Let's Ride - Fred Faulkner's Blog About the Road Called Life

Yesterday morning it was raining cats and dogs outside with a great light show from the lighting strikes.  I got a great show out in the burbs before I left for work.  I had a great show on the way to the train station.  Finally, I had a great show once I got to work.  What always bugs me though about rainy days is once I get downtown and have to walk to the office.  Yes, I walk in the rain.  But at least I have a normal sized umbrella.  What frustrates me is all the yahoos out there who feel they are going to melt if they get wet, and hence carry the ginormous golf umbrella downtown.  Let me tell you folks, the sidewalk ain’t big enough as it is with all the mailboxes, newspaper dispensers, advertising signs, bus stop stations, etc.  The last thing any of us really need is to avoid the canopy that you carry down the street.   You won’t melt like the wicked witch of the west…I promise.  So here are my tips to help you next time we have a little rain on your way to and from work.  It is all about being prepared.

1. Get a collapsible umbrella. 
2. Get some waterproof shoes.  I have some nice Timberland’s that do the trick on rainy days.
3. Get a waterproof bag/brief case/backpack.  Seriously, if you are worried about getting your stuff wet, it can be solved pretty easily.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 05:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well it appears that the state of Illinois is in so deep with our budgets, borrowing from other ones, etc. that this is just one more sign that we can't support ourselves. In a string of "selling" or "leasing" state property to "support" themselves, Blago announced today a plan to "sell or lease" the Illinois Lottery (Tribune, Reg. Req.) to help fund Illinois schools. Now I could be wrong, but isn't that already its job? Isn't the proceeds and interest built up from the Illinois lottery supposed to go to education? Just like the toll money from the toll roads is supposed to go back into them and the rest of the highway system to keep it up? Why is he continuing to try to find "creative" ways to find money? Not that Ms. Topinka is any better...isn't she the current State Treasurer?!?!

So what is Illinois to do. We can't keep our budgets straight. The Governor wants to sell everything. Our past Governor was found guilty of illegal practices (and Blago is being investigated too I hear). I mean, COME ON!!

You want to get creative Blago? How about this for an idea for some extra $$ in the state budget for education and state utilities: put a toll booth at every road that crosses our borders into Illinois and charge them a convenience tax for coming into our great state. Sounds too ludacris? Yeah, so does your plans to get extra money when you should be cracking down on state and local government to run itself better.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

First and foremost, congrats on your medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics. You did a great job in your events and deserve them. What you do need, however, is a little advice on how to calm your ego and get some training on how to deal with the media. Because, quite frankly, you are making Chicago seem like it brews egotistical athletes.

So that whole "I don't want to compete in a team event" thing is a crock. I've raced in competitive sports and to add one race, not on the same day as any other event is not going to kill you. Especially when you could get a Gold Medal out of it. Chad had ever right to be mad at you. There is no "I" in TEAM my friend, and you are part of the U.S. Olympic TEAM.

OK, so now some training on how to deal with the media. It seems you need a little lesson. Not that I'm an expert, but I sure know how the media loves to create controversy when there is no other story to be had. Bode Miller was long over by the time your deal came around. First and foremost, if you want a longer career, endorsements, and sponsorships, play fair, even if you don't like anyone else. Congratulate someone, wish them the best, something. Don't go numb and all negative when asked about "how did you think Chad did?" respond with some idiotic response. The first time might be forgivable, but the second time–DING, there goes the Nike deal. Third time–DING, there goes the Wheaties box. Get the point.

What is a shame is that it took Chad to be the “man” and shake your hand. How is that going to look for the kids back home that look up to you? Nice role model.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello World! Ok, I'm back for a short minute to do some rants and give some updates as to what is going on here at Let's Ride.

iPod Update: Still not connecting like it should. I seem to get it to work by disabling my USB drivers and then re-enabling them until it catches. Sometimes this is three times, other times I just give up. For some reason my laptop didn't update the USB controllers when going to SP2 and I can't find a way to do it manually because the computer thinks it is up to date. Ugh...

Shure Ec2: I can hear!! Got myself a pair of good headphones for my new iPod. These bad boys are worth every penny. Nicely snug in your ear you can block out the rest of the world and jam out to your iPod at a quarter of the volume level you might otherwise. Here's to not going deaf by 30.

