8/29/2008:

Completely bored and unmotivated to move, I decided to transcribe what a random hour is like on the air of the Live Hoboken Police and Fire Scanner.

I then decided that this is a pretty fun exercise, and will periodically compile hourly snap-shot nuggets of what is going on in our city (and what property tax dollars are paying for). Naturally, picking a mid-afternoon time slot on a holiday weekend won’t net any exciting reports, so I plan to do this again on more action-packed weekend nights.

Hoboken happenings 14:21 - 15:21 hours 8/29/2008

14:21 – Fire Alarm activation 38 Jackson Street. E5 L2 R1 155 were dispatched.
—— 14:23 – Command says pull station was accidentally activated by workers – companies return to service
14:22 - 81 Monroe – Apt. 3 – a “residential 10-5” (burglar alarm)
—— 14:27 – Maid service was scheduled to clean today, but didn’t have proper code. They left without cleaning. Owner notified.
14:23 – One police unit does a “building sweep” of 321 Harrison St. (this happens daily at various locations throughout the day)
14:24 – Ladder One notifies dispatch that it’ll be in service, but is currently engaged in “driver training”
14:25 – Another police unit is doing a detail check of church square park
14:28 - 503 Garden – vehicle check (or called a “10-39”)
—— 14:29Vehicle is valid, removed by owner, received warning - told not to park motorcycle on sidewalk anymore
14:30 – dispatch confirms 10th between Bloom and garden is closed
14:33 – HPD unit logged out at Newark and Hudson – traffic point.
14:37 – Unit notifies dispatch that TWO UPS trucks are blocking traffic, a bus gets stuck, and now all hell is about to break loose.
14:42 - more on the UPS trucks.. they’re blocking traffic so bad, that they cannot even get a tow truck in to remove them. Unit issues tickets, as they wait.
14:43 – McDonald’s payphone – 911 hangup.
—— 14:46 – unit arrived on scene, nobody is there, back in service
14:44 - 655 Jackson – vehicle check – valid 1995 accord – no action taken by police
14:45 – 10th st. now re-opened.
14:48 – one PD unit takes a brief break
14:52 - 133 Harrison Street – Parked vehicle check – 2001 Volvo from out of town – police issue ticket (blocked hydrant) – but no tow called
—— 14:59 – Tow now called
—— 15:18 – tow averted, owner removed vehicle
14:59 – Dispatch called unit 114 for a “10-12 inside” (i.e., report to headquarters)
15:04 – unit 303 takes a personal break

[Hoboken411 Bathroom Break]

15:04-15:16 – miscellaneous communications, status reports, follow up on vehicle checks, etc.
15:18 – unit 246 is asked to “10-11” (call) the desk (which means they don’t want to communicate this information over the airwaves)

8/29/2008 Update 2:

As you can tell, I am a bit of a weather aficionado… Anyway, forecasters are now worried that Gustav indeed has the potential to reach category 4 or even cat 5 status… Hopefully any loss of life can be averted with proper planning.

8/29/2008 Update:

As Tropical Storm (and future hurricane) Gustav sets its sights on the Gulf of Mexico, it’s quite possible our little streak of decreasing gas prices may come to a halt.

“A strong hurricane tracking northward across the central Gulf would cross right over the heart of the region where most of the offshore drilling platforms are located. This would require complete evacuation of a large percentage of the rigs and force a major shutdown in the production of natural gas and oil. The result could be higher prices at the pump as early as the Labor Day weekend.”

See previous updates after the jump…

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

8/29/2008:

In case you have the itch to shop for something different this holiday weekend, stop by Mackey Blue.

Swing By and Entertain Yourself with Mike Rohner

“Ten Paintings by Mike are On Display. Come Take a Peek and Go Home With Your Favorite! Or Check Out Mike’s website where You can Relish His Vast Styles and Scenes.

