HOT Lanes and Planned Tolls

I have been an advocate of tolls for quite some time and it's nice that people are going to be able to pay for the roads they drive on as opposed to the government trying to raise all the road funds through general taxes.
If I was in charge I would toll I-90 heading west in Bellevue and 520 heading West in Kirkland. I would also toll 99 in Fremont and South Seattle.


From the times (click link for full article)

Highway 167 isn't the only place where the state's transportation policy-makers are flirting with tolls.

Motorists will pay to cross the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, now under construction. It's a foregone conclusion among state and local officials that tolls will be imposed to pay part of the cost of replacing the Highway 520 bridge. New lanes on Interstate 405 could be managed as HOT lanes.

"I think the [Alaskan Way] Viaduct's going to have to have tolls on it, too," said Bruce Agnew of the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank, pointing to the likely gap between available tax revenues and the $4 billion cost of replacing the aging bridge with a tunnel.

I am reading this book now and it's hilarious

Yes, I hate the Yankees too.

Jereome

Survivor

From EW:

As for catty Katie, she's starting to become pretty damn annoying. True, it was funny when she mentioned that ''We can't get a female alliance because Caryn sucks,'' but her gossipy playground tone is really wearing thin. (Speaking of which, Jenna Morasca is convinced Katie is the first Survivor contestant ever to actually gain weight playing the game. Just wanted to throw that out there. Feel free to discuss among yourselves.)

My prediction for the next great movie

Angie and Dog make paper!

Death Cab on the OC Tonight

The Office

How funny was tonight's episode?

I was cracking up when he told the latino guy that they would use him come baseball season or for boxing.

Renew PJ Today

New Link to Save Arrested Development

Click it. Love it. Live it.

Cale Rocks!

The Pagets

The group finale.

All the lovely ladies.

Angels!

I just want to scream...Hello!

Cabin Fever Shirt!

Mr. and Mrs. Paget

Save Arrested Development and the Office

Please!!!!

Survivor Banter

Dead Woman Walking, or Ddub for short, is the nickname of my survivor, who I am shocked to say is still alive. Sad to see Kobe go...I actually thought he brought some good drama.

Is anyone watching this show? I am not necessarily dedicated to it, but shouldn't someone who has Stephanie, or Tom, or the Dances with Dolphins guy be talking trash to everyone?

We did bet on this didn't we? Who wants to take me for $5 that Janu outlasts their survivor. I will take all bets posted on this blog site. Bring it!

This is something for the ladies

Lost

More discussion of the radio transmission (what was really said and who said it)

Further reading on the ABC discussion board indicates that the "clarified" radio transmission was added on April 1, so it may be nothing more than a decoy. Though the audio heard on that sample clearly says "We are..." it is not the same audio that aired and which CC cleary indicated as "There were no..." It was deliberatley made obscure by the show's creators to engender exactly this type of discussion.

Random Thoughts

Random thought for today:

The new Beck album, Guero, is his most fun album since Odelay. It sounds very similar to that album and Mellow Gold with a touch of One Foot in the Grave's randomness. The Dust Brothers are producing Beck again and the result is a very cool "put this in at a party" type album. Anyway, if you like Beck at all, you will LOVE this. 100%.

24: They frickin blew up Air Force One!!! This show has balls.

The Office
Dwight:"Now who here has an inverted penis"
woman worker: "I have an inverted Vagina"

Dwight:"Who has anal fizzures... that's not a real disease?"
Stocky worker:"Some people have it (looks at camera embarressed)"

I am really digging the Kaiser Chiefs, new Doves, and Bloc Party records in addition to the Beck album. There is some really good stuff out there now that doesn't look or sound like Green Day rip-offs. I would rather hear Clash rip-offs anytime anyway. Oh wait, Green Day ripped off the Clash too. Why do I like Green Day (some punk posers) and hate all the people who want to look and sound like Green Day? It's all the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Joy Division, and the Clash anyway.

Anyone seen The Great Escape? It's a 1963 movie about an escape from a POW prison camp in Poland during World War II. It has James Garner, James Coburn, and the magnificent Steve McQueen. The motorcycle chase at the end of the movie is one of the most exhilerating pieces of cinema of all time and worth the price of the DVD alone. If you get a chance to rent it from Netflix I think you will really dig it.

I went to the M's game last night with The Peach. Seeing Beltre and Sesson up close was quite a treat. Seeing Matt Thornton pitch was the opposite of a treat. It was more like someone taking away a treat. At this point I am hoping we are within striking distance at the All-Star break, but who knows, we might surprise a few people if our pitching reverts to 2001-2003 form. That's a big if.

Rachelle and I took in The Upside of Anger on Friday. It stars Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in his funniest performance since Tin Cup. We really liked it, but I think I would recommend it as a matinee or DVD rental because it is a tad slow at times.

Lost is on tonight. Can't wait. Keep an ear open for all of those numbers. They must mean something!

Bloc Party is on Letterman tonight.

Shawn Kemp

Kemp jailed for investigation of drug possession