Ostrich...
...tastes like really tender beef.
That is all.
That is all.
The ongoing saga of Comcast
On Feb 25, Comcast lost points with me.
Later that day, they got most of them back.
Today, they have again lost all the goodwill points they started with, all the ones they earned back, and a whole lot more besides.
( Read more... )
So, here's my final question: Comcast, if you've been hearing these complaints from multiple people, why aren't they fixed? All of this grief could have been averted by giving the initial installer a short checklist to run down. Had he asked me: "do you also have phone service with us? Yes? Ok, let me set that up...ok, do you want call forwarding? Yes? Ok, let me set that up. [etc]", then none of this would have happened. 10-15 minutes of his time a week or so ago would have saved 1-2 hours of your customer support peoples' time since then. Multiply that out by lots of customers and it means you need fewer customer reps, fewer phone lines into the call center, etc.
Final wrap up: call forwarding finally ended up activated, so the buzzer is working. It's been such a negative experience, however, that I am seriously considering canceling the Comcast phone service and getting a TossableDigits number--it would also be significantly cheaper ($7/month as opposed to (IIRC) about $20), and the overall experience would be enormously better. I'll wait until at least tomorrow though, after UPS delivers today.
Later that day, they got most of them back.
Today, they have again lost all the goodwill points they started with, all the ones they earned back, and a whole lot more besides.
( Read more... )
So, here's my final question: Comcast, if you've been hearing these complaints from multiple people, why aren't they fixed? All of this grief could have been averted by giving the initial installer a short checklist to run down. Had he asked me: "do you also have phone service with us? Yes? Ok, let me set that up...ok, do you want call forwarding? Yes? Ok, let me set that up. [etc]", then none of this would have happened. 10-15 minutes of his time a week or so ago would have saved 1-2 hours of your customer support peoples' time since then. Multiply that out by lots of customers and it means you need fewer customer reps, fewer phone lines into the call center, etc.
Final wrap up: call forwarding finally ended up activated, so the buzzer is working. It's been such a negative experience, however, that I am seriously considering canceling the Comcast phone service and getting a TossableDigits number--it would also be significantly cheaper ($7/month as opposed to (IIRC) about $20), and the overall experience would be enormously better. I'll wait until at least tomorrow though, after UPS delivers today.
Wow. Ok, Comcast wins back significant points.
Yesterday, I was grumbling about some communication problems with Comcast. Imagine my surprise this morning to get a response from Mark Casem, National Customer Operations guy from Comcast.
Simply by responding, Mark defused a lot of my irritation. Yay for using the power of the Internet for good.
Furthermore, in my grumblings I had mentioned my discovery of WebPass, another ISP in SFran which offers 45Mbps up&down for $45/month--about 4x faster on the upload side and about 12x faster on the download than the cable modem service I have from Comcast, all for about the same price. The way WebPass can do this is that they run their entire network on Ethernet, meaning they only support buildings that have cable drops into the units (which does not include mine) Mark offered to find a package or promotion that would match WebPass.
Personally, I don't think this is physically possible; I suspect that Mark is a very nice guy who works in customer relations, not in tech. I asked him about it anyway because I would LOVE to have a pipe that wide. Even if it turns out to not be possible, let's see what comes back.
Below is the full text of the email I sent Mark. Gotta give him props--just by sending one email, he earned a lot of goodwill back for Comcast.
( The letter I sent )
Simply by responding, Mark defused a lot of my irritation. Yay for using the power of the Internet for good.
Furthermore, in my grumblings I had mentioned my discovery of WebPass, another ISP in SFran which offers 45Mbps up&down for $45/month--about 4x faster on the upload side and about 12x faster on the download than the cable modem service I have from Comcast, all for about the same price. The way WebPass can do this is that they run their entire network on Ethernet, meaning they only support buildings that have cable drops into the units (which does not include mine) Mark offered to find a package or promotion that would match WebPass.
Personally, I don't think this is physically possible; I suspect that Mark is a very nice guy who works in customer relations, not in tech. I asked him about it anyway because I would LOVE to have a pipe that wide. Even if it turns out to not be possible, let's see what comes back.
Below is the full text of the email I sent Mark. Gotta give him props--just by sending one email, he earned a lot of goodwill back for Comcast.
( The letter I sent )
Pointers for hard-to-source electronics / peripherals?
