I’ve written here previously about my puzzle solving during my work commute. In the past few months I’ve reconnected with Penny Press and Dell puzzle magazines, which is how I got my start in puzzle solving at the age of 10 when my dad bought me a Dell puzzle magazine to keep me occupied during a flight. Continue reading
Last year I wrote here on the blog about my return to regular puzzle book solving, a habit that’s been part of my life since I was in middle school, as the end result of determining what to do on my commute. One of the things I mentioned in passing is that I was slowly working my way through the challenging Nikoli series of logic puzzle books. This week, a bit of a milestone: I completed the last of the 14 books that they have released. Continue reading
After what’s been a painful year at Metro-North, new leadership stepped in a few weeks ago, and he’s already begun making the rounds, promising improvement and change. Joseph Giulietti worked for Metro-North during its early days, helping to stabilize and improve a railroad that was neglected in many ways by its previous ownership, and helped turn it into a stronger commuter railroad. Now, after an extended absence, he’s back to try to do it again in some ways. Continue reading
Since the derailment last year in Bridgeport, commuters have become increasingly restless; to many, the ongoing problems, late trains, and seeming lack of communication about these and other issues are making commuters, who spend hundreds of dollars a month on commuter passes, restless about the quality of the service they’re receiving. Continue reading
During Thursday’s Metro-North shutdown, many people on Twitter started railing (for lack of a better term) into the organization for its ongoing troubles over the past few months. The hyperbolic language some took to using on Twitter led some rail enthusiasts to point out that, while troublesome, Metro-North’s recent woes are barely a blip compared to some rail’s worst moments. Continue reading
Commuting has been an experience from the get-go. I very much love my train rides overall; they’re generally quiet, uneventful, relaxing (who wants to drive in that traffic?) and I use the time for myself: To read, solve a few logic puzzles, or, best of all, nap. Of course, when things go wrong, it’s usually pretty bad, and last night was a doozy. Continue reading