The oh-so-considerate union leadership called a strike at 3 am on Election Day (yesterday, November 3), giving commuters (including me) no opportunity to make alternate arrangements and squandering any sympathy those same commuters might have had for the strikers. Thanks to the intervention of the governor and the mayor, the strike was postponed until after those rich enough to afford World Series tickets but too cheap to pay for parking at the stadium were able to get home from Game 5 in Philadelphia. So those who only ride public transit when the Phillies make it to the World Series were accommodated; those who ride every day were [insert expletive of your choice here].
I now find myself with a 6-mile walk each way, in and out of work. The good news is I have been able to do it in 90 minutes (average rate of 4 mph!), which is much faster than I would have estimated. The bad news is my commuting time is now about two hours longer than it was, and my schedule needs to adjust accordingly. As such, it is unlikely I will have time to post much to this blog until such time as the transit strike is resolved. As of Day 2, no additional talks have taken place (or even been scheduled).