Websites: Lots of projects going on. I'm building a totally new Website template for work which is completely CSS driven. Moving us out of the stone age. The documentation for the accompanying Standards and resources Website has consumed my life at work. The good news is that the roll-out is in the next week, so I can get on with other things.

Weddings: Got to see a bunch of friends over the holiday break at a wedding up in Milwaukee. Saw my old roomie AJ and his wife Courtney. It was good to see them. Of course I got to see the rest of the gang (minus Scott) as well. Always a good time. Oh, and congrats to Chad and Sarah!

New Years: Hung out with friends for New Years at our place. Last minute decision due to the wedding and some miscommunication, but it all worked out. Didn't have to drive which is always a plus. Pizza, cards, DVD Trivia Pursuit, and darts. I hate that bulls eye!!!

Go BEARS!! Gotta hoop it up for the Monsters of the Midway. Looks like we are going to open a can of whup ass on Carolina this weekend. My man Orton is out, but he did his job. Now let's use the Pro Bowlers and make it to Detroit next month! Yeah you heard me...Super Bowl bound. Brady..you listening. That roar is from the West.

24: Jack is back and this time he's pissed that someone is messing with his identity. 24 kicks off its season with a two day season premier on Sunday and Monday. We'll see if he can save the U.S. one more time while torturing some terrorists.

Ok, enough for now. Should be back to regular programming in about a week. I'll try to get some New Years Resolutions down befor then. But until I do that here is a question for you:

How many stories up can you be where you can get a good overall picture of the land while still being able to make out people on the ground? Give your guesses in the comments.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well the list could go on and on of all the things I want for Christmas this year, but I will focus on the one thing that would make me really happy...communication from Metra.

Dear Metra. All I really want for Christmas from you is a reliable service. I live on the Southwest side of the city and take what has been deemed one of the worst train service lines on the entire system. I know you cannot control when we get freight train interferance going to and from work, but really...you can't negotiate a better deal for us. Every day commuters get to work or home later and later because of "freight train interference." Of course just as bad is the dubious "signal problems" that occur once a week as well. The other request from Metra is to at least keep us updated on project expansions. It doesn't have to be in a newsletter or mailing to my house, but maybe on your Website? You promised a service expansion in December 2006. Well it is December and we haven't heard anything about the expansion and additional trains. It is bad enough that our schedule is not very flexible, but to keep us in the dark on when it will get better is worse in my book. I'll accept a notice saying "we're behind schedule by two months". Really I will not be mad by this. Just tell us please.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and not a lot of time to write about them, or not enough to have a good post (not that a one liner can’t be a good post).  But with all the things going on in my life at work and home here is the short and sweet list; a brain dump per se of what I’ve been thinking lately. 

No more Marshall Fields on State Street.  Federated Department Stores will dump the Marshall Fields name for Macy’s in 2006.  One more store I, and many more in Chicagoland, won’t shop at when the conversion happens.  This was a good marketing move why?? Hey Federated!  We’re NOT NEW YORK! Here’s an exhustive list of other lost nameplates.

Marty Casey lost the frontman job to JD Fortune on Rockstar INXS last night.  Oh well, our local boy d.  But all is not lost, now Marty (and the Lovehammers?) gets to open for them on their upcoming world tour. 

I’ve been busy at work dealing with the aftermath of Katrina (in a good way), it is good to know that Ernie is ok.  Rita is on her way, building strength, and that worries many in Texas and the rest of the Gulf Coast.  Which reminds to ask, what’s personal your disaster plan?  Do you know where to go if something happens to you or your family?  If not, better get a one.

iPod Nano came out last week. Very slick!  Very sexy in true Apple fashion.  Still won’t get one because Apple refuses to put an FM tuner on their musical bundles of joy.  Just makes it impractical for me for how I use my MP3 player.

Note to all hotels, if the fire alarm goes off at midnight, make sure your front desk staff know what to do, how to handle guests, and to apologize.  The Grand Geneva Resort needs a lesson.  “It was not our fault” is not an acceptable answer. Nor is “We didn’t ask you to evacuate your room, why are you here at the front desk?”  err..because last time I checked when a fire alarm goes off your instincts is to evacuate your room and we are here to see if it is safe to go back to our rooms.  Oh, and they never said they were sorry for the inconvenience.

