Monday Spent Meandering

Mondays will never be a favorite day for all the obvious reasons.  Yesterday I was afforded the opportunity to drive a techno-van loaded with all kinds of computer equipment all over Worcester.  This is a critical step in linking our upcoming schedule changes with the technology we’ve deployed on the buses.

This is a task I usually hand off to one of the subordinate managers but I’m the only one familiar enough with the changes to ensure it was done right.  It’s a lot of fun because you have to stop in the street at various places, blocking traffic while the technician connects to satellites and downloads the needed information.  I made a lot of friends yesterday. I did get a little nervous when we pulled into a gang infested area driving a van festooned with antennas and pulled up to a group of those fine young men. 

My "Ride" Yesterday

The guy they sent from  the technology company didn’t fill me with confidence when he called on Friday and asked where we were going.  His company was the one who identified the need and said they would provide a list of locations.  A quick e-mail to his company vice president got them talking amongst themselves and he showed up yesterday with the list.

He was a very nice Haitian immigrant who got lost on his way to my office (confidence ebbing a bit) and showed up 45 minutes late.  He said we had three days to do all the work and looked a little scared when I told him we would get it done in one day.  I think the three day time period was generated by the fact that his wife had accompanied him on the trip. 

Calibrating with My Partner Yesterday

He had failed to calibrate the van’s equipment so we spent the better part of an hour walking up and down the street in front on my office.  Since it was a glorious New England summer day and I was finally out of the office I didn’t complain although the low confidence I had in this guy sunk to new levels.

When we were finally ready to go he stated we would follow the list in alphabetical order.  I told him that was dumb and that since it was a list of geographic locations it made more sense to do them in bunches instead of driving back and forth.

I eventually prevailed and we got it all done, he was exhausted.  I enjoyed being away from the computer and getting to travel across Worcester.  It really does have some beautiful spots and some very entertaining residents who were out and about in their full glory yesterday.

We finally took delivery of our first fully electric bus yesterday as well.  This was the one I went down to perform the “final” inspection in June.  They were just a little behind schedule. 

Our New Electric Bus - Looks Kinda Cool

Since the Sox were off last night I spent the evening watching the movie Help which was out in a restored version on Blu Ray.  It’s in a word – awesome.  The Beatles looked impossibly young and seeing them actually performing the music I still hear so often on the radio, was extremely nostalgic.  I was transported back the heady days of my youth and Beatle mania.  It helped me remember what all the justifiable fuss was about.