I've been using a SmartBoard USB5000 ergonomic keyboard for about 7 years now...the same keyboard. It is the best keyboard I've ever used; it is the magic "no more hand / wrist pain" bullet. Needing to function without it for a long period is a non-starter; I actually carried in with me to San Fran in my luggage, because I wasn't willing to wait to have it shipped out later.
Problem: it's starting to shed keycaps and sooner or later it's going to be non-func.
Bigger problem: DataDesk itself is...shaky. Their online store is offline and has been for ages. Their phone number gets answered by another company and then you hit an extension to get to DataDesk, which doesn't generally answer. I've been trying to locate a vendor somewhere and I'm coming up empty. Anyone got any pointers to companies that source hard-to-find electronics?
Problem: it's starting to shed keycaps and sooner or later it's going to be non-func.
Bigger problem: DataDesk itself is...shaky. Their online store is offline and has been for ages. Their phone number gets answered by another company and then you hit an extension to get to DataDesk, which doesn't generally answer. I've been trying to locate a vendor somewhere and I'm coming up empty. Anyone got any pointers to companies that source hard-to-find electronics?
Entry tags:
For your amusement
"At seven hundred freaking degrees, fluorine starts to dissociate into monoatomic radicals, thereby losing its gentle and forgiving nature."
From here--worth the read. (For non-chemists: even at room temperature, elemental fluorine is the most pathologically reactive chemical in existence. It requires special lab gear because it will bond to virtually anything, meaning it will strip the insides off glassware / stoppers / etc.)
Update: Out of curiosity, was reading the comments on that blog (also worth reading!) and did some googling / link following as a result. Found this chemistry book: 409 pages, costs $4,880! (No, that is not a typo: ~$12 per page!) I knew that textbooks were expensive, but good lord!
From here--worth the read. (For non-chemists: even at room temperature, elemental fluorine is the most pathologically reactive chemical in existence. It requires special lab gear because it will bond to virtually anything, meaning it will strip the insides off glassware / stoppers / etc.)
Update: Out of curiosity, was reading the comments on that blog (also worth reading!) and did some googling / link following as a result. Found this chemistry book: 409 pages, costs $4,880! (No, that is not a typo: ~$12 per page!) I knew that textbooks were expensive, but good lord!
Sweet and savory omlettes, domestic intruders
Sunday evening someone unlocked my front door and walked in.
It was a young lady...late 20s, early 30s. Dark hair, big sunglasses of the "hide my wildly dilated pupils" type, reasonably well dressed and attractive (albeit in a mildly skanky bar-scene way) if it weren't for the fact that she stank like a distillery and was clearly three sheets to the wind.
We had a bit of discussion about what she was doing in my apartment ("Oh...I guess...I'm in the the wrong apartment...."), why she had a key (no answer, blank hostile stare), what her name was (no answer, blank hostile stare), and then I put her out the door. She went next door and started knocking. After about 20 minutes of this, I went out to see what was going on. She was still out there, still trying to unlock the door with a key that clearly didn't fit the lock, banging on the door, and calling out for "Adam" and "Kat".
Now, the guy who lives next door is named Mr. Singh. He's 50ish, Indian-complected, works at an Indian restaurant, and wears a turban--so I'd give high odds that his first name is not "Adam" and he's not a friend of this drunk twit. I talk to the twit a bit more, still get blank hostile stares when I ask for her name until I used the magic word ("police") at which point she shows me her license. Michele Ochoa (Ochda? Couldn't quite read it), you really should drink less--you don't have the judgement to know when to stop. We talk a bit more, she comes up with a series of lame excuses ("I just want to get some water", "I'm just going to go inside and go to sleep") and then incants the spell of Slay Sympathy: "I just want to get high and have a good time."
At about this point, she realizes that this conversation is not going well and I'm not inclined to let her stick around, at which point she tries to be more friendly, introducing herself and even trying to drape herself on me (ewww). I told her she needed to leave. She refused, I used the magic word again, she left.
After the fact, I found myself wondering if it was entirely ethical to let an intoxicated woman walk off like that. Then I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it because (a) she made her bed and she can lie in it and (b) it had been about 30 mins since she stumbled into my apartment and she was clearly more sober than she had been. Besides, this isn't exactly a bad neighborhood.
I can only chalk this one up to "Welcome to San Francisco, here's your bowl of nuts and flakes."