Continue reading "Short and Sweet: Brain Dump of Recent Thoughts" »

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was one of those crappy "I can't decide if it is going to snow or stay rain" days. Of course it was rain when I left work, so I decided to take a cab to the train station. So I hop in a cab (which coincidentially had it's "Not Available" light on and then suddenly switched to pick me up...clue #1) to head to Union Station.

After taking the "long" way to get there and through tons of traffic (not surprising, it was raining outside) I finally get to my destination. I give the cabbie two fives and asked for three bucks back ($6.30 for the ride...should have been $3 normally) and he says, "all I have is two singles...". WHAT?! So now what do I do. I don't have enough for exact fare. He "claims" he doesn't have anymore singles...so he gets a nice tip from me...not what I wanted. I tip generous enough when it comes to cabs, but this was rediculous. How does a cab driver run out of singles at 5:00 in the afternoon?! You have to figure he has been out since at worse case, noon or early afternoon. He should have plenty of singles. If not, find a way to get some first before you pick up another fare. I don't know, maybe I should have skipped his cab and taken another after the "light switch," but it was raining and I wanted to get home. Next time I guess I'll just bare the walk.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yes, this is a rant. A rant that I will always have every year because it keeps getting worse and worse. Today is November 17th and it is official. Chicago has put out almost ALL of it's holiday decorations on the streets. And today it was 60 degrees. Mind you that Thanksgiving (the forgotton holiday in my mind) is next week. I suppose when do I expect them to start putting stuff out? Well in my mind, in an ideal world, it would all be done the day after Thanksgiving. But then again, that's when we all start our mad dash of shopping and we already want to be in the holiday spirit.

So I guess that is how the ball bounces. And just to note, Marshall Fields has all the window animated figures out, and so does Sears this year. The street lamps are covered in decorations and the lights are all up on Michagan Avenue. All we need is the snow...and I can wait for that to come. Happy Holidays!?!

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mine is all over the place. I have so many things to do and so little time it gets confusing at times. I just need to sit down and get some �stuff� done before I move on to the next project. What does this have to do with ambition...I think I have too much of it. I want to develop Web sites, yet I want to build a Wiki, and yet, though, I have a Web site job that I haven't finished, and then I have my personal professional site/blog I want to start, but then there is the writing gig I want to start doing too!! TOO MUCH AMBITION! Is it overextension? Maybe. Is it not enough focus? Probably some of that too! I just want to DO IT ALL. I'm becoming impatient and it is becoming frustrating to me personally. So this weekend it will be about catching up. Will it require hours in front of the computer. Yes. Will it piss off my wife? Most likely. Will I get it all done? Most definitely not!

The nice thing is that I write these posts on the train now. I should also be able to get some of this �ambition stuff� done on the train to help with the moonlighting. This will also help so I don't have to take up precious �wife time� when I get home. That seems to be my biggest distraction...and a good distraction at that. My wife. But then again I get yelled at for not having these projects done. I guess it is a fact of life. I need just 72 hours of no sleep and all work to be in place. But that wouldn't be good either. I probably would write an article on HTML vs. Text only e-newsletters and writ the same point over and over again not realizing that I had already made my point...repeatedly.

So not to make you think that I have things under control, I already have the next ambition lined up in the cue: another professional certificate from DePaul. I already have a Professional E-Marketing Certificate (read: night school without tests or a degree credit, but professional development) and now I want to get the Pennebaker Interactive Marketing Certificate. More to come on that...

So I guess it really comes down to prioritizing my goals. I want to learn more about Web technologies to be more versed. I want to start writing about the things I do know about so I can start to develop a personal brand as an e-marketing guy. I need to finish my current Web job and just be done with it. Then not take on anymore...unless I think I can do it in a short period of time. After I finish that site I can build my personal/professional site and start blogging about all the other stuff I don't want to publish here (e-mail, Web site, and marketing stuff with a dash of technology thrown in). Hopefully all of that will give me better ground to stand on for some other projects that will build my personal brand. I never thought that I would be in the mood to learn so much more after college. I guess that is what happens when you don't drink as much as you used to. At a whopping 26 years old, that is pretty pathetic to admit!

