South 42nd Street Damage

March 6th, 2007 · · General, Mount Vernon No comments - Tags:

I’m excited. It appears that the city is pouring new concrete to repair at least some of the damage on 42nd street. I could be mistaken and they may be making more holes, but they did have some neat holes cut into the existing concrete in perfect sections. I would think this means they are going to pour new sections in those holes.

I certainly hope this is a sign of the city taking care of what we have instead of gradually letting it be destroyed and deteriorate.

Good job to the city workers who are running traffic control as well. They were doing an amazing job of keeping the traffic moving this morning.

So relaxing

March 3rd, 2007 · · General No comments - Tags:

It has been very nice not worrying about anything political and being able to breathe for a few days. Just spending time with my kids and wonderful Mrs.

Got a new thumb-drive today. 4GB. I don’t really know what I’ll do with that much space, but I’m sure I’ll wind up filling it up with documents and such for the Jaycees, work, etc. Still waiting on the ring I ordered, but it has an expected wait of 4 weeks. Doesn’t change the fact I’d like it sooner. 🙂

Have I mentioned lately that my daughter says the funniest things? Generally I can count on at least one funny item each day. I’ll let you in on the one from Thursday of this week:

*Insert banter between Amaya and I while waiting for a train on IL-142*

Me: “Amaya, where do you think that train is going?”

(I’m expecting Chicago, STL, or just “to another city”)

Amaya (with a very serious tone): “That way, Daddy.”

When I looked in my rear-view mirror while laughing she was looking at me stone-cold serious and pointing the direction the train was going.

I couldn’t stop laughing the whole morning.

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

February 27th, 2007 · · Mount Vernon 2 comments - Tags:

My bid for city council is done. I am relieved and sad at the same time.

On one hand, I have a lot going on right now and sitting on council would have added to that load significantly. Now I will have more time to spend with my family. Also, I can stay on the sidelines and monitor our local government as my schedule allows. Indeed perhaps it is better that I didn’t make it past the primary.

On the flip side, I really do want to make a difference in the community and help us grow and live to our fullest potential. This may allow me the independence to accomplish that goal without having to serve on council.

To the 74 people who voted for me, thank you. I appreciate the support.

Linux for MVTHS?

February 26th, 2007 · · Mount Vernon No comments

Nice article about how a school district in Ohio saved over $400,000 by simply using Linux instead of M$ Windows. Perhaps MVTHS could move to an open source platform instead of paying outrageous fees for the use of inferior software. I wonder how much it will cost for the district to upgrade all of their computers in the near future. Surely this will not be a cheap process.

Maybe we get a break and M$ gives the school a reduced price or free licenses. It is possible, but I doubt it. Linux, surprisingly, is free. Support can be purchased as needed, and there is a large community that supports the software for free.

There would be reduced TCO in not having to purchase the software, not having to purchase antivirus software, etc. Granted, there will be a learning curve for the students and teachers, but wouldn’t we save a boatload of money?

South 42nd Speed-bumps

February 26th, 2007 · · General, Mount Vernon No comments - Tags: ,

Has anyone noticed the horrible damage that the new construction is doing to South 42nd street? It was once a pleasant drive on a smooth concrete surface, but no longer.

On the Veteran’s Memorial Drive side there is a dip that is very noticeable. On the 42nd street side there is at least one major bump that lifted me out of my seat. That is no small task since I am a large man.

I understand that there is construction in the area, and the city is running sewer for the new development (who’s paying for that?). What I don’t understand is why the temporary patches can’t be made a little smoother. I am aware that it is a heavily traveled road and that any work being done causes inconvenience. There should be some way to smooth out the roadway a little so that it does not do so much damage to vehicles.