Budget cuts? Why send a half-train at rush hour? Good thinking #trimet. I know, maybe if you raise rates again, you can run fewer trains.
Cry me a river. Your subsidies are fine.
On another note, hope I get home before the trick-or-treating starts. Dodging kids in my car should prove annoying if I don't. Bit if last year is any indication, I don't have much to worry about.
It's a chilly morning for sure. People are bundled, fingers are pink, and and the sky is blue. I not at all certain if I will beat home trick-or-treaters tonight. My generation of parents are such paranoid idiots, they will do it at 3pm before anyone is home probably. Poor kids not getting the ooky spooky Halloween vibe.
Generic holidays. Bland citizens.
It's important to note that nobody on the train this morning is in costume, unless surly Monday commuter is their costume. I thought I might see one zombie at least.
Guy singing at the bus stop: you have talent, but you are funny. Personality goes far with me. You get my $1.36 in pocket change and my thick 0.88mm nylon guitar pick as a donation to your cause. Wish I had more.
Oddly at 8:45pm on a Friday the MAX is pretty empty. Not much going on. But hey, its still Friday and tomorrow has naught but scrambled eggs and relaxation in store.
The girl across from me has crazy sexy boots.
I hope today is simple and good. I just want to go so my job, then visit with a friend, then return home and relax.
I'm not thanking any diety for it being the end of the week. I wish there were a safe drug I could take to focus my energies. I'm doing so many things in a mediocre fashion, that none of them are really being done well.
I may bitch about this more often than other things, but ultimately we are all on this train together. I will gladly relinquish my seat to the disabled, the elderly, and people my senior who look like they need to sit down.
If you are a 16 year old high school girl, I give you this message: you are standing.
So last night was odd. Waited for a while for the protest to get off the tracks so we could get underway. When we got about halfway home, the driver asked us to all get off due to a train problem or something.
Most of us grumbled knowingly and got off. This happens, but not frequently. Suddenly this guy in a nice suit gets loud, raises his hand and shouts, "does anyone else feel like cattle? This is the second time they have done this to me in two weeks."
Zero response. Dead silence. Wrong soapbox. We accept the nuances of public transit. Perhaps you should, too.
My barely making this morning's train hasn't gone unpunished by fate. Missed my afternoon train by about 3 seconds. The doors shit on me and wouldn't reopen.
Oh well. Tonight I eat dinner, say goodbye one last time to a friend, and then work in some time to sleep.
I just want to get on this train before the Occupy Portland protests blocks the train tracks home.
Lots of weird traffic caused a backlog and I just barely got to my train in time.
I think it rather odd that I catch the same 802a train daily, yet don't recognize anyone. Ever. On the earlier train I started to notice regulars, but at this time of day the group is vastly different every day. It makes me worried that I have developed prosopagnosia.
It's Wednesday, right?
At work, there seems to be a few worn souls that need advice on letting go of work when they aren't there. I tend to forget work mere moments after leaving. Always have.
But many take it home with them and both annoy and bore their significant others with their work stories.
Let go people. It is only what you do, not who you are. Find a hobby.
So it's that time of year were I buy some gloves. Starting to get real chilly in the mornings.
There are also an inordinately large number of people out today. Wonder why today is so busy like this.
I'm not sure who decided it, but whomever made women's tall boots the latest fashion trend: thank you!
Hey couple in front of me, perhaps wait until you get home to molest each other. The sight of you sucking face is bad enough without the schlorping sound that accompanies it.
There are easily three times as many people on the train than usual. What is going on downtown?
So instead of a leisurely ride downtown I am smooshed a little and have girl scowling at me for having a seat.
Look, I'm all for chivalry, but you are younger than me by easily 12 years. You can stand missy.
Tall, slender girl in the white dress and red satin rose in your hair, what sort of ritual do you do in the morning to look so pure. Does it take you hours, or are you simply carrying around fantastic genes.
I am not sleeping well lately. My body feels fine with the new mattress, but my head is all kinds of scraps and frayed ends.
I twist.
Mornings are getting more brisk every day. I want it to be January as fast as possible. We are hitting a time of year of which I am not a fan.
Halloween is fine and all, but I need it to race past thanksgiving and Xmas as fast as possible.
I'm not taking any extra time off this holiday season.
There is a man in a suit carrying only a cell phone and a claw hammer sitting across from me. Should I worry?
Sometimes I look at people around me and view them as extras in the movie of "Me." Very conceited. They are not just a bunch of mindless filler that gives breath to an otherwise empty world.
I wonder how many of them write commuter blogs and have commented on me while riding as, "that guy so engrossed in his phone." To them I am an extra. Were I in their movie I would be billed simply as, "man on train," if at all.
My life is simple and relatively fulfulling. I don't have everything I want, nor will I ever. I am grateful, however, that I still am a recurring character in my movie.
I'm just not sure yet if I am a hero or the villain.
Got tired of waiting for Verizons OTA update for Android OS, so I installed it myself. So far it runs great, but some of the simple features will take some getting used to.
The very pretty girl sitting next to me is reading a book by Schrodinger. She also smells very good.
Today is Wednesday already. This week is flying by somewhat. I am ready for the weekend already.
Missed the super-packed train by just a moment. Sprinted a block and a half only to have it pull away.
Rats.
But hey, right behind it was another one. This one is empty by comparison. Get to sit and relax. Ahh.
The great cliche here being that if you don't get what you try hard to achieve, look around, because there could be something better nearby. Had I not run, I might have missed this one, too.
The fastest time is known to move, unproven thusfar by scientists, is the nine minutes between pressing snooze and the alarm going off again. It is a folded vortex of space/time that occurs in mere femtoseconds.