Anyway, I had my locks changed the next day. Which leaves just one question: what the hell was this woman doing with keys to my apartment?
In more positive news, I discovered this morning that cheddar cheese + spinach + blackberry jelly makes a delicious sweet-n-savory omlette.
It was a young lady...late 20s, early 30s. Dark hair, big sunglasses of the "hide my wildly dilated pupils" type, reasonably well dressed and attractive (albeit in a mildly skanky bar-scene way) if it weren't for the fact that she stank like a distillery and was clearly three sheets to the wind.
We had a bit of discussion about what she was doing in my apartment ("Oh...I guess...I'm in the the wrong apartment...."), why she had a key (no answer, blank hostile stare), what her name was (no answer, blank hostile stare), and then I put her out the door. She went next door and started knocking. After about 20 minutes of this, I went out to see what was going on. She was still out there, still trying to unlock the door with a key that clearly didn't fit the lock, banging on the door, and calling out for "Adam" and "Kat".
Now, the guy who lives next door is named Mr. Singh. He's 50ish, Indian-complected, works at an Indian restaurant, and wears a turban--so I'd give high odds that his first name is not "Adam" and he's not a friend of this drunk twit. I talk to the twit a bit more, still get blank hostile stares when I ask for her name until I used the magic word ("police") at which point she shows me her license. Michele Ochoa (Ochda? Couldn't quite read it), you really should drink less--you don't have the judgement to know when to stop. We talk a bit more, she comes up with a series of lame excuses ("I just want to get some water", "I'm just going to go inside and go to sleep") and then incants the spell of Slay Sympathy: "I just want to get high and have a good time."
At about this point, she realizes that this conversation is not going well and I'm not inclined to let her stick around, at which point she tries to be more friendly, introducing herself and even trying to drape herself on me (ewww). I told her she needed to leave. She refused, I used the magic word again, she left.
After the fact, I found myself wondering if it was entirely ethical to let an intoxicated woman walk off like that. Then I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it because (a) she made her bed and she can lie in it and (b) it had been about 30 mins since she stumbled into my apartment and she was clearly more sober than she had been. Besides, this isn't exactly a bad neighborhood.
I can only chalk this one up to "Welcome to San Francisco, here's your bowl of nuts and flakes."
Anyway, I had my locks changed the next day. Which leaves just one question: what the hell was this woman doing with keys to my apartment?
In more positive news, I discovered this morning that cheddar cheese + spinach + blackberry jelly makes a delicious sweet-n-savory omlette.
Conversation with avivasedai...
Me: Since moving to California, I have learned: The warm is a LIE!!!!
Her: Dave...even though you are living in San Francisco, land of gay unicorns and rainbows....IT'S STILL **WINTER**!
*snerk*
Her: Dave...even though you are living in San Francisco, land of gay unicorns and rainbows....IT'S STILL **WINTER**!
*snerk*
It's always the simple stuff
I've been pounding my head on an issue with a template for a goodly while now. Couldn't figure out why the tabs were not appearing properly. I was checking everything...was it the wrapper, the logic, a mis-setting, a mis-structuring of the data representation?
Nope. I wrote "c.conf" instead of "c.config". Repeatedly failed to notice it because I was looking for The Big Mistake. Argh.
Anyway, it's working now and I'm very pleased.
Nope. I wrote "c.conf" instead of "c.config". Repeatedly failed to notice it because I was looking for The Big Mistake. Argh.
Anyway, it's working now and I'm very pleased.
IMPORTANT! An apology and a warning to all my LJ friends
Folks,
I have just discovered that I have leaked some of your real names and / or email addresses and linked them to your LJ names due to a misbehaving Firefox addon. I am very, very embarrassed about this, and apologize profusely. I've done what I can to eliminate the damage and it appears to have been minimal.
The problem was with the Firefox addon LJWho. DO NOT use this addon in the future or you'll be writing your own similarly-embarrassed letter to friends! The short answer is that some of your names and/or emails were displayed as "title" attributes in links in my posts. I've removed them, removed LJWho, and the issue won't recur.
( What happened, what I've done, and more )
I have just discovered that I have leaked some of your real names and / or email addresses and linked them to your LJ names due to a misbehaving Firefox addon. I am very, very embarrassed about this, and apologize profusely. I've done what I can to eliminate the damage and it appears to have been minimal.