Mike Rohner works from his studio in Hoboken, NJ, using bold colors and brush strokes to create original oil paintings. Mike is a young artist who builds oil paintings with a personal perspective that is truly unique. Having taken several courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York since graduating from Muhlenberg College with a bachelor of arts degree, Mike continually strives to improve his painting skills. Many of his paintings have been on display throughout Hoboken, Northern New Jersey, and New York. Photographs and sketches from travels and local scenes are the main references for most of Mike’s works. All canvases are stretched and primed by Mike, with a focus on quality. Limited edition giclee prints on canvas are available for some works. Mike’s artwork offers a unique opportunity for art collectors to invest in a piece of work from a young and hard working artist. Feel free to contact the artist to purchase any pieces or answer any questions you may have.”

Contact Info for Mike Rohner:
Phone: 201-798-0819
Email: mikerohner@hotmail.com
Website: http://mikerohner.com/

Also, Mackey Blue has shorter holiday hours this weekend:

• Friday 12:00pm - 8:00pm
• Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
• Sunday Off for the Holiday

8/29/2008:

A common trend in Hoboken is residents leaving their unwanted books or appliances on their stoops, free for the taking.

I saw this batch of books, and thought “I’m sure someone could come up with some Hoboken-relevant caption!”

Perhaps “Hoboken - filled with dog poop and zany council meetings?”

8/29/2008:

With seemingly millions of people now downright obsessed with their Facebook accounts more than actual real life, imagine what it would be like if Facebook WAS real life?

8/29/2008:

Do you think an attractive Vice Presidential running mate has secured John McCain’s victory?

From the AP:

McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for V.P.

John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska’s public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

8/29/2008:

Here’s another wacky “fun with unused photos” segment.

I love some of these dry cleaners and hair salons in Hoboken that have these outdated pictures in their windows.

PHOTO GALLERY (HOLD MOUSE OVER IMAGE TO NAVIGATE - 3 PHOTOS IN THIS SET)

In a related video, here’s a fun Spike Feresten clip from a few seasons ago where he pesters a Hollywood dry cleaner about their “celebrity” photos:

8/29/2008:

As the jackpots for the Mega Millions grow above $100 mil, I like to remind everyone to pick up at least one ticket for each drawing!

Tonight’s annuity top prize is over $130 million!

8/29/2008:

Based on the hours I work, and the time chosen to “pen” my articles (along with the subject matter & amount of effort put in), I’ve found that my grammar skills can resemble a schizophrenic maniac. I’ll write in first-person one day, objective and factual the next, and completely lazy bullet-point summaries another day. Quite a number of the posts on Hoboken411 contain blatant errors. My father often points them out, but he doesn’t realize the little time I have to invest in proof-reading. Oh well.

I actually enjoy the linguistic freedom most of the time, but occasionally cringe after reading what I’ve actually published!

Regardless, I stumbled across this informative site called “Everything Language and Grammar” the other day. The article that caused me to stumble upon their site was about election polls:

“If the election were held today…”

“Every time that I hear a reporter or guest on a “news” program talk about the upcoming election in terms of “If the election were held today, then…,” I want to finish the statement with “not very many people would vote since they’re expecting the election to be held in November as scheduled.”

I have a better idea: Instead of focusing on projected or estimated vote counts for months from now, focus on how the Senators Obama and McCain differ on issues so that those people who aren’t voting today will be better informed in November when it is time to vote.”

And another entry more recently:

Let Us Unite - Together, That Is

“I recently heard a political consultant discuss how important it was for the Democratic Party to unite together. I must admit that I was shocked—oh, no, not at his suggestion of togetherness or his fervor in endorsing unity; rather, I was shocked at his grammar.

Of course, if the political pundits on every news show on television have their way, this won’t necessarily apply to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Logically, we know that Clinton and Obama have to either unite or go their separate ways, and with the Democratic Convention going on this week, they will definitely unite; there’s no doubt about that. The pundits, however, are obviously hoping for the grammatically impossible uniting separately, which, of course, would make for much more interesting, yet totally irrelevant, banter.”

It’s an easy site to read, and might actually inform you of something new from time to time. Add it to your blog reader to waste yet even more time each day!

8/29/2008 Update:

Construction is not moving as quickly at the Clearview Cinemas site uptown. They’re slowly working on laying the foundation, but that’s about as exciting as it gets.

See all previous updates (including snazzy groundbreaking video) after the jump…

[Click to continue reading the rest….]