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First Day of School/TGIF

YoursTrulyYoursTruly
edited August 2011
mediocre frazzled performance by yours truly: Check
sweat rings under arms: Check
$175 trimet citation for not having validated MAX ticket: Check

SOMEBODY BUY ME A MARGARITA

Comments

  • Loose_ThreadLoose_Thread
    you roll the dice you pay the price
  • joeyjoey
    Oh man.
    That sounds rough.
    I hope someone did buy you a margarita.
    These hot days make work so hard.
    I just want to stay home in my igloo.
  • MirandaJulyMirandaJuly
    I know. I have been staying home hardcore. Looking forward to next week's weather.
  • DeathDeath
    edited August 2011
    That sucks! Especially since there are only like 3 trimet workers who wander the trains now. The stats were in your favor.
  • the_owlsthe_owls
    I survived a brutal higher education friday as well...

    We were both rewarded with the gyrations of PURPLE AND GREEN at a weird dumpy basement bar, and all was right again!
  • Cherry_PieCherry_Pie
    That is a terrible way to start the school year! I'm so sorry, ZA! Welp, there's nowhere to go but up, right? Also even if you felt like your first class went only so-so I GUARANTEE every one of those students went back to their dorms, smoked a doobie and bragged about their smart, sophisticated, and hilarious prof (you!) and her promise to incorporate comics into the curriculum. (Cool!)

    I will buy you a margarita! With salt and extra tequila! Any time you like!
  • flossy_log_ladyflossy_log_lady
    I, too, have received such a citation. But I think mine was above the $200 level? And I'm confused -- the trimet guy didn't even give you a warning? I deserved my citation, as I had already chalked up a warning. But it's so hard sometimes when you live one stop off the free zone and it's cold and raining and 9:30pm and your train is coming right as you're getting to the station, so if you take the time to buy a ticket you'll have to wait for the next train (and if you hop on, but walk all the way from the last free-zone stop, you will be drenched and ill by the time you make it home)!

    Your first day seems like it went as it should, for a new professor, minus the trimet ticket! You're supposed to be nervous! It means you want to be good, and that's important.
  • YoursTrulyYoursTruly
    the trimet ticket-purchasing situation is truly awful. I really don't understand how it was designed. In every other city with any kind of a train/subway situation, you have a card you just put money on and then swipe to get access to the trains--it takes 2 seconds, is easy, and you just always have your card with you. It's so bizarre to have this weird machine that you have to buy a ticket from, and then sometimes validate it in a different machine, and yeah, exactly, if your train is pulling up and you're supposed to be fumbling around with validating/etc.? It's way too tempting to just hop on the train.

    POOR PITIFUL ME
  • DeathDeath
    edited August 2011
    What school do you work at? I know PSU gives a crazy discount to employees for the flex pass. Maybe your school has a similar deal? It is nice to have one if you use the trains and buses a lot because then you never have to worry about buying anything.
  • lml__0_0__lmllml__0_0__lml
    when are we going to get bart/metro style max cards. maybe they'll be green so i can have 3/7 of a color wheel in my pocket.

    or maybe a little more money can be spent on installing a cashier on the train a'la amsterdam. microchip in the card anyone?
  • MatthewMatthew
    The mark of the beast.
  • 12341234
    I am surprised you didn't get a warning! Sounds like Michael & Alexander need to roll out another Happy Hour...
  • YoursTrulyYoursTruly
    srsly
  • Loose_ThreadLoose_Thread
    I'm sorry I was glib. To prove to you how sorry I am, I look forward to buying you a drink!
  • YoursTrulyYoursTruly
    no glibness apology necessary--I did roll the dice and I did pay the price!
    I couldn't stand the heat but I didn't get out of the kitchen in time
  • UncleBoatShoes2011UncleBoatShoes2011
    Actually, she didn't really roll the dice and pay the price.
    It hasn't been well explained here, and I only found out the true story IRL.