The problem was with the Firefox addon LJWho. DO NOT use this addon in the future or you'll be writing your own similarly-embarrassed letter to friends! The short answer is that some of your names and/or emails were displayed as "title" attributes in links in my posts. I've removed them, removed LJWho, and the issue won't recur.
( What happened, what I've done, and more )
Surreal conversations...
(Conversation is happening on Friday.)
"Hi, I need to put in a maintenance request form because my heat is not working for the second time in two days."
"Oh, well...I guess we could try to fix it Monday. Oh wait, no--Monday is a holiday."
To a certain extent, I know I'm spoiled from living in a doorman building with a live-in super who was very responsive. And California is not as cold as the East Coast so absence of heat is uncomfortable, not life-threatening. But...seriously? No concern at all?
(Edit: When pressed, he was willing to submit a special request form, but he made no promises.)
"Hi, I need to put in a maintenance request form because my heat is not working for the second time in two days."
"Oh, well...I guess we could try to fix it Monday. Oh wait, no--Monday is a holiday."
To a certain extent, I know I'm spoiled from living in a doorman building with a live-in super who was very responsive. And California is not as cold as the East Coast so absence of heat is uncomfortable, not life-threatening. But...seriously? No concern at all?
(Edit: When pressed, he was willing to submit a special request form, but he made no promises.)
Good news, bad news...
Good news: I'm in the apartment!
Bad news: The rugs are not yet 100% dry from being cleaned yesterday, so I have to have all the windows open and it's freezing.
Good news: I bought two futons and theywill be arriving sometime in the next hour! just arrived.
Bad news: I will need to put them together myself, and I don't have any tools. I'm hoping these are the kind that only needs an allen wrench and a cheapie one will come in the box. [UPDATE: Yep, they are.]
Bad news: The rugs are not yet 100% dry from being cleaned yesterday, so I have to have all the windows open and it's freezing.
Good news: I bought two futons and they
Bad news: I will need to put them together myself, and I don't have any tools. I'm hoping these are the kind that only needs an allen wrench and a cheapie one will come in the box. [UPDATE: Yep, they are.]
Entry tags:
Lazy thinking wins again
In my previous post, I mentioned the excessive terms of the contract for the apartment I'm looking at and my attempts to get it modified. Well, this morning they told me to pound sand; fortunately, after talking with them a bit on the phone I believe I found a compromise that works for everyone, so I can still take possession tomorrow.
( Read more... )
I'm considering starting up some sort of online community for discussion of stupid contracts like this--maybe something like a DailyWTF where people would contribute stupid contract clauses that they have seen. In my wilder fantasies, this would grow into an actual movement to reform the legal profession's approach to contracts and to convince people to think about what they write / sign...but that's probably a bit bigger than I really want to tackle right now.
What do y'all think? Would you find such a site interesting for the occasional browse? If so, maybe I'll do something easy and cheap, like fire up a PBWiki for it.
( Read more... )
I'm considering starting up some sort of online community for discussion of stupid contracts like this--maybe something like a DailyWTF where people would contribute stupid contract clauses that they have seen. In my wilder fantasies, this would grow into an actual movement to reform the legal profession's approach to contracts and to convince people to think about what they write / sign...but that's probably a bit bigger than I really want to tackle right now.
What do y'all think? Would you find such a site interesting for the occasional browse? If so, maybe I'll do something easy and cheap, like fire up a PBWiki for it.
Entry tags:
And the lawyers foil me again
It never ceases to amaze me what people put in their contracts. Today I got a fresh example of this. I went to the main office of Trinity Management Services at 333 Bay St, San Francisco, CA, 94133 in order to sign a contract for one of their properties. The package they gave me was more than twenty pages, including the various appendages (e.g. lead paint, mold, bed bugs, rules and regulations, etc). There were a number of problems, most of which were just issues with the wording, not with the intent, and I was able to sort those out with the leasing agent. Unfortunately, there was one dealbreaker that we could not resolve, so I wasn't able to sign. They've kicked it upstairs to management, who will look at it tomorrow and get back to me.
( See the specifics... )
The part that frustrates me is that I know I could just sign this and then ignore the stupid wording, follow the intent (which I would do anyway), and I'd be fine. That feels like breaking my word, though--I'm signing a legally binding contract that says I will (not) do something, and then I'm breaking that commitment. It should not be up to me to interpret what they **meant**, it should be up to them to write their meaning into the contract in the first place.
