(No, not the inevitable extinction of our species due to government subsidization of agriculture, specifically corn... We'll face that inevitable truth in March.)
The inevitable truth is that we (Rachael and I) no longer have a valid parking permit for downtown Philadelphia, Zone 1. We got a permit while renting our old apartment in Grad Hospital, and we've been using it to park downtown for the last 8 months on the three days we drove into work. Probably slightly illegal, and the moral ramifications of such a decision are less than transparent, but with two people and free parking, it was incrementally cheaper than taking public transit.
However, this too must pass and now we've entered another season of transportation. The Regional rail stop is about a block from our house and its so nice to arrive at work after a half hour of reading about the inevitable extinction of our species due to antibiotics required to sustain feed animals in the industrial food complex. It really just is so much more peaceful than Rush Hour on Lincoln Drive.
Plus, SEPTA, (South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority), has decided to welcome us back with open arms and these nifty trailpasses that are promoting the "Science of Star Wars" exhibit at the Franklin Institute.
Now, I'm not really a Star Wars geek, though I do have fond memories of my best friend's Boba Fett action figure and my Darth Vader action figure battling it out over the sandbox in his backyard. (Which was probably comprised more of catpoop than sand, but neither of us has any serious diseases today, so I consider us none the worse for wear.)
Both figures were tragically lost in a failed recreation of the "Sarlacc Incident", which was mythologically incorrect as Boba Fett and Darth Vader never met, Darth Vader was not on Tattooine at that time, and they would not have been enemies anyways. Maybe the toxic bacteria from the catpoop was infecting our higher cognitive skills...
ANYWAYS, Septa had something cool on their trailpasses for the month of February. This is nice, but does not change the fact that SEPTA is still my archnemesis and that "Destroy Septa and all its Employees" is still Item #1 on my To Do List...
Seriously, its on my office wall at work, right above:
#2, Revise Industry Standards for Door Labeling
#3 File Emails
#4 Make Rebecca Cry
#5, Convert MaryEllen to a Republican
#6 Join US Olympic Curling Team
#7 Get Delaware to Secede from the Union
#8 Signage Details for Jacksonville Project.
In reference to Item #1, I just wanted to link to Septawatch which is a nice site chronicling everything Septa does wrong and why they're utter Butt Monkeys.