    Zombie Apox bought a ticket to ride the MAX but was unaware that you have to validate the ticket with a separate machine that is next to the ticket selling machine.
    I also was unaware that you had to do this.
    I have seen the validation thingy at the Lombard Max stop (most likely where ZA boarded the train) but there is no clear instructions what its for or when you have to use it.

    This is such a bogus ticket that ZA was given. I should be thrown out. In fact I think I will walk up there and take some pictures of the platform that ZA could use in her fight!
  • Loose_ThreadLoose_Thread
    yeah that really is a different story all together. Thank you for bringing some street justice to the table, UBS.
  • MirandaJulyMirandaJuly
    I'm really surprised she got ticketed for that. One time my validation machine was busted, and I told the ticket checker that and he just wrote the time on the ticket itself. Dude must have been having a really bad day or something.
  • ManInTheIvoryTowerManInTheIvoryTower
    Same exact thing happened to me (non validated ticket) several years ago and resulted in a warning where they take details from my ID so if it happens again they can bust me.

    I thought they finally upgraded those stupid ticket machines to auto-validate single tickets? Did you buy more than one at a time or did they change it again?
  • joeyjoey
    IT'S MONDAY ALREADY.
    DID YOU GET YOUR MARGARITA?
  • YoursTrulyYoursTruly
    bought more than one at a time, that was the problem I guess.
    I feel dumb but also feel the system is very confusing/dumb.
    but "what are you gonna do."

    GOT MY MARGARITA. Just now! It was so delicious!
  • ManInTheIvoryTowerManInTheIvoryTower
    edited August 2011
    The system is very dumb. Single ticket=don't validate. >1 ticket=validate. No obvious pointers to validate. Many times ticket machines don't work* -- the 82nd MAX stop had no functioning ticket machines for months on end when I worked out there. Oh, plus there's fareless square, which requires no tickets and consists of downtown, except not the stadium or Goose Hollow stops, but with the Lloyd Center stops added on. Easy!

    > In every other city with any kind of a train/subway situation, you have a card you just
    > put money on and then swipe to get access to the trains--it takes 2 seconds

    The only way around this with MAX (other than monthly passes which are stupid for anyone that doesn't use trimet 10 times a week) is to buy a bunch of those tickets from the machine (non validated) and stick them in your wallet. You still have to remember to validate but after a while you get so you can run by the validator at a dead run and still punch your ticket on the way to just barely making the train.

    * Your best bet if caught w/o a fare on the MAX is to claim a broken machine at your starting point. This will almost always result in a warning unless you were caught red-footed.
  • lolololo
    One of my first nights in Portland I was given a FREE max ticket to get to the Rose Festival. What a great treat. I didn't even know how precious it iwas. I don't know that I've really bought one since?

    My work used to buy me a pass for free. That's what I used the most. Now I just bike/drive.

    It's so frustrating to find the machine/have exact cash, etc. How do people do it?? Monthly pass is the way to go.
  • freddyfreddy
    TriMet has gotten some negative press for their admittedly infrequent fare inspection, so they recently announced a "no more warnings" policy. I guess they're following through.

    Rimsy, it is true, TriMet's lack of a smart card system is idiotic. They claim that they can't afford to upgrade the whole system...wah, wah.
  • Loose_ThreadLoose_Thread
    Today this issue is an Oregonian front-page story.
  • 12341234
    http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/08/trimet_raises_fares_adds_servi.html
  • Loose_ThreadLoose_Thread
    edited August 2011
    the 1 time I got caught by a fare inspector I was with Marcus E. He beguiled them with his mojo

    'T'was bitchin'
  • MirandaJulyMirandaJuly
    A master of social engineering.
  • MirandaJulyMirandaJuly
    (which was the topic of his speech at OSCON)
  • ManInTheIvoryTowerManInTheIvoryTower
    Heh, Trimet cheaters overwhelm county courthouse, judges make a deal for $50: http://www.katu.com/news/local/129432258.html

    @ZombieApocalypse, mebbe you haven't paid yet?
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