More trains and now movies and cars!

Wow, I don’t really know what happened with that last post but I don’t even think that using proper grammar of any sort passed through my mind. I was in a hurry for an interview for a new job and just dashed that out so I could run out the door. I refuse to fix that post, let it exist as a glaring example of the atrocity that I can and probably will commit again, to the human language. I suppose if anyone would like to send me a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, I would be very happy.

So much has happened. I took a new job so I will not be posting my resume or portfolio for quite some time. There are going to be a lot of changes in the next couple of months and I probably won’t have the time to go back and edit all that noise anyway.

Yesterday my girlfriend and I went on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Peninsula Explorer which traveled through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park from Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio down to Peninsula, Ohio. It was only a 13 mile journey but it was quite beautiful and the little town of Peninsula had tons of interesting older homes and some rather nice little shops to visit. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad also offers a bunch of holiday themed train rides as well as some rather fun sounding wine-centric train rides, if you imbibe in that sort of thing.

Also, as our “day out about town” sort of excursion for the day progressed we finished up the festivities of the day by seeing The Shining on the big screen at Playhouse Square. Yes, they are showing some great films in that marvelous building. Yesterday we got to see West Side Story as well. Two films I had never had the chance to see before. Apparently my life is rather sheltered. I don’t think I understand all of what I saw in The Shining. The bit with the guy in the rabbit suit will probably leave me guessing for decades. If you happen to have any clarifications please keep them to yourself. I don’t even think I want to know what was supposed to be going on there.

Before I go, let me remind you that the Madison Car Kulture car show will go on today from noon until 8pm on Madison Road in Lakewood, Ohio. Perhaps I will see you there.

Who ya gonna call?

My girlfriend, who is of infinite wisdom, grace and beauty, somehow finds some of the most interesting going-ons in the news and what not and notifies me of said going-ons.

This one I find particularly timely, not only as I start to debate a new mobile plan as my current phone and plan is of the sucky nature and in need of replacement and I don’t want to just throw out my old phone (being as it is full of heavy metals and what not) and I don’t want to start collecting them. I find it sad enough that I have my old phone from 2 years ago sitting on a shelf in my room.

Anyway, ReCellular will take your old phone, refurbish or recycle it and then sells them in locations where creating a cellular network is cheaper and easier then creating regular telecommunications infrastructure.

Here is the CNN article that explains it some.

I like trains and buses too.

So in betwixt debating if I am wanting to start working for another architecture firm or perhaps begin the arduous journey of self employment I have had multiple discussions with myself, in the form of day dreams turned into naps, or vacantly staring into space or perhaps sitting on the porch with my sketch book sipping diet cokes and watching the neighborhood kids curse each other out. It dawned on me that if I were to take another office job it would have to be someplace I could utilize the public transportation system to get to. Don’t get me wrong, I could have taken it to get to my previous job making the typically half hour drive through the Heights of Cleveland (also known as the land of no brake lights or turn signals, where you can run a red light as long as you honk, and where actually staying in one lane signifies you as weak) a new and exciting 2 hour journey.

With this in mind the new prospect of taking the train to a downtown office, or perhaps even bus around town excites me. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) while not as wondrous in nature YET as Portland, Oregon’s, is still pretty dang good and effective at getting you around the city in a cheap, timely and clean manner. Last year they even started allowing bikes on the train during non-rush hour times!

Anyway, this whole tangent was brought upon by this Getting Around Transportation Today poster which I found on Treehugger.com. I find a lot of stuff there. If you people would just go there you could probably save me a lot of time.

I love local wind power.

My mother has about 5 acres next to a freeway in a rather rural (well to me anyway, I have only seen a cow up close once and it was urinating and scared the bejeezus out of me) with a nice little field all backed up against the freeway surrounded by a couple stands of trees. I can’t tell if there are vernal pools yet on the property in that area but there are a couple pools that I have seen large tadpole develop in before they dry up.

I bring this up because for a couple of years my mother has been interested in putting up a small wind turbine to help take her farm/house off the grid a little bit more. I suppose my main concern is with pay back. She is only an educator, not a professional athlete, however with the new rebates (Thanks Ohio!) it seems more and more likely that she might be able to go in that direction. In fact, if planned properly, payback of all the costs could be as soon as 3 to 5 years!

Anyway, here is a Wall Street Journal article about the whole shebang including the usual NIMBY attitude, a brief discussion on the rumor of bird strikes and some cost to power output comparisons. Not the most exciting stuff but it IS only Sunday morning.

Also, for you other Ohioans who are thinking about putting up your own turbine, how about a handy Ohio Wind Speed Map to help you out?

And for you non-Ohioans who are now wind curious, how about a resource for you guys?

Remember these guides are just simple guides. You will have to take into account the height of the turbine you want to put up as wind conditions can change drastically at different elevations. Bowling Green's windfarm is a great example for you naysayers. Four turbines can provide power for 3,000 residents!

It would just be rude if I ignored the Great Lakes Science Center's very own turbine.

Hey Mom, if you read this, lets check out those ponds and put up a wind turbine!