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well let you all be warned. Coax and lightning do not mix. I recently found that out after a set of storms rolled though my area on Thursday night. After a day of getting home early I was plopped down on the couch watching a little TV when all of a sudden my wife and I heard a �POP� and the TV flashed. Next thing we knew the TV was out, the TV in the bedroom wouldn't even turn on anymore, and my cable modem was completely dead. After running around to the rest of the condo units to see if anyone was experiencing the same, I discovered that two other units had either dead TVs or fried cable boxes. So after calling Comcast for an explanation, I get the run around from their customer service that it came through the power lines. After I gracefully explained to her that I have enough surge protectors on all of my electrical equipment in the condo and that the three things that are hooked up to their coax cable service was not working properly, I would know if it came through the power lines or not. I then gave her a quick physics lesson that coax is a copper line and I'm pretty sure that it conducts electricity pretty well. So she explained to me that if the service was out that they would send out someone tomorrow. Good thing I had the day off.

About an hour after I hung up with Comcast, the cable returned, my nice 35� TV turned on, but alas it was only in black and white. The PIP came in in color which led me to the conclusion that the �POP� we heard was actually the color tube on the main tuner blowing up. So now I have a nice clear picture, but in B/W. Great.

So the next day rolls around and it comes up to 1:30 and still no cable guy. So I call Comcast. They tell me that service had been restored and that I should have received an automated message telling me that they were not coming out. So I told them that I didn't receive that message and I started to get even more irritated because I still had two busted TVs and a blown cable modem. So I went back into the whole story of �What are you going to do about my broken property that happened through your cable lines...� story. After much re-explaining my story, the best the lady could do was refer me to their claims department. I haven't heard from then yet, so I'll keep you posted on this dilemma.

I find out from the other residents in the building that had problems that Comcast came out and had to replace a cable box on the unit below me and the unit on the first floor was told basically that Comcast was not at fault and to consider her blown TV �an act of God.� A what?!

So now I'm preparing myself for a battle of being told that �We're sorry Mr. Faulkner, this was and act of God and there was nothing we could do about it.� Great. So of course I've already checked with my insurance agent about my Homeowners Insurance, and I have a big enough deductible that it isn't even worth making a claim on my stuff. Fabulous.

So here is my warning...if you get hosed property due to a power surge coming in through your coax line, expect no help but to replace it all yourself.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 04:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It has finally happened. I've dodged the bullet as long as I can, but I came to my blog (this site) again today to put up a post and found that I had to delete Comment Spam. I really need to figure out how to track/block URLs so I can try and defeat this. Anyone out there who knows how to help? Write a comment.....I promise I won't delete it.

But of coures the bigger question needs to be answered...do I really need to have comments enabled? Is anyone really reading this site besides me? If no one is reading, let alone posting comments, do I need to have them enabled? So prove me wrong...post a comment so I don't have to tinker with my templates.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have a gripe. It is one that probably shouldn�t bother me, but it does. Over the last week I have seen a bunch of articles that highlight Pat Tillman as a hero for fighting our war on terror. They highlight the fact that he gave up a great career as an NFL player and a 3 Million dollar a year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, a new wife, and his �great� life to go fight. He decided that after September 11th he wanted to give back to the country he loves. That I can admire. Now here is my gripe. Is he a hero just because he gave up fame and fortune as a pro athlete to defend our country and he died? Do you have to die to become a hero? There are thousands of troops that are over there right now that have given up just as much. Do you think that any of the other troops over there are any less of a hero if they gave up their day job as an accountant, a lawyer, a bus driver, or a radio host? My brother gave up his job to go to war because he was an Army National Guard Reservist. A reservist. A weekend warrior who had a day job. The bottom of the barrel when it comes to the Nation�s Military Services. But he wasn�t an athlete making 3 mil a year. He didn�t leave a wife or kids. But he still loves this country just as much as Tillman did. Is he any less of a hero? Does he have to die to become that hero? I think not. There are thousands of heroes over in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. There are ones that have given up much more than money and a career to fight. Some have left families, newborns, and financial support to go fight. Their battle pay doesn�t cover half of what they were making before and that makes it hard on the families left behind to pay the bills and support the ones left behind.

I have no doubt that Tillman was a hero. He took the challenge. Stepped up to the plate to do what he believed in. And that is honorable. But forgive me if I think that it is stories like this that diminish the fact that there are 100,000 + other heroes overseas right now. All you see the media put on the news is about the ones who die, not the stories about the ones who are alive and as big of heroes as the ones who have passed away.

