The right music

Sometimes a good soundtrack gets you through.  Not having to hear the inane drivel spewed by societies finest is a joy and pleasure.

Tomorrow I may just hit up the winter Brewfest downtown after work.

Cyclical

Oh you bike riders. You have this notion that you are so much better than anyone else. We are all so proud of your green lifestyle and tiny carbon footprint.

Seriously though, have some courtesy with your aluminum and steel monstrosities. We all have to ride the train together, and when we are so full your bike has no room: tough titties.

Also, people do sudoku a lot on the train. I always suppress the urge to help when someone seems stuck.

Another full train.

And so I stand again on a very full commuter train home. But such is life.

Walking to the train, I noticed a younger girl sitting on a corner with a baby and a cardboard sign saying family in need.  It is in the 30 degree range, and even though I am not a parent, my instincts kicked in. There was an ambulance up the block and I stopped and asked them if they could call in a welfare check on her. They said absolutely.

An infant shouldn't be out in 35 deg weather in little more than a sweater.
Oof.

Wild Kingdom

Grown men making animal noises is an amusing way to spend rising the train in the morning.  One guy trying to describe the dispondant noises his cat was making, and his friend trying to narrow down the disease.

"Was it a, 'mrrooow,' or more of a, 'Mwoaa?'"

I really find humans amusing.

Mire

Lots on the train tonight.  Not sure why, but it seems more and more are riding public transit. Maybe it's the economy, or people finally smarting up to the benefits.

Well those benefits dwindle down when you have to stand most of he way home. Ahh well. I sit for a large portion of the day now, so a little standing won't kill me.

Cyber Monday

The day's name sounds pornographic. To many businesses it is to them because their productivity today gets screwed from employees going online to find Christmas deals.

Today I caught a later train. Woke up fine, but had to tweak my website a little this morning. There is a time vortex when it comes to fiddling with web related stuff. I ate 20 minutes in a blink.

Tree lighting

Nothing quite like 10,000 people crammed into a few small blocks to ruin my commute home.

I just want a beer, some dinner, and some relaxing. Ahhhhh.

Wow

Empty park and ride today. Seems most people have today off. Only two other people here at the train station and maybe 10 on the train that just pulled up.

Wonder how busy my day will be. Looking forward to getting home so I can play more with code. Wee!

Late

Had drinks with a coworker whose last day was today. Talked a lot. It was fun. Now just riding a mostly empty train where the guy across from me is enraptured in a crossword puzzle.

Everyone else has a dead-as-midnight expression on their collective faces. I just crave food and want to lie down and think.

Empty

Yeah. Not many on the train today. I just barely caught it myself. I am really hoping there won't be many people working at banks today (or at least their IT guys.) Could use a slow day.

This is where I now read my kindle and listen to The Xx and relax.

After work: goodbye drinks with a coworker.

Chain reaction on #trimet

Trains are delayed due to an idiot in the rain wrecked on the tracks a dozen stops away. As a result the first train by since they got moving is paaacked.

I wait one more and its pretty empty. People really shoved and smashed their way into that first one, even though three more trains were lined up behind it.

Impatient fools. The last thing I heard as one last guy smashed himself in was from a learning disabled guy who said, "oh my gawsh, really? Fahhhck you!"

I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

Hard rain.

Oregon can be wet. It is a fact that keeps our state both clean and green. I generally am okay with it, and don't suffer from this SAD (seasonal affectiveness disorder) that some proclaim.

However, big soaking raindrops that just make you all soggy for the rest of the day are irritating.

Looking forward to the holiday season. This year has gone far too fast.

Barely

Train coming.. run run run.. almost there, oh no traffic in the way.. Damn it hold the doors.

They are staying open. Why? Some old lady in a Hoveround waiting for the ramp extension.  Phew.

Now on my way home. Need to stop at the store and buy dinner, litter and soap (all unrelated).

Thanks for Monday

I like Mondays. It's a time to start the week fresh with no baggage and no stress.

It is raining big drops today; the kind that thunk you on the head with audible noise. Thwap thwap.

