End of Express

On Wednesday, "The Washington Post" announced that the final publication of its free, daily newspaper, "The Washington Post Express," would be today. Basically, the paper gave the 20 employees at Express and the 75 people who hand papers out at Metro stations throughout the DC area 24 hours notice that they were losing their jobs. This really sucks for them.

The paper started in 2003, and it has been part of my morning commute since I began taking Metro to work in 2005. I’ve made fun of Express over the years and even created an “Express Fail” series, but I always read it. The paper was (I hate writing this is past tense) a good way to catch the headlines of the day. It introduced me to "Pearls Before Swine" and Sudoku and let me know of area events along with articles on sports, television, music, and movies. Plus, the people handing out Express at the Metro stations were almost always friendly. There’s one guy in particular who has distributed newspapers at my station for years, and it’s nice to see him each day. It gives you some comfort and consistency seeing a familiar, welcoming face each day. Today, people were taking pictures with him. I simply thanked him for being outside handing out papers all these years and wished him good luck. He thanked me and shook my hand.

Back to Express, I was honored to have my blog listed several times in its Blog Log feature. This was one such time. It was really exciting, and I have physical copies of them in my home. (Though I’m not exactly sure where. When I find them, it will be a Found in my Basement post.)

The Washington Post seems to blame Metro ridership for Express going out of business. Not the number of riders (which would make some sense), but the habits of riders constantly looking at their phones and not picking up the paper. I'm not sure that I completely buy this rationale and feel like it has to be more of an economic decision.

I guess that I’ll use my commuting time reading books more and catching up on The Washington Post Magazine. It would be great if something similar took its place (or The Post changed its mind) though giving away free newspapers may not be a good business model in 2019. Plus, what's going to happen to all of these yellow boxes throughout the area?

I’m definitely going to miss Express.

Steelers Superstitions

The Super Bowl is now only a few days away. While many of us probably believe the success of the Steelers on Sunday comes down to Ben Roethlisberger, the performance of the offensive line and the team’s ability to contain Aaron Rodgers and the Packers wide receivers, some of us think differently. Whether it is wearing a specific item of clothing, shaving or not shaving, or watching the game at a certain location, if you’re a superstitious person, the Steelers winning the Super Bowl is up to you/us.

I asked a select group of Steelers fans to share their superstitions. Enjoy!

Gobo (@immaterialevent)

Our living room has shutters on the interior windows. Two Terrible Towels, one black, one gold, hang on the shutters nearest to the TV. The year we moved into the house was 2005, and of course the Steelers won the Super Bowl. The towels have not moved since.

Also, just after halftime of the playoff game against the Ravens, I took off my old Steelers sweatshirt (I was wearing a Steelers T-shirt underneath), just before the Ray Rice fumble that started the comeback. Needless to say, the sweatshirt is in exactly the place I discarded it that night, and if they win the Superbowl, I will throw it away and never wear it again. I kept the T-shirt on for the Ravens comeback, and also wore it during the Jets game. I will obviously wear it on Sunday.

Nick

This is not so much a superstition as it is a courtesy gesture, but I NEVER call my dad while the Steeler game is on for fear of influencing the outcome in an unpleasant way.

Ngewo of Ngewo's World

I really do not have any superstitions except for the jersey I wear to watch the game. If the Steelers lose with a certain jersey, I do not wear it again. I have not touched my Heath Miller jersey since the Saints game...I will be wearing my Timmons jersey for the Super Bowl because that is the one I wore for the Jets and Ravens playoff games.

Kipper of Pittsburgh Sports Tavern

I have a few superstitions and usually they vary from year to year. One of the main constants has been watching the game alone. I can’t watch a Steelers game with someone else without the Steelers losing. We are 0-5 when I do this since 2008. This Sunday, I’ll be watching it by myself. I have a particular long sleeved Superbowl XL shirt that I’ve worn most of the season and am undefeated in. That shirt will be worn proudly on Sunday. My wife isn’t permitted to watch the game. She started watching the Jets game after half time and then stopped watching it mid way through the 4th Quarter.

That is it. I tried to be inconsistent with things regarding time, drink and food so I wouldn’t kill myself with repetition this year and got lucky for a change, especially compared to 2008, where I had a about a dozen game and pre-game rituals.

(Pearls Before Swine = Best Current Comic Strip)

Donald of Steelers Today

I definitely believe that fans can influence the outcome of the game. Some may call it "superstition", but I'm certain that my actions have the potential to jinx the Steelers. Therefore, I follow a very specific routine to give the Steelers the greatest chance of winning.

