HELLO BOSTON!!!

I decided to start this blog because I have felt voiceless in my life in Massachusetts. I commute by train to work every day. I walk to the train and walk to the office in the broiling heat or in the15 below blizzards.
As any commuter on the MBTA knows, the schedules have been a mess for a year. Infuriating to say the least.

• Trains Late Because: The trains used to be late on the worst possible days - those 15 below blizzards, the reader board would say “due to inclement weather the train will be 45 minutes late!” Well you couldn’t leave, because sometimes the train would come sooner.
• My Schedule to the Minute: I take car pool other children to a school outside of our town. So I have everything timed to the minute. For years I would arrive 8:55 or earlier. Now, it’s more like 9:10, 9:20, 9:40. And light nights home when I’m taking a late train to make up for the lost time, running late, just make my day complete.
• MBTA Rebate Policy: They refund your ticket if you if they are 30 minutes late. Well, so what. First, they don’t. They still have punched tickets. And the backlog of rebates is terrible. And paying me for a one-way ride doesn’t make up for: the actual dollars/hour I lose (I’m a part-time manager so I have to log in my exact hours - and believe me, I get A LOT more than the price of a train ticket).
• My Professional Credibility: Rebating a ticket doesn’t make up for the poor example I now set for a recalcitrant employee who is chronically late for stupid reasons. And it can’t make up the big bucks I lose if I miss a doctor’s appointment. I have no fudge factor built in. I can’t just get up and take the earlier train.
• Everything Worked Until This Year: Worse than the late trains were the lies and the pathetic reasons. They said it was weather - slippery fall weather affected tracks (a new one), heavy winds/rains, blizzards, ice - I’m not sure if extreme heat is one.
• The lies: Now we are learning a lot of the poor on-time performance was union caused during contract negotiations. They tell us after the contract was signed.
• Early Trains that Leave On-Time Passengers Behind: The real slap in the face is when some driver comes in 5 minutes early and leaves. People are running down the street, they see them, and they pull out ahead of schedule - forcing the person to be late. What’s with THAT?
  • I took the train to go to Boston to connect to the airport. It was a 5:48 train. The train came in at 5:44 and left. I was barely up the stairs with a huge piece of luggage and was falling backward on a moving train.
  • And a woman ran for that train. She was on time. 5:45 in the morning, mind you. And they just pulled out. $%@?!//#@

UNACCEPTABLE.

For a while I tracked the late trains and was going to write Governor Deval Patrick, the MBTA, whoever would listen. But I jump around on trains I chose and so I stopped because my data wasn’t complete. Now I’m going to start tracking and invite others to share how is the MBTA doing today?

But this isn’t reason enough for a blog. It is also where I plan to share about other changes I as a person who loves the city would like to see Mayor Menino change or as a resident of the state, share what I would like Governor Patrick to change. One example: Gambling. He’s losing the battle anyway. But I am vehemently opposed to casinos.

Did you ever stand on line and watch people buy lottery tickets or sit at a table and play Keeno? How about Bingo at the church? I refuse to fulfill my school’s obligation that I serve 12 hours at Bingo nights through the year because I see how addicted some are….

And I’m hopping my husband joins and gives his well-informed perspective: on sports, Boston, MA.

This is about improving MA, not venting political persuasions. I do that elsewhere.

Okay, that’s me. And that’s a flavor for who I am and why I’m here …TO START.