There is a guy here transporting his electric guitar to wherever. What is neat about his gig bag is that it is a standard Strata-style bag that has been modified to include a little conical pouch at the bottom to protect the point of his Flying V. It's suburban "metal."

End to end

When its raining and cold, many of the metro homeless ride the train from Gresham to Hillsboro and back again. It costs only $4.75 for the whole day, and probably takes an hour or more to go from end to end.

It is warm, dry, and they can often blend in leaning against the window in an effort to get a small, comfortable nap.

The only giveaways are the smell, and the ubiquitous bag of belongings made green-grey brown with time and muck.

I honestly can't say I blame them given the alternatives.

Hands!

My fingers are a tad numb. Yup, a gloves purchase is in my very new future.

There is a kid behind me on the train watching cartoons on his mother's iPhone. It's annoying, but without the distraction I wonder how much more obnoxious he might be.

Friday. Payday. A few things to do and the weekend is here. Yay.

Too young.

The girl next to me is wearing a wedding ring. Maybe I am just getting too old, but she doesn't look legally old enough to be married.

Age sucks.

Thankfully, the N17 movement did not stop my trains arrival or departure. I think I'm going to go read my kindle now.

Bad day?

A got on the train just tried to spange his parole officer by mistake. 
Awkward.

Now stupid fat kid next to me is slurping a milkbox from Starbucks and mowing down on a cheese danish. This kid will be mediocre and unimportant the rest of his life.

Well, I hope so anyways. But I am just an asshole.

What's this wet stuff?

You would think living in Oregon people would remember the rain: how it feels, how to prepare, and how to drive.

Nope. Not the case. Idiots.

Caught a later train, probably to make up for being so early yesterday. But that is my fault for lounging around in bed this morning enjoying the softness.

Really difficult work day ahead of me. One client with multiple cases on a new server install configured in a very wacky way. Should prove a challenge.

Phone being odd.

Cables make a difference. Stupid after market shitty micro usb drains instead of charges. Going to have to throw that thing out before it shorts my phone to death.

Not much going on the train right now, thankfully.

Just barely

Caught a slightly earlier than normal train. This is good since I need breakfast today. Going to be a long one.

This train should have pulled out long ago since it arrived as I was getting out of my car.  Usually, they race in and everyone at the platform piles on as it zooms off.

Thankfully I made it.

It must be an exam day; everyone on the train is buried in a text book.

The year.

Going fast this year is just flying by. Next week is Thanksgiving already. The square downtown has the giant unlit tree waiting for festivities.

Work is work. Leave it there, pick up where it left off.

The train is only moderately full with a few open seats available. The train operator just came out of her cabin long enough to say hello to a rider whom she knows.

I crave comfort food.

Again with the bags.

Between this cough and some unsettling dreams, I did not get enough sleep last night. Woke up out of phase and a tad groggy. I was able to catch the last viable train at 8:11am.

Most seats taken, and one kid doing his college homework with his backpack on the seat next to him. I basically just looked, nodded at his bag, and said, "excuse me."

Oh the pains it must've given him to move it.

There is a woman in head to toe leopard print reading a Kindle. I wonder if it is a story about large cats.

No from here

There appears to be an eastern European family on the train with me here. Mother, father, two daughters about 19 or 20.  One keeps glancing over here, and when I look up she looks away. She is wearing a head scarf and red leopard-print leggings.  Her upper body is in conflict against her legs.  Not sure at all what to make of her.

I'm off for four days. But still not feeling great. I left my laptop at work: intentionally.

Not into it

Bland commute. Bland train riders. Not much to report, but today is my last day before a four day weekend.

I'm going to sit back, relax, and ignore captain backpack across from me who just unabashedly dropped his belongings on the girl next to him.

No apologies needed here. He just has a lot of shit. What a tool.

Dark rain

This time change is messing me up well. Only six and am ready for a nap. Also the rain makes it somewhat difficult to type on the screen.

Haven't been asked for spare change yet. The fair weather beggars are staying dry under overhangs I guess.

I want some tea, some dinner and some slippers.