I don't shower or bathe during the week of a Steelers' game. Back in 1993 I took a shower right before a Steelers' game, and they ended up losing the game. I'm certain that my shower caused the loss. So I stopped showering on the day of games. Then in 1995, I took a shower 2 days before a Steelers game, and they lost. Since then, I just decided to avoid showering or bathing during the entire week prior to a Steelers game.

I get a bit malodorous during the season, but it's a small sacrifice to make for the Steelers. (Sean’s Note: I really hope this isn’t true.)

Rob

I have crazy long hair for me (longest I've ever had it), I badly need a haircut, and I will not get my hair cut until after the superbowl. I am afraid to jinx the Steelers and most importantly Polamalu's play.

Dan of DanNation

During the Divisional game against the Ravens, I had my football on the couch with me, but I wasn't holding it during the first half. At the start of the second half, with the Steelers trailing by 14, I started holding the football in my lap. As the Steelers mounted their furious comeback, I was told by others in the room that I wasn't allowed to move it. I held it in the same position for the rest of that game, and during the bulk of the AFC Championship game. No reason to stop now.

Sean of Sean’s Ramblings

I always wear my Louis Lipps jersey and Heinz pickle watch and have my Terrible Towel with me for any big Steeler game. This has worked well over the years. I also generally wear a different watch during the week using the Heinz pickle watch for game days. The battery of the other watch died last month, so I’ve been wearing the pickle watch everyday. I refuse to replace the battery of the other watch since the Steelers have been on a roll since I started wearing the pickle watch daily. Some may call this laziness; I call it good luck for the Steelers!

I also plan on watching the game at our friends’ house. I watched the last two Steelers Super Bowls with them as well as game 7 of the Pens-Red Wings Stanley Cup finals. As soon as the Steelers won the AFC Championship game, it was a given that I would watch the game at their house.

Christmas Ape of D.C. Steeler Nation

Sorry, part of the superstition is not telling what the superstitions are until after the season is over.


Feel free to share your own superstitions in the comments section below. Go Steelers!

New Express Fail

I’ve written several times over the past few years about how the Express newspaper is part of my daily commute. It’s a good source for headlines, highlights of area events, and entertainment news. It’s also fun to find errors which occur regularly in the paper. Usually, the errors involve spacing problems or articles that end in the middle of the sentence, but there are sometimes larger mistakes like claiming that Kennywood is in Philadelphia.

Yesterday’s edition featured a new type of error. Click on the picture to see if you can find it.

2009 Fantasy Football Question

Since I’ve been spending way too much time with my fantasy football leagues lately, I thought I would ask a question to anyone else who is also obsessed.

For the 2009 fantasy football league season, who would be the top 5 picks?

Does the consensus 2008 #1 pick, LaDainian Tomlinson, make the list? How about Michael Turner? Feel free to include (or not include) an explanation of your top 5 in the comments. At the very least, enjoy the following Pearls Before Swine strip:

Fairfax Connector Fare Increase Proposal

I feel like I’m up on my current events. I read the Express everyday so I can discuss Pearls Before Swine and the Blog Log with everyone on the Metro. (You should hear the deliberations as the entire car solves the Sudoku puzzle together!) I generally watch the first 20 minutes of Good Morning America and read the headlines on both the Washington Post and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette websites. However, I’m in my own little bubble when it comes to local news. I usually have no idea what’s going on in the DC area unless someone tells me.

So when my colleague asked me about the proposed fare increase on Fairfax Connector buses, which I ride to and from work everyday, I had no idea what she was talking about. Perhaps it’s that bubble thing, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about this. When Metro fares or Metrobus fares go up, the news seems to be everywhere. While the 20,000 Connector riders a day is much smaller than those who use Metro and Metrobus, this is still a fairly significant number.

I visited the Fairfax Connector website, and sure enough, it looks like the fares are going up. The proposed increase would take effect on January 4, 2009 and would be the first increase since 2004. After a little digging, I found that Robert Thomson, AKA Dr. Gridlock, also posted information and his thoughts about the increase on his Washington Post Get There blog. My question is this: are the Fairfax Connector folks going to let its riders know about the hearings set to get public comments on the proposal? I posed this question to Dr. Gridlock, but he didn’t know whether there would be flyers or posters on the buses to inform us passengers. I guess I could have contacted Fairfax Connector about this but, well, asking one person was too much for one day.

For more information about the proposed fare increase visit the Fairfax Connector website, or do what I didn’t and actually contact them with any questions or comments.

Oh, if there are any other Fairfax Connector riders out there who happen to read this, did you know about the increase prior to seeing it here? It would be really cool if Sideburn Guy or Smoking Man read my blog.