Category: Places

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

My train leaves in about 8 hours and I’m not going to try to nap before taking it. Instead, I’m going to write, about this and that, until I have to close my computer and pack it.

My mother did order DSL through her phone company for me to use because she didn’t want me to be cut off from work while I was in Sandpoint. It’s uncertain if it will work on her wires, and if it doesn’t we might try cable. Regardless, my time is going to be occupied with other things for a time, so these rambling weblog posts might be the last you’ll hear from me for a while. Perhaps when I return, I’ll have wonderous photos of the Snake River and other points to show; a nice change from Missouri.

I’ve tweaked the looks on the site, just enough to refine the header, resize the content and so on. I rather like the header, though I am using a transparent PNG image, which means that it looks solid white in IE. I’ve decided, though, that as long as the text is readable in IE I’ve met my obligations to that browser.

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I called Amtrak to ask about the mysterious extra hour in the schedule, due to Daylight Savings Time ending, and the very nice lady I talked to said that the train actually does stop around 2 in the morning, and waits for time to catch up.

So at 2 in the morning, somewhere in the badlands of North Dakota Minnesota, a lone train will slow and then stop–sitting for an hour on the tracks among the scrub and coyotes, the starry night and the cold, bitter wind.

(Which I guess goes to show that fact is stranger than science fiction.)

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Different perspectives can cloud our perception of what each other is saying. For instance, Amtrak’s baggage rules state that I can take two “carry-on” bags, as well as a “personal” bag on to the train with me. I gnash my teeth and roll in ashes before putting on the sack cloth because of this limitation. I grouse and snit and snarl and point snide fingers at declining ridership and mumble about ‘not providing customer service’, because to me a carry-on is a back pack or a small overnight bag.

But then I actually stop to really look at the dimensions of what Amtrak considers to be a carry-on bag: 28 x 22 x 14 inches. I got out my ruler; my main suitcase is 28 x 21 x 11 inches. Oh. In other words, I can bring on the train what I originally planned on bringing on the train before I got caught up on Amtrak’s use of “carry-on”.

Oh.

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I’ve long been fascinated by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity; the concept of curved space and our galaxy being a marble flowing down and around holes punched into the void via black holes and other objects we probably haven’t even imagined yet.

Most particularly the concept of gravity and speed and their effect on time: imagine it, that you could go fast enough to have time slow until it seems to stop; or until you flatten into goo–no one knows the absolute truth.

I’ll be able to see the Theory of Relativity in action this weekend. According to the train schedule, the Empire Builder always leaves Chicago around 2 in the afternoon and gets into Sandpoint around midnight. However, Sunday morning Daylight Savings Time ends, which means we’ll turn back the clock. But the train still gets into Sandpoint at the exact same time.

I’m trying to figure out what aspect of physics is in play. Do we slow down so that time can pass us by? Or at the dot of 2 in the morning, does the train stop so that time can catch up?

Questions of time aside, I’ve decided not to get any kind of internect connection on the trip, but will instead explore my old town, the new parks, and catch up on my reading when I’m not helping my Mom. When I get back, I’ll be starting a new job: working for Broadband Mechanics with Marc Canter.

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I take the train to Sandpoint this weekend. I’ll be there at least two weeks, possibly a month, maybe even two. I’m trying to work through internet connectivity, but not sure if I’ll be able to get broadband. All the providers insist on year long contracts, so it’s hard to get month to month. It’s hard to get month-to-month just for modem nowadays.

This week I’m trying to get some odds and ends finished, including the code I’ve been working on, the tutorial, and finishing up any remaining work tasks. I’m a bit distracted though,

Right now I’m trying to figure out how I can pack two laptops, a camera, two extra lenses, a couple of books, and enough clothes (not to mention hiking and regular shoes) into two carry-on bags 28 x 22 x 14, and one personal laptop/purse type bag. Tomorrow I’m hitting the store for the Space Saver bags — squish out the bulk.