Oops. Spoke too soon. Someone just begged me for spare change. Dammit. No.

And now I smell skunk on the train. Ack!

Everyone is late

I didn't catch my 8am train. I missed the 8:05 as well. I snagged the 8:11. Three other people I recognized from my commute did the same. Something about bed this morning did not want to let go. I think it was snuggling me back.

There is a guy in front of me studying medical flash cards, all written in a cyrillic language. The girl next to me is reading Chicken soup for the Writer's Soul. And the kid across from me just activated a Morcheeba playlist on his ipod. I wish he had external speakers on that puppy.

Interface training at work this morning, then a database install before lunch. Wee!

Out of Dodge.

Trimet platforms can be a wretched hive a scum and villainy. It is like playing Frogger on Atari bobbing and weaving the spangers and crazies. Nice that a train, any train, swooped in and rescued me.

There is a girl behind me with what sounds like a New Zealand accent on the phone with a friend. It is a pretty interesting accent in that it isn't thick like most: subtle.  She is wearing a bit much make up, though. Having no pores makes a girl look weird.

Brighter mornings on #trimet

Maybe it is because of daylight savings time that the train is busier today. Maybe because it is Monday. Perhaps midterm exams are happening at a college or university downtown.

Regardless of why, there are indeed many more folks this morning, so hey crazy Chinese bible lady, you may or may want to reference 1 Thessalonians 5:14 in that book of yours which says, "And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."

Shoving your way onto the train, and forcing yourself into a seat lacks patience and understanding. I want to thump you on the head. Not hard, just a good teachable moment thwack the way you test a cantaloupe for ripeness at the store.

I had to Google that passage since I don't follow your religion, but thought perhaps you might understand that reference material.

I need hot tea, as I am getting sicker.

My mother is in surgery right now. My thoughts are with her.

Scent

The girl sitting next to me on this cold, wooden bench at Sunset TC smells very good.  I wonder what it is.

I asked her, she said Gucci.

I'm ready for a relaxing weekend. Oof what a long one its been. A nap sounds great.

#trimet entertainment

I'm not sure if everyone else likes to travel in complete silence, but I enjoy when my bus/train operator is in a talkative mood. Always fun when they give news, weather, fun statistics, or anything else.

But usually it is dry, quiet and boring on trains, so I guess what I am saying is: thanks you rare happy guy or gal. You make the ride a little more bearable.

Full again.

I wonder if gas became cheap how much emptier the train might be. Just a few may help with seating.

Listening to Mitch Hedberg on Spotify. Funny and sad.

Someday

I may work somewhere someday that doesn't require me to display my work ability based on my choice of pants.

Apparently a delegation of bank VP types are coming through so a memo went out proclaiming today "no jeans day." I was tempted to wear ratty sneakers, a snarky tshirt, and pressed slacks.

There is a girl two seats behind me that I know from somewhere, but can't place her. Damn getting old sucks. Stupid memory.

Protest

Occupy Portland seems to launch their little temper tantrum of a march every Wednesday now.  Delayed my train again. It did start raining though, so there is that.

Perhaps I am just being insensitive to the movement, but while I do sympathize with the cause, I also have things that need done.

Fingers

My hands are cold. Accuweather says it is 26 degrees right now. I believe them.  Where are my dang gloves? There's a girl reading a travel book about Belize sitting next to me. I hope she goes.

One thing I regret in my youth was I did not travel internationally more. I really wanted to go places and see things. At this point, my travel will be virtual and my experiences will be vicarious. Time is not my friend.

I'm not ready for today.

Things get weird.

I'm simply at a point at work where the politics are rearing their ugly heads. I'm not playing the game, but there are some rather odd things transpiring amongst the office dwellers.

Lots of people on the train. Odd, but okay.

Empty

It is a full train and there is barely a place to sit. The lady next to me is snivelling inconsiderately into a Kleenex.

Look people, if you are sick you shouldn't be on closed public transit. It is rude, mean, and flat out stupid. If you have a cold that has you that mucused up, stay home or drive your car. Don't subject hundreds to your ailment because you are going all IronMan for your job.