My heart goes out to the ones lost in this war on terror. This is not something any of us expected to happen in this lifetime, but it has and we had to do something about it. My prayers go out to those lost and to those still fighting. I hope yours does too.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my rant for the week. This is the universal sign in the U.S. for DON'T WALK. It is very apparent to me that 80% of Chicago's commuters don't get this signal. It is truely the reason why traffic in downtown Chicago sucks. Especially around the train stations. It never ceases to amaze me on how many people just walk out in front of buses, cars, taxis (taxis!, the ones who rarely even slow down for anything), etc. They just don't care. And what it causes in the long run is all the honking and road raged drivers in the city.

Now my rant comes from the fact that I a) used to be one of these people when I walked to the train station everynight from work b) now ride a bus on a schedule that is so tight that I tend to run to catch my train (or wait another hour and fifteen minutes for the next one if I miss it). So I have seen the both sides of the coin. When I walked, I didn't care if I stopped traffic crossing the street. Why should I? I was getting to where I needed to go on time. Forget the poor saps on the bus and their schedules. Now that I ride the bus, I despise all the people who can't read a "Do Not Cross" signal.

I get the wonderful opportunity to become a walker again in about a month when my office is moving to a new location and bus transportation will not be as available as it is now. So I will make the fifteen minute walk to Union Station, but I will obey those crossing signs.

The funny thing is that I was recently in New York City, the largest city in the U.S., and even there the jaywalking is not as prevelant as it is in Chicago. Then again lanes on 6th Avenue were pretty non-existent too! So what is anyone eles's take on this? Do pedestrians really cause traffic congestion in all major cities, or just Chicago?

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Need sleep....need sleep...early morning tomorrow.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well Bob the bachelor didn't pick the Chicago native Kelly Jo tonight. Oh well, only one of the biggest mistakes he could have made. But...not that we didn't expect it.

I don't watch this reality TV stuff that much. My fiancee does and made a really good point...it has become all so predictable. Each season, the producers of ABC's The Bachelor, or The Bachelorette, or Joe Millionaire, etc. try to pull one over on the viewers with thier editing wizardry. Make it look like they are going to pick the OBVIOUS one and the WHAM!! have the select individual (Bob, Ryan, Trista, Joe) pick the complete opposite. I mean come on...make it a little intersting. Throw us a loop. Give us something to talk about. But alas, that wouldn't make for good TV ratings if Bob proposed to the first girl that walked out vs. the second one. I mean, what would you have to say to the one you break up with for 20 min. of TV time??

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What the heck?! OK, so I can sympathise for like a nanosecond with these garbagemen about their wages, etc. going on in Chicago. But just for a nanosecond. Look, it obviously doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to lift a can into a big dumpster on wheels, yet for some reason, the already second highest paid city of garbagemen feel that they are underpaid. WHAT?!!?! So for the last nine days the City of Chicago and the surrounding subburbs have been suffering with no trash service. So they can get a better deal on pay and benefits. Getting paid, before the 28% increase in pay and benefits tentative agreement reached today, of on average 40K a year, to pick up garbage. Sorry boys, no sympathy from me, but GET MY GARBAGE OUT OF HERE!!! I'm sure my friends in Massachusettes can smell the stuff by now.

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have to admit, I haven't been feeling the best for about 8 weeks now. I haven't slept well, and when I do sleep, I wake up still very grogy. I really can't pin down what is my problem, but my friend Ben and I think it is due to stress. I am stressed...just a little. Work is getting stressful, I'm buying a condo with my fiancee, my car went into the shop today -- don't know what is wrong with it yet, but it is just another $$ I wasn't expecting to pay -- and it just seems like everything needed to be done yesterday. Somehow 18 hours a day just doesn't cut it when you need to get all the work done.

So today I busted my butt to get a project done, which I did. Tomorrow starts a new one and I wanted to start it this evening, but then I remembered...no car. So I leave work earlier than I wanted to so I could take the train home to catch the bus back towards my house. Well the train was delayed into Union Station due to "Freight Traffic." So my train was late leaving, hence I got to my stop late, and you guessed it, the bus decided it didn't want to wait. So now I'm stuck...walking...four miles to my house. And yes, it was still like 80 - something degrees outside.

Well it took me an hour to walk home. My feet hurt. I almost got bit by this really big dog as I cut through an open lot. Luckily there was an invisible fence so when I ran, "big dog" stopped and just barked at me. Dinner was left-overs. Oh, and did I mention I still don't know what is up with my car?!

Posted by Frederick L. Faulkner IV at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)