Haste Makes Waste

To further my point as to why you don't run or don't try to beat the train, I myself expeienced this one. I'm running my ticket through the card reader at State when I hear that the train towards Oak Grove is arriving. I decide not to put my card back in my wallet and run for the train.I make it and am very proud of myself right now. I spot a seat which never happens. I take a seat and try to one handedly put my card back in my card case. My soda is in the other hand so this is tricky. The train takes off and my cards go flying! I panic and throw my soda between my legs as there are no cups holders on the T. I'm pretty sure everyone sitting across from me saw my under garments. I furiously collect my cards hoping I have them all. I am also hoping no one tries to "help" me. I make sure that I have my train pass, my I.D. and my capital one gold card because I know life will stop if I don't have those. I sit back on the seat and verify that I have each and every card bfore I get off the T. I did all this in hopes of catching the 510 train home. Wouldn't ya know, I miss the 510 by one minute.              

Almost Get Hit By the Train! Oh, and Happy Veterans Day!

OH! MY! GOD!! Don’t try to beat the train in order to make it. You will lose… or come close to losing.

Let’s explain my new train stop in case you aren’t familiar with it. North Billerica. You can park on the outbound side but once you get up to the train tracks, there isn’t a nice little bridge that goes over the tracks to get you to the inbound side. On NO! You must cross the tracks. It is set up with a nice rubberized path. However, the tracks stick out just a little so you must be careful when crossing. There is also a nice little warning bell at the crossing so that if you don’t see the train coming, you can hear that it’s on its way. (Pictured below you can see the rubberized path for crossing)

Now, this morning a man coming up from the outbound side realized he was going to miss the train if he didn’t get across. The alarm goes off way before he gets to this rubberized path. I look to my left to see the inbound train coming to pick us up. When I look back at this man he is full out sprinting. He has his dress shoes on that are obviously not made for sprinting. He gets to the path and the train is about 100 feet away now. As he is on the path he loses his balance and FALLS! Yes, he falls!

The crowd gasps, some running to his rescue. Others screaming “Get up! Get up!” I hear a few “Oh my gods!” sprinkled in there too. The train is now only 50 feet away and I am thinking this guy is a goner. The train’s horn is blaring.  I nearly drop my coffee and close my eyes praying that I am not going to witness what I think I am going to witness.

At the very last moment, this guy rolls out of the way and off the track. “Are you ok?” I hear people screaming. “Are you hurt?” another one screams. Someone replies “Only his ego is hurt today!” It’s safe to open my eyes and I look over and the guy is brushing himself off and is shaking like a leaf.

Please learn from this guy’s mistake. Don’t run in front of a train in order to catch it. I don’t care if you’re going to be late for work. I am pretty sure you’d rather still have your life and have to deal with an angry boss/client/whatever than to be dead! You’re better safe than sorry. There is always another train that will come along.

Voting Day

I woke up this morning with great anticipation! I was finally going to vote for who I want for the next four years. I got dressed for work, brewed my coffee and was out the door to go wait in line. This morning was quite the turn out at the polls making me hopeful that the outcome of this election is a great one. 

Many went before work today to cast their ballots and make sure they got theirs in! As I showed up for the train at 9:23, I figured I'd be one of the few stragglers to go in to the city but I was wrong. I was there with a slew of people with "I Voted" stickers on their jackets heading to Boston.

All day I have been anxiously awaiting the results and for dinner, I will be having Champagne. I know I will not know the outcome but I figure it's an early celebration or an early drowning of the sorrows. Cheers!

Lucy Desi Comedy Hour on the Train

So, last night on my ride home on the Commuter Rail, I felt like I was in the middle of the Lucy Desi Comedy Hour! As I am sitting in my seat, others are boarding including a couple that was clearly mad at each other. The girl keeps heading down the aisle while the guy spots a seat they both can sit in. He starts screaming in another language. I have no idea what he is saying. However, I know he wants her to sit with him as he is pointing to the seat. She screams back and I hear “Blah Blah Blah Pendejo” (I pick right up on Pendejo and now I know they are speaking Spanish.) Then he screams back at her and furiously points at the seat. Meanwhile, everyone is piling up behind the guy as he is blocking the aisle.

The guy then points to the stack of people behind him and screams “Blah Blah Blah Punta Blah Blah Blah” (Why do I only know swear words in Spanish?) Well, not liking the fact that he just called her a “Punta” in front of an entire train car of people, she storms off down the aisle and into the next train car. The guy sits down in the seat he already picked and the couple sat separated the remainder of the ride. I was glad she stormed off. I didn’t want to hear them fight for 45 minutes or they’d have some “‘Splaining to dooooooo”

Nobody Likes a Tattle Tale

Friday afternoon a friend and I are heading through the entry gates at State for the Orange line when all of a sudden we hear behind us “She didn’t pay her fare! She didn’t pay her fare! OFFICER!!!!! SHE DIDN’T PAY HER FARE!!” We turn around to find a red faced man screaming while pointing out this twenty-something year old girl. The girl looks confused and finally he has the attention of the MBTA police officer. The girl turns around and walks down the stairs and shrugs off the situation as does the MBTA officer. Everyone else breaks out in laughter and the red faced man finally shuts up. It was rush hour and an MBTA officer was literally two feet away. You’d have to be cocky or an idiot to try and sneak on by. Plus, half the time even when the card reads your card and it tells you you’re fine to go, it buzzes anyways just for fun. My friend and I walk to the platform as people are yelling down the stairs “Nobody likes a tattle tale!!” He’s right, no one likes a tattle tale but then again, no one likes a fare evader either. BUT, no offense, catching one fare evader isn’t going to solve the MBTA deficit over night.  

Thanks for the News Flash

My Monday morning started out nicely. I  was running early for the train and proud of myself that I didn't have to high tail it to the train station plowing over speed bumps at top speeds. I get to the train and of course because I want to get to work on time, the train is late. It finally comes and I hop on. I relax on the way to the city and transfer to the Orange line. Of course it's a packed train so I squish in. The next stop at Haymarket a girl piles in behind me. I was legit, the last person that should have been packed on to that train but the girl pushes her way on. The doors close and she fits. I feel a shove behind me and the girl screams out "There is no reason to shove me." and a guy says "Yes there is. You're squishing me and i don't like it." the girl responds "Get over it. Most of these people are getting off in one stop anyways." the guy is getting pissed as we are all whipping around the train car because we don't have handles "Thanks for the news flash but I don't like being squished." the girl retorts back "Anytime my friend. Anytime... This is rush hour what to you expect?" Just as she finishes her statement, the doors open at State and I go flying off. I swear, if those two were of the same sex, it would have been a full out brawl on that T. They were both getting heated...and what the hell kind of man pushes a girl on the T anyways?

Prescriptions- Revised

Let's talk about prescriptions since it seems to be today's theme.

Ok, if you are wearing glasses AND have your kindle set to the biggest font AND are holding your kindle one inch from your face, it is time for new glasses!

Another thing, when you go to CVS and pick up your prescription, don't take it out on the T and wave it around. You never know who will mug you in hopes that you have a bottle of Vicodin. Also, and this is what I spotted, don't wave your packet of birth control around while on the train (or in public for that matter). No one wants to see that. Waving that around is just as bad as waving a condom around. What happened to class and decorum ladies? Let's clarify, I am all for women's rights! However, there is a time and a place. I think decorum is dying in our society and that's sad.