Ghost In The WMATA Machine

Something spammy this way comes

As someone who occasionally has to ride the DC area public transit system, I signed up for email alerts from WMATA, the transit authority than runs the oft-plagued system.

Since yesterday, I’ve received 22 email “alerts” from them.

Not one of them has anything to do with delays or the lack thereof on any of the Metro lines.

Instead, they invite me to:

… take advantage of “killer prices” on certain prescription drugs,

… help (someone) steer clear of possible suicide, and – this is the best -

… enlarge an anatomical appendage I do not possess.

They’re pretty funny, actually.

I’ve been deleting them without clicking through to the oh-so-tempting URLs they contain, but am waiting to see if something even more creative comes around.

I’m assuming that there is a ghost in WMATA’s machine

or that Dr. Evil has hijacked WMATA’s email alert system, which is actually quite helpful … when it works.

I tried tweeting @wmata, but with no joy.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised since they use Twitter to primarily broadcast information on line disruptions.

Because, of course, that’s how we should ALL be using social media… as a form of one-way communication!

(You know I’m joking, right?)

I’ve tried to let WMATA know by filling out their “contact us” form, but don’t expect a reply to that any time soon.

I did, however, ask @unsuckdcmetro if he (she?) had heard anything about this.

Turns out, I’m not the only one whom Metro delays and fare hikes apparently have sagging.

Now WMATA just has to find out about it. And fix it.

Oh!

Another one just came through.

It says:

“Stop sending harassing messages. No more emails from you.”

Guess I’ve been put in my place.

Image: DC Metro People via Flickr, CC 2.0

Filed under Social Media | Tags: spam emails, unsuckdcmetro, wmata | Comment (1)

Weekly Roundup: Around The World

Tura-lura-Luray

By the time you read this, I will be on my way to Virginia’s Luray Caverns. Maybe I’ll even come back with photos like this one.

Let me rephrase that. I hope I will be on my way to Luray Caverns.

This assumes that while I was sipping my morning tea on my deck, Back Yard Squirrel hasn’t chucked an acorn or several my way to brain me into buying a new bird feeder he can get into.

He broke the last one. Cheeky little booger, isn’t he?

Anyway.

Assuming BYS did not brain me, and assuming I am on my way, I thought I’d leave you with seven great travel-oriented blog posts to whet your wanderlust.

See, I love traveling. Road trips are the best.

I haven’t done a proper road trip since last year’s homage to country music/Elvis, so the prospect of the relatively short – yet not too short – drive to LC has me drooling like a mariachi in a music store.

Fasten your seat belts. Off we go.

1. Passports with Purpose 2010 – Travel Bloggers Raising Money Together, from Chris Gray Faust‘s Chris Around the World.

Why: Peregrination + philanthropy using social media = paradise.

2. British holidays are not that bad, from Darren Cronian‘s Travel Rants.

Why: If I could, I’d make every holiday a British holiday. But I thought this was a great reminder of how fun times can be had without going halfway around the world (like Luray Caverns, heh).

3. Dealing with ants in your house in Thailand, from I Travel About.

Why: Forget about Thailand, I periodically get ants here.

4. Pet travel lessons learned from one couple’s DIY pet move, from PetRelocation.com.

Why: PetRelocation is a great resource for folks who like (or need) to travel with their pets. Plus, they were stellar at trying to help me find an orphaned German Shepherd a home last year.

5. Pitfalls on travel writing from the road, from the Travel Tart.

Why: It’s funny. And it’s a good reminder of what not to take for granted.

6. Cow in a car, from April Wendy Hollands’ Le Franco Phoney.

Why: The photo says it all.

7. The Shrink-Wrapped Traveler, by Eric Weiner from World Hum.

Why: The Geography of Bliss is a great book. And this is a great read on why we travel… and why, at the end of the day, we all need some place that feels like home.

So. Where are you going next?

Image: Flickr user John Menard, CC 2.0

Filed under Weekly Roundup | Tags: luray caverns, travel | Comment (1)

Bloop Bloop: The Conference Call

Thanks to my friend Kami Huyse for pointing me to this in the spirit of keeping the laughter going.

After I watched it, I LOL‘d, LMAO‘d and ROFL‘d following the LMAOing.

The beauty of acronyms, eh?

If you’ve ever suffered through conference calls (and who among us hasn’t?), I think you’ll enjoy this.

Happy Saturday!

Filed under Personal | Tags: conference call, humor | Comment (0)