Dear Mr. Mayor Fenty: Stop the Key Bridge Keystone Kops!

Dear Mr. Mayor Fen-Fen,
You know how much I love you and think you are the bestest mayor DC has had ever ever, but....I have a bone to pick with you.

As we've talked about in the past, my morning commute is quite an annoyance. The intersection of 34th & M - right at the Key Bridge - is a disaster of terrific proportions. You've got three lanes coming from M, heading toward the bridge and up Canal. Two of these lanes shift to the left once they cross the stop light - except it's not marked, so unless a driver just inherently 'knows' to, they don't slide over into the correct lane. This is especially evident when the Virginia drivers (who are racing back to the Commonwealth having likely given up on ever learning to master the morning commute in the District) in the left lane, cluelessly ignore the lane shift and end up in the right lane, nearly crashing into the cars in the right lane who are shifting like they are supposed to!

Then you've got the people who know there is a third lane that just magically appears at that particular intersection and use it appropriately. These poor people consistently get cut-off by those who think the third lane is just "empty space" and decide its ok to hang over from the right lane, blocking and clogging traffic, preventing people from getting where they need to go and wondering while everyone is beeping at them.

BUT, aside from all of that, let's talk about me. And my neighbors. Those loyal G'town & Glover Park residents who come down 34th & 35th Streets through the neighborhoods and just want to make it to work on time. As it is, making a right hand turn from 34th onto M and then a quick left to the bridge is a highly-orchestrated move. Then, you throw in a light that isn't timed right, a bunch of idiot Maryland drivers who think they have found a short cut to avoid Wisconsin Avenue but who have not be taught the finer driving move of right turn on red, the Virginia idiots who nearly run people off the road from the middle lane and force them to block the third lane which delays the poor people who just wanna go straight up M/Canal to Foxhall and mind their own damn business...

Dear Mr. Mayor Fen-Fen, do you see where I am coming from?? This delicately coreographed dance is not the beautiful ballet that the idiot who designed this intersection intended it to be. Its in fact a great big giant CF! Yep, I said it. And, here's what else I have to say, "DON'T BLOCK THE BOX!"

I know we've talked for hours about this. And, its quite encouraging that you took to heart my suggestion to have a traffic cop there in the mornings. Couple things about that though. First, I was thinking that this 'traffic cop' might actually be somewhat competent, much like my favorite Officer Joe Pozell, God rest his soul. I don't think it's a lot to ask that the person directing one of the busiest intersections in the city, holding the employemnt fate of hundreds of workers just trying to make it in on time in their hands, kinda understands what he/she is doing. Seems like a reasonable request to me.

So, as you can imagine, I was delighted early this week when I saw TWO, not one, but TWO uniformed traffic officers controlling the morning commute through Georgetown. Finally! Praise to you Mayor Fen-Fen!! You finally heard and granted my wish! Oh, the high hopes I had. And, then I was late for work. Why? Not because I left late (for once!) or dilly-dallied on my drive, nope. That wasn't why I was late. It was because the two dopes with the yellow traffic guard vests are IDIOTS! Not to mention that they completely ignored the lights that allowed us neighborhood people (the ones who pay taxes here!!) to venture onto M Street, and instead held US UP, in favor of allowing additional people from Wisconsin Avenue to go through red lights!!! That is CRAP!

And, what was the result?!?! Well, rather than being backed up for a block or so and having to wait through 2-3 traffic light cycles like normal mornings, instead I've been able to enjoy the pleasure all week of having traffic backed up for at least three blocks and adding a good ten extra minutes to my commute. So now it takes me MORE than thirty minutes to drive three miles because of the Key Bridge Keystone Kops controlling my commute. Jesus, I could probably walk to work faster. And, I might have to.

Listen, I really appreciate that you listened and acted on my suggestion, but please make it better and not worse. Ok, still love ya - for now - thanks, k bye, mwah!

Blog Abandonment

Just a quick post to let my dear beloved Blonde's I-View that I have not abandoned you! Between work, commuting between two states, family obligations, and trying to plan a wedding, I've been a little busy.... I will try to be better. Promise! Promise!

Better Than Flowers for Valentine's Day - A New Gift Idea

This is a repost from the pet blog, Pet Knows, where I am a contributing blogger.  But, I am so excited about it I had to post it here....


Show Your Love with A Pet For Valentine's Day

Here is a unique take on the typical flowers and chocolates that St. Valentine is known for. The Washington Animal Rescue League, here in DC, is sponsoring a Compassion for Passion event. You can SPONSOR (or adopt) a pet in their shelter in the name of your sweetie. What a terrific idea - you can help save a pet!

For a small donation (substantially less than a dozen roses!) you can select the pet from their website and they will notify your loved one about your generous gift and give the pet extra treats and love on your loved one's behalf.

So what are you waiting for?!!? Sign-up now! You must take advantage of this by February 12 (today!!) at 4pm in order to have your sweetie notified by Valentine's Day.

I LOVE this program - enough to put my money where my mouth is. I just sponsored "Chrissie" the dog for my sweetie. Looking forward to his surprise when he gets an email from WARL alerting him that he is the proud sponsor of a dog!

The Rules of Blonde's I-View: Say It & Stand Behind It

A word to my readers - while I don't have set 'rules' about this blog or your interactions on it, here's something you should know about commenting. Stand behind your words. It's that simple. If you leave a comment, you need to leave a name or I may not publish it.

I recently had a lengthy (multiple paragraphs) comment left by "Anonymous" on my "Barack Obama is NOT African-American" post. I have chosen not to publish it. Some of its content my be considered inflammatory or at least controversial. And, I welcome that. But not if the commenter isn't willing to stand behind his or her views.

The anonymity of the internet allows for free-flowing words and opinions, but please remember that if you are too afraid to put your name behind it, then maybe you shouldn't be saying it at all.

Blondes I-REview: New Media Strategies' Relaunched Website

New Media Strategies, my current employer, has relaunched its website to commemorate 10 years as the industry leader in Word-of-Marketing and Online PR.

With the help of Jess3, the web design firm hired for this project, they have a very interesting and unique site that is a great example of how to do it "right." While there is a comprehensive press release about the relaunch, I wanted to point out a few features not often found on corporate websites:

• An interactive timeline focusing on major events in the 10 year history
• Profiles for all employees (check me out!)
• Recent & Relevant Case Studies
• A Blog with nearly all employees contributing
• A Photo Gallery hosted on Flickr, showing day-to-day office life of the employees
• Capabilities & Expertise

What do I like about this site? (Disclosure: Despite being an employee, this is the first time I have seen it, as it was just revealed today so these are my initial thoughts and reactions). What I think is most interesting about this site is how incredibly employee-focused it is. Clients don't often get to see the front lines, or for that matter, our team members who toil endlessly to produce high-quality deliverables. So much is done online and via email, these days, that the "human analysis" side of NMS (which makes us unique in the industry) is often lost in translation. Now, you can see each person, what their office space is like, and begin to envision what goes into the final product we deliver. As well, you can link to their own blogs or the blog entries they've written for the NMS blog. Through their own words, clients and others can begin to more fully understand how NMSers are thought-leaders in the industry and in their specific areas of expertise.

As a company, NMS is represented both in the written word as well as the visual manifestation of this new site as the sum of its parts (the people). There is a plethora of information on what NMS has delivered in its 10 year history - how its revolutionized the marketplace in offering services and expertise that others do not and cannot.

Overall, this site gets three out of four blondes from Blonde's I-View on how to do a corporate website right. I am biased, but never the less, it is a great example.