Oddly enough, I was able to catch an earlier train. With all the corporate meetings today, it will be good to get a breakfast and relax a bit.
In the 80s, they released action figures for the He-Man cartoon. One of the "evil" characters was green, had skunk stripes, and came packaged doused in patchouli oil. His name was Stinkor. He stunk badly, and kept that smell for years afterwards.
People choose to wear this oil while riding public transit. Yes it smells awful, but oddly the smell always reminds me of that childhood memory.
But what I wonder is what does someone smell like where THAT is the preferred scent.
Monday is over. Ugh. Thanks for that.
I typically catch the 8am train. They are usually two long cars. For whatever reason, today there was only one car. I haven't seen that before n the morning commute hours.
That being said, you might think that people would be a little more cognizant of the standing room only nature of the commute and take their precious bags off the seat next to them. Nope. Morons.
Seeing @dougstanhope tonight, so no commuter hate today.
Will be back Monday with fresh venom.
Old Korean lady, your enormous purse does not deserve its own seat. Your kicked out crossed legs, one bouncing rhythmically to the music blaring from your headphones was kicking me. That is why I nudged you back.
It got your attention as intended. You need some lessons in social graces and courtesy.
And nobody is impressed with your bedazzled iPhone playing its ringtone at top volume. When it rings while you are looking at it, you are socially obligated to silence it after the first ring.
The train nears the station while I am still at my car in the parking lot. Dammit. I get out and walk towards the platform as it arrives. I won't make it. I am halfway there when the doors open, so screw it I will run.
I set foot on the platform as the doors are closing. Dammit again. The operator, after a pause, must have seen me in his mirrors because he reopened the doors for me.
Hooray.
The red line train doesn't go all the way out to my place, but it gets me halfway there. The perk is I get out of downtown where, at rush hour, people will beg anything from change, to a cigarette, to $12 (I know right?)
So I wait at the transit center for the blue line. Generally a nine minute delay, but what it costs in time is more than made up for in peace.
A misty and cool morning today, makes me.glad I don't drive my commute. Perhaps its why I am not stressed when I get to work.
Apparently I caught the airport train today because so many people have luggage. Mostly empty, too.
Some music seems to play out a sound track to a movie. Right now I am listening to Band of Horses and looking around me making up stories about people.
That girl there is on her way home after a first day of work, hoping her boyfriend will have moved out already.
This guy is trying to think of a good best man speech he has to give this Friday, and it's for his dad's wedding.
And this guy right here, he is on the wrong train and doesn't know it yet. By the time he realizes it and the color drains from his face, the girl will be gone forever.
First night on my new bed has me feeling well rested, less back sore, and taller. I only slept 5 hours and woke up refreshed. I drank a glass of water and laid back down, bit probably didn't need to.
Today they are pressure washing the train platform and annoyingly moving people around to avoid overspray - as the train is arriving. It's like, give it 30 seconds and we will all be gone.
The gal sitting next to me is easily 6'2".
I want this day to go by quickly. Looking forward to a good show tonight. Need to stop at the store over lunch and buy some earplugs.
Today is talk loudly on your cell phone day on the train. Three people shouting conversations rudely. I should hit up my friend Todd to build me a portable cell jammer.
My portmanteau for ghost protesters.
Today there were thousands of people downtown assembles for the Occupy Portland event. I was somewhat concerned whether or not they would block mass transit lines.
They were long gone. Not sure where they poofed to, but I'm glad to be heading home.
Agalloch tomorrow. *metalface*
I had planned on bringing my FlipCam with me today so I could take it with me to the Occupy Portland rally today, bit I left it at home like an idiot. I am in my Cop Camouflage, aka business casual attire, so I won't get maced.
You know the DollarTree sells headphones for one dollar. There is no good reason to play your shitty music from your cell phone on its external speakers.
Douche.
Falling in love a few dozen times a day is a hobby. It's more fun to make up stories about people than to actually know them.
I'm putting up walls.
Showing up to the train stop just as the train pulls in is a good mental boost for the day. I feel in sync, which is good because one of the lead devs is in town from Atlanta and I will be eating his brain zombie-style today.
There is nearly nobody on the train, so not much to report here. Just a half dozen of us all listening to headphones.
I am thinking I may treat myself to a latte this brisk, Autumn morning.
This guy was panhandling at the train stop, and was $4 short for a hostel. I told him, when he asked me, that I had nothing to give him.
Just then this family with seven people and two strollers surrounded him and asked him his story be told them whatever it was. They questioned him on his finances and his "plan" for fixing his situation. He was pretty upset at this point, but instead of anger it was embarrassment. I almost pitied him for the third degree this affluent family was giving him.
Satisfied with his answers, the patriarch of the family then pulled out a business card and $3 for bus fare, and told him he ran a hostel in SE and to take his card and get a night sleep, but he had to promise to start working on his plan tomorrow.
They then gathered up the family and roamed off as the guy folded up his sign and headed towards the bus stop.
I haven't read or watched Fight Club in a long time, but recall it clearly. I'm not sure if its just the writing ability of the author or the subject matter's unmistakable tie to me, but it speaks to me.
This morning I have been feeling strange.
If you are using your Powell's receipt as a bookmark in the book on said-receipt, you annoy me.
Also, everyone smells like a wet dog. First day of major afternoon rain of the season.
The guy who bathed in old spice didn't want to sit next to me today because my shoulders are too broad. He wriggled uncomfortably a few times, looked around, squirmed more, then finally elected to move.
Who is next? Bring it on.
Oh. A pretty girl I have seen before. She just pulled out her multicolored clown kit and is now painting on her expression in layers of brown and purple. She looks better before she starts this process. Pity.
