I live. There's wonderful birdsong throughout the day. The screaming of foxes. For two years there was a woodpecker. I miss him. And yesterday the deer. I've seen deer before--usually crossing the road, but never one just strolling about and having a graze.

Because of the profusion of natural sound, I often don't listen to music on the weekends. I just open the windows and let the birdsong or the rustle of the wind provide the soundscape. Yesterday taught me, that I shouldn't just let Toupie totally dominate looking out the window time. It was a reminder, there is lots to see and enjoy but only if we're looking.