So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.
( See the specifics... )
The part that frustrates me is that I know I could just sign this and then ignore the stupid wording, follow the intent (which I would do anyway), and I'd be fine. That feels like breaking my word, though--I'm signing a legally binding contract that says I will (not) do something, and then I'm breaking that commitment. It should not be up to me to interpret what they **meant**, it should be up to them to write their meaning into the contract in the first place.
So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Entry tags:
Day three: I have an apartment!
Went to see an apartment today. Bleh. Pass.
Went to see another--studio, not too spendy, Dolores St near Market. Nice, but too small and didn't have a full fridge. Pass, regretfully--the neighborhood was *amazing*. As I was leaving, the property manager mentioned a 1-br in the adjacent building. It was slightly outside my intended price but still something I could afford so I went for a look. Much more space, full fridge, big kitchen, *wood burning fireplace*! Downsides: not ideal on natural light but decent, the closet doors are a bit chintzy so I worry about them breaking and it was built in '63 so uses fuses, not circuit breakers so I may hit issues if I run too many appliances together. These are all manageable so I took it. They ran my application in a few hours and just informed me that I'm in--huzzah!
I can move in Tuesday. Whee!
Went to see another--studio, not too spendy, Dolores St near Market. Nice, but too small and didn't have a full fridge. Pass, regretfully--the neighborhood was *amazing*. As I was leaving, the property manager mentioned a 1-br in the adjacent building. It was slightly outside my intended price but still something I could afford so I went for a look. Much more space, full fridge, big kitchen, *wood burning fireplace*! Downsides: not ideal on natural light but decent, the closet doors are a bit chintzy so I worry about them breaking and it was built in '63 so uses fuses, not circuit breakers so I may hit issues if I run too many appliances together. These are all manageable so I took it. They ran my application in a few hours and just informed me that I'm in--huzzah!
I can move in Tuesday. Whee!
Entry tags:
Second day of apartment hunting
Today, I have been doing the things that didn't get done yesterday. I found a place that was still selling monthly muni passes and got one, went to the post office and got a bunch of money orders so that, when the time comes, I can say to any of these landlords "Here's first, last, security, and a couple extra months on top of it, all in cash. Can I move in now?" I also found a FedEx and printed my credit report and bank statement, so I'll also be able to hand the prospective landlord proof of my solvency and of the fact that my credit is essentially perfect. If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will.
From there, I've been walking the ground, looking at apartments. The very first one I looked at is in a Holy God gorgeous neighborhood, with a Safeway just up the street and multiple laundromats within three blocks. It's also just under half the rent that I was paying in Manhattan, and is one of the more expensive places I will be looking at today; if the quality of the other neighborhoods is even close to this good, I'm going to have a wide set of options.
I have paused briefly to write this up and will now be moving on to some of the other neighborhoods.
Observation #2: Public transit out here is far more attractive than in New York, but is also more primitive.
2.A) Instead of having one integrated system there are two disconnected ones: BART and Muni, where Muni has trains, buses, and trolleys. The BART has farecards but uses point-to-point pricing (i.e. it costs more the farther you travel), while the Muni fixed-price but cash-only unless you have a monthly pass. (EDIT: As sinboy points out, the more expensive version of the monthly pass will also let you ride the BART within city limits, but not outside them.)
2.B) The monthly passes are based on calendar month, not 30-days-from-date-of-issue.
2.C) They print and distribute the monthly passes at the beginning of each month and when they run out (usually by the end of the first week), there just aren't any more.
2.D) Finally, both systems essentially shut down around 11pm or midnight--there are a few late-night lines (called "OWL lines") that stay open, but it becomes very hard to get around in the evening.
Observation #3: Almost nothing out here takes credit cards. It's cash or debit. Weird.
Observation #4 (I already knew this, but it bears repeating): This city is so much prettier than New York. Murals, architecture, terrain, everything.
From there, I've been walking the ground, looking at apartments. The very first one I looked at is in a Holy God gorgeous neighborhood, with a Safeway just up the street and multiple laundromats within three blocks. It's also just under half the rent that I was paying in Manhattan, and is one of the more expensive places I will be looking at today; if the quality of the other neighborhoods is even close to this good, I'm going to have a wide set of options.
