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.

Move it or I'll Lose it!

Ya know what I can’t stand? People who walk slow! I’m not talkin’ about someone with a broken foot or a good reason to walk slow but the fully able bodied person that can’t seem to get out of anyone’s way because they are too stupid to realize other people have places to go. This morning, coming off the train, I was stuck behind a couple walking annoyingly slow. They looked able bodied. I tried to pass them. However, when I swerved to the left to go around them, they swerved slowly to the left too. I then swerved to the right to try and get around them. They swerve back over to the right. They were just wondering, taking in the sights, which is fine but not during the morning rush people!! We finally get on the escalator to head down to the Orange and/or Green line (My destination was Orange, God only knows where they were going). They stand on the escalator two by two completely blocking the left side which is generally reserved for… you guessed it, passing! Everyone knows this! Come on people, a little escalator etiquette please?

One guy behind me screams to the guy to move it and he finally get’s the hint but he doesn’t move over enough for someone to pass. He leaves his huge bag in the way. We get to the bottom and at the bottom, when we’re supposed to be walking; they decide to look through their bags for their train pass. Ya couldn’t find this while you were stopped dead killing time on the escalator?

The finally they get the hint and pull off to the side and I booked it toward the Orange line and made my merry little way to the office. Fun Fun on the T today!

Political Debate on the Train...

This morning on the way in, the train was packed. There were two guys standing in the aisle next to my seat. One guy complained that he had too much crap in his garage and that he needed to get rid of it…including a pin ball machine. The other guy explains how he could have a garage sale or sell things on Craigslist. He says it’s a great way to teach his kids about mercantilism and economy. He starts going on about how he wished he taught his kids about that sort of thing before it was too late. One of his kids just purchased a home and his kid commented that he didn’t realize how much crap he bought on impulse until he had to move it. After this big long explanation of how it will be a great lesson for the kids and while he’s at it, get a little bit of cash too, the other guy replies “I’d just rather take it all to Goodwill and get a tax credit. That’s a good lesson for the kids too.” The other guy retorts “Ah, yes! A tax credit! The Romney way! Loopholes and tax credits. I see how it is.”  AND…Before it could turn in to a heated debate in front of my seat, the train stopped at North Station and we begin to disembark the train! FEW!! I did not want a front row seat to that one. You could tell as they were walking off the train that it was going to get ugly.

Happy Columbus Day

This morning, after an epic weekend, I hit snooze perhaps one too many times. I get up, take the dog for a walk and get ready. I rushed around but not enough. I hop in my car and realized that I a.) Left my coffee on the counter and b.) I had exactly 6 minutes to drive to the train station and run to the train. That my friends, is nearly impossible on a normal day, let alone a holiday when the train most likely runs a little early.

I head back upstairs to get my coffee and take my time getting to the train station in order to catch the next train, which luckily it is an express to Boston so we avoid about 5 or so stops.

As I am on the platform by myself, an older gentleman joins me finally. He says “Are we the only ones that had to work today?” My answer was “Are you in Finance?” his answer “Why yes, how did you know?” and I respond that the stock market is open today and that’s why we don’t get it off. However, I assured him that once we got to the financial district, we wouldn’t feel so alone.

As we boarded the train, there is hardly anyone on it. I was really looking forward to reading my book when he asked if he could sit with me. I agreed and we chit chatted the whole way to North Station. When we got to North Station, he gets up and says “Thank you. This has been one of the more enjoyable train rides into work in a while.” That meant so much. It made me stop and think. Why are we all typically so closed off to others? I could have been one of them this morning with my nose in my black berry catching up on Facebook posts followed by my nose in my book. It doesn’t take much to connect with others and it shows that we are all human. In the days of Facebook and online connecting, it’s starting to become rarer to interact with actual humans with out the interference of some device. From now on, I will be paying more attention to what’s in front of me and being in the moment instead of scrolling through Facebook to find out what my friends are up to. I will be reading the posts but personal interaction will come first.

I Don't Get It

This morning, once again the train conductor comes in and announces that anyone in a three seater that has a middle seat open needs to slide in. It was a different conductor and he was actually nice about it.

Once we got to the next stop, I slid in to the middle seat. I was the only one that willingly slid in. The others on aisle seats stayed put until someone asked. Well, the entire stop walked right by my open aisle seat. One guy stood next to it for a good minute debating to sit or not. He didn't and moved on to the back. Another two guys after him blew right by me too.

That was it...no one else left to walk by. The entire stop blew right by my open seat. Pretty much everyone asked to sit down in another seat or remained standing. I slid back out to the aisle seat and stayed there the rest of the ride. If someone wanted to sit bad enough, they'd ask and guess what...no one did so I had a nice buffer between myself and the over sized hippy next to me.

Speaking of over sized hippy. Usually, if I see a couple sitting together and an aisle seat is open, I usually walk by it because I'll let them be together with out some stranger hovering next to them in their seat. Good god. I hope no one thought I was WITH the hippy guy. He seemed nice and all but dreads and patchouli just aren't my thing. My husband is bald and wears Jean Paul Gaultier.

MBTA Shopping

Oh my god people! You have one excited girl right here! I will be moving soon and so I am investigating my new route that I will have to take to work. While investigating, I stumble upon a tab called "Fairs & Gifts". "Gifts? Like gift cards for passes?" I think to myself. I click on the tab. What girl doesn't want to know about gifts?

What I discovered was an entire treasure trove of fun T trinkets. Coasters, cutting boards, signs, water bottles, cups, mugs, jewelry (Although I wouldn't ever wear T jewelry with T Tokens on them), posters, T-shirts... did I mention COASTERS?? I LOVE LOVE LOVE Coasters (especially these bad boys) and the cutting boards, how cute!!

Check out the gift store here. I have stumbled upon this just in time for Christmas!!

Yelled at by the Conductor

This morning on the way in I find a three seater with only one person in it. Naturally, I sit on the end seat on the aisle so I'm not sitting on top of a stranger for no reason. A few stops towards North Station and the conductor comes into the car and stops right next to me and screams "If you are in a three seater, put your bag in the over head compartment and slide in to the middle seat!" No one moves. The train is still moving. Unless we are at a stop and people aren't actively trying to sit down, why are we going to slide in and be on top of a stranger? The conductor glares at me and repeats himself. "If you are in a three seater, put your bag in the over head compartment and slide in to the middle seat!"

I slide in but I wasn't about to put my Tumi in an over head rack. Hell no!! That stayed on my knees. If it's on my lap and not in anyones way, they can't say "Boo". After I slide in to the middle seat, a few people stand up and throw their bags up on the over head rack and sit down in the middle seat. The conductor on a power trip finally leaves us alone. He wasn't even the conductor for our car. He was from the car ahead of us. 

We ride uncomfortably close to the person next to us for no reason for a few minutes before stopping. When the people from the stop pile on, many sit but many stand. The second someone sat down next to me, I didn't feel like such a weirdo up in the middle and since many stood, a lot of people were able to move back out to their aisle seat. That conductor needs to chill!

Did You Just Pee Your Pants?

This morning as I am getting off the commuter rail at North Station, I notice a petite girl grabbing her own a*s. She is really getting into it and I can’t seem to look away. I am wondering why on earth would you be grabbing your own a*s like that. She finally removes her hand from her rear to get her ticket for the T out of her purse. It literally looks like she peed her pants. I am assuming she didn’t and hoping she just sat in something wet. Poor girl. That’s a crappy way to start a Monday.

I hope everyone else's Monday started out much better!