Our Time
I’m a commuter.
I ride a train every damned day from my suburban location–about 35 miles out from Chicago–all the way to the city. Since they’ve recently added 2 additional stops to the line, it’s now a lot more difficult to get my very own seat. I’m a big boy. BIG BOY! (I love that credit card commercial where the geeky guy has to repeat his password)
However, there are also somewhere around another 100 or so other people who share that train space with me at the same time.
I respect that.
Generally, I find my seat and dutifully begin working on my laptop flop on my headphones and turn on some sort of talk radio (and believe me, I’m irritated as shit that I cannot find my spare XM Radio MyFi charger so I could bring that into to work…and listen to Opie and Anthony the entire way) or listen to MP3s once the signal turns to garbage (which is coincidentally as I get closer to the city–go figure).
It’s pretty uneventful. And an extra 30-45 minutes per day of quality nappage. Bonus.
Hawesome, even.
A lot like Mr. Hand, I consider this “Our Time”.
That means that, while this is my time, there are all those other people here so I respect that.
And Every. Fucking. Day. there’s some new breed of stupid fucking clueless moron who wants to rant and rave at SEVEN FUCKING AM in the MORNING on their fucking CELL PHONE!
WTF?
If you want to break up with your boyfriend–do it on your time.
If you want to bitch about your stupid kids–do it on your time.
If you MUST have your businessy business call–do it on your time, step out to the vestibule or speak in hushed tones.
If Nicolle and I speak, the first thing I do is let her know I’m on the train. Same with anyone else; I always let them know that I hate to be the loud guy on the train and that I’ll call them back.
It’s respect.
I don’t need to know about some wart, pimple, new shirt, totally hot guy or whatever other “Oh my gawd” fucking worthless turd event in your life.
You don’t need to know about mine, for certain. And you wouldn’t want to.
And if you’re up on the top level and your friend is also on the top level but on the other side… Remember that there are people on your left and right who DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THE TWO OF YOU TALK so go get a different seat.
So, to summarize:
If you are some sort of a commuter… mass transit-style…
Kindly SHUT THE FUCK UP while travelling in our time.
Thanks.
March 1st, 2006 at 12:35 am
Makes me glad that my commute is .9 of a mile…in my F-150…riding a train with all that noisy humanity is a hell of a way to wake up in the morning.
March 1st, 2006 at 3:46 pm
May I add another request? or a few?
Wear deoderant.
Don’t set the volume on your iPod to MAXIMUM. If the lyrics can be heard 5 rows away, it’s TOO LOUD.
For heaven’s sake, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
If your bag is sitting on the only available seat left on the bus, pick up your fucking bag so somebody else can sit down.
I ride the bus, but it’s the same thing - only noisier, I think.
March 1st, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Amen!
The bus route I take is painfully crowded - even when they send a “tripper” bus to catch the overflow. (Heck, my stop usually has enough people waiting at it to fill an entire bus!)
My biggest beef are the self-righteous pricks who refuse to move back in the aisle, because they want to stand next to their seated friend. Meanwhile, there are still 27 people standing outside the bus, who are all going to be late to class/work/etc. if they get left behind.
Love the new layout, btw!