On a sad note, Biggie the cat was put to sleep on March 18, 2003 after complications with her kidneys and liver. She was over nine years old. Biggie was the official mascot of the TransitCat web site, and will be missed.

We're sneaking up on 34th st Penn Station as I write this. Even the train feels groggy this morning. NY seems quiet today. Must be an early weekend. Both my kids slept through the night for the first time in many days, so I'm ready to go with over 6 consecutive hours of sleep. I guess only parents and medical residents really understand what that means!
Now I can get back to my TransitXML design. Still tempted to use TIGER GIS tlid's as identifiers for encoding bus routes, rather than actual latitude--streets matter more to users.

On the subways and trains, and in many other places around NYC today, the National Guard is posting heavily armed soldiers. Tunnels and bridges, cities and towns are preparing for circumstances we all hope never come to pass. Despite the circumstances and arguments regarding this week's war in Iraq, and the debate over the importance of the region's oil in our current actions, it canot be disputed that our nation is too reliant on petroleum from uncertain and unreliable sources. Even marginal increases in public transportation use nationally will reduce our need to import oil, and reduce the money we send to nations who engage in human rights abuses, oppression, and even ultimately finance terrorism. Even if you do not have access to transit, you can look at carpooling, and more careful planning of automobile trips to reduce gas consumption. Buy groceries in bulk and pick up milk and produce on the way home from work. Walk or bike sometimes and enjoy the weather. I neither plan to own an SUV, nor plan to bash those who do, but we should try to put ourselves on a monthly budget for gas, and make every trip count. If the price of gas falls at the pump, don't just assume you should go ahead and drive more. This is a long and difficult journey we're on, and it's not going to be over any time soon.