I have paused briefly to write this up and will now be moving on to some of the other neighborhoods.
Observation #2: Public transit out here is far more attractive than in New York, but is also more primitive.
2.A) Instead of having one integrated system there are two disconnected ones: BART and Muni, where Muni has trains, buses, and trolleys. The BART has farecards but uses point-to-point pricing (i.e. it costs more the farther you travel), while the Muni fixed-price but cash-only unless you have a monthly pass. (EDIT: As sinboy points out, the more expensive version of the monthly pass will also let you ride the BART within city limits, but not outside them.)
2.B) The monthly passes are based on calendar month, not 30-days-from-date-of-issue.
2.C) They print and distribute the monthly passes at the beginning of each month and when they run out (usually by the end of the first week), there just aren't any more.
2.D) Finally, both systems essentially shut down around 11pm or midnight--there are a few late-night lines (called "OWL lines") that stay open, but it becomes very hard to get around in the evening.
Observation #3: Almost nothing out here takes credit cards. It's cash or debit. Weird.
Observation #4 (I already knew this, but it bears repeating): This city is so much prettier than New York. Murals, architecture, terrain, everything.
Entry tags:
Day #1: Planning and sushi
Today was my first day in the land of surfer-dudes. Empirically, it's been a decent day: I talked a bit with one of the roommates at the place I'm staying (let's hear it for AirBnB!), got a lot of good info about where things are and how they work, then headed off to an Internet cafe to do some planning and prep. That got done pretty quickly:
Observation #1: I need to dress down. My black wool longcoat stands out among people who are wearing either T-shirts and a sweatshirt, or leather.
And now, I am off to have Japanese with my friend Rich! Huzzah!
- Check Craigslist, put together a list of apartments I was interested in.
- Walk over and look at the neighborhoods to narrow it down to just the ones I was serious about.
- Along the way, I would stop at a post office and get money orders to serve as first/last/security/etc.
- Also, I had to hit a FedEx Office Center and print out my credit report (fortunately I have one from last May) and my current bank statement to show that I'm solvent.
- Call Freddie (the super from my NYC building) and ask if he would be a reference that I'm a good tenant.
- Call the various landlords of the properties I was interested in and set up viewings.
Observation #1: I need to dress down. My black wool longcoat stands out among people who are wearing either T-shirts and a sweatshirt, or leather.
And now, I am off to have Japanese with my friend Rich! Huzzah!
Entry tags:
On my way to SF...
Went into NYC last night, stayed with avivasedai who had previously offered to drive me to the airport this morning--a most kind and appreciated offer. I picked up food at GCT on the way through, including Indian food for avivasedai and luun (I had leftover Thai from lunch), some tasty yummy puddings, and tarts of various kind (pecan, 2 apple, coconut custard--I only ordered three, but the pie guy was kind enough to give me the fourth free).
This morning we got up at o-dark-hundred and piled out the door, leaving around 0615 to find snow all over the ground (as predicted). As we were getting in the car, it was discovered that avivasedai hadn't realized I was going to JFK, not LGA--I sent her my itinerary, but we hadn't actually discussed it. It was pretty clear from her reaction that this was going to be a problem for her, and she'd been under plainly visible stress the night before, so I said I'd take a cab if she dropped me in Manhattan. She left me out at 125th, I got a cab driver, and it took about 30 mins to get to the airport. Crowding was light, so security was a breeze. I ate at the very tasty breakfast bar that JFK is now offering, bought a sandwich and banana for later, and am now enjoying the free Wi-Fi. Man, this is a civilized airport...makes traveling so much better.
This morning we got up at o-dark-hundred and piled out the door, leaving around 0615 to find snow all over the ground (as predicted). As we were getting in the car, it was discovered that avivasedai hadn't realized I was going to JFK, not LGA--I sent her my itinerary, but we hadn't actually discussed it. It was pretty clear from her reaction that this was going to be a problem for her, and she'd been under plainly visible stress the night before, so I said I'd take a cab if she dropped me in Manhattan. She left me out at 125th, I got a cab driver, and it took about 30 mins to get to the airport. Crowding was light, so security was a breeze. I ate at the very tasty breakfast bar that JFK is now offering, bought a sandwich and banana for later, and am now enjoying the free Wi-Fi. Man, this is a civilized airport...makes traveling so much better.