So I've always wondered (and by always, I mean for the last twenty minutes) how many Gin & Tonics it would take for me to think that I'll actually miss the commuter rail.
As a day in-day out affair, its a pretty painful existence, and I'm quite sure that I actually despise it. But after 4+ days off from work, I realize that its something that I'll probably miss.
Why?
Well, I'll miss the nice conductor in the morning, who lets me move from the 4th car to the vestibule between the 5th and the 6th so that I can be the first person off the train (and into the dunkin donuts...)
And I'll miss it because it holds a lot of my memories from my first few months of my first real job (before I realized that it was better to beat everyone else off the train and to my car)
And because even though that box car that hit us hurt like hell, it makes for a great story (even though I have to put up with people asking me why I didn't file a claim... i just didn't so get over it!!! I had to get to class!!!)
And because I'm going to hate driving within a week... and then I'll just end up being the most hated man on the road...
(oh, and the answer to the aforementioned question is 5... fyi.)
Showing posts with label The Most Hated Man on the Train. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Most Hated Man on the Train. Show all posts
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sublog: The Most Hated Man on the Train: Part III - In The Unlikely Event of a Water Landing...
I had an interesting story about how I managed to make about 50 people hate me this morning as I managed to wedge my way through a gaggle of standing passengers, exit the train, and reenter it at a more advantageous spot, all to beat them off the train and to Dunkin Donuts, but that was before my commute home. Maybe I got what I deserved. But if I deserved what I got on the ride home, and got out of it as fortunately as I did, there must have been a LOT of people that angered the commuter gods today, because there was a LOT of blood.
I've been taking a lot of random late trains recently, as work has required, but Tuesday afternoons are the exception; due to class at Brandeis, I take the 4:45 train back to Canton.
As I may have mentioned (once or twice) in this space before, the MBCR is not known for its swiftness or timeliness. This should be surprising to no one. So I was contently discontent with our trip home; we made nice time out of Ruggles and people deboarded relatively quickly at Hyde Park (at Route 128, though why we have to stop there when another outbound train make stops there 5 minutes earlier is for another, long, ranting discussion.) There's a big bend probably a mile out of 128 station; we usually slow for this bend, because the train tends to tilt quite a bit, and I'm assuming its not good to go fast + tilt, especially if a train is coming from the other direction. Today, we moved through the curve quickly, and then started to slow.
Naturally, I saw all of this as I manned my post, protecting the door of the rearmost car from people that threatened to detrain before me.
We came to a dead stop (again, not surprising), and I waited to get going, knowing we weren't too far out of Canton Junction. What happened next was certainly the most surprising and startling moment of my life, as there was no advanced warning of any kind - suddenly I found, in one swift yet disjointed motion, my head thrown against the glass pane of the door, and my entire body lurching in the opposite direction - and not just away, backwards, but down.
The lights were out, my hat was thrown clear, and my IPod wasn't playing; in fact, my headphones weren't in at all.
And upon further inspection, I realized I hadn't been resting uncomfortably upon a middle aged Hispanic woman shortly before being thrown onto the ground either.
She seemed none to pleased with this outcome.
That was the first 4-9 seconds after my train was hit by a box car rolling in the wrong direction. Everything after is a bit hazy, but I remember the following; people with bloody noses, a lot of pain, and a lot of anger.
I got of the train and looked down the track - I assumed we had been hit by an oncoming train. It felt like we had been hit by an oncoming train. I couldn't see anything though - it was only as I walked down the track later that I saw the single box car.
The conductor yelled for everyone to get back on the train (I'm glad to see that even though he knew we wouldn't be on time, he still had a schedule to keep). I did, briefly (I had to retrieve my hat, of course). But as people started to gather themselves (and, as its been 5 hours since, I'm confident to say that I still haven't gathered myself fully), everyone started clamoring to get off the train.
I was definitely confused - I called my wife, she told me something, but I didn't really figure it out. I saw some people, presumably people that weren't seriously hurt, walking down the tracks to the train station. I started out to follow them - I didn't know what else to do - the conductors had started creating pools of people, those who needed medical attention and those who didn't - and all I could think of was 1) WHAT THE HELL!! and 2) I NEED TO GET TO CLASS!!
I could hear sirens, lots of them, and a helicopter overhead. Help was on the way. I was dazed, and continued to walk down the track, leaving the wreckage behind. I'd say I'm not particularly proud of this, but I quite honestly don't know what I could have done - I was working on instinct and that instinct was to get the eff away. I checked in with the other people that had self diagnosed and made their way to Canton Junction - asking if they were ok and if they had seen anything I hadn't (such as a logical reason for a box car on the track of a major train thoroughfare). I called my boss (why? not sure, still not sure.) I called my wife again. She said to stay put (I think this was reiterating the previous message), but I was already way past that.
I had and still have a few lingering questions - why didn't the engineer warn the commuters? I can only imagine that the panic that would have caused though. What would a real train crash be like? How fast was the box car moving?? It couldn't have been going too fast - but if it caused that much havoc at low speeds, I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a real high-speed collision. And of course, the most important question, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? How did a train heading to Providence 10 minutes earlier pass through unscathed, and yet a box car appeared seemingly out of nowhere, likely a mile away from the nearest track split and on a track it shouldn't have been on.
A lot of people, I'm quite sure, are very angry and very upset. I feel quite fortunate to have been able to walk away, without serious injury. And I feel quite concerned about the fact that I have to get back on the train tomorrow morning.
I've been taking a lot of random late trains recently, as work has required, but Tuesday afternoons are the exception; due to class at Brandeis, I take the 4:45 train back to Canton.
As I may have mentioned (once or twice) in this space before, the MBCR is not known for its swiftness or timeliness. This should be surprising to no one. So I was contently discontent with our trip home; we made nice time out of Ruggles and people deboarded relatively quickly at Hyde Park (at Route 128, though why we have to stop there when another outbound train make stops there 5 minutes earlier is for another, long, ranting discussion.) There's a big bend probably a mile out of 128 station; we usually slow for this bend, because the train tends to tilt quite a bit, and I'm assuming its not good to go fast + tilt, especially if a train is coming from the other direction. Today, we moved through the curve quickly, and then started to slow.
Naturally, I saw all of this as I manned my post, protecting the door of the rearmost car from people that threatened to detrain before me.
We came to a dead stop (again, not surprising), and I waited to get going, knowing we weren't too far out of Canton Junction. What happened next was certainly the most surprising and startling moment of my life, as there was no advanced warning of any kind - suddenly I found, in one swift yet disjointed motion, my head thrown against the glass pane of the door, and my entire body lurching in the opposite direction - and not just away, backwards, but down.
The lights were out, my hat was thrown clear, and my IPod wasn't playing; in fact, my headphones weren't in at all.
And upon further inspection, I realized I hadn't been resting uncomfortably upon a middle aged Hispanic woman shortly before being thrown onto the ground either.
She seemed none to pleased with this outcome.
That was the first 4-9 seconds after my train was hit by a box car rolling in the wrong direction. Everything after is a bit hazy, but I remember the following; people with bloody noses, a lot of pain, and a lot of anger.
I got of the train and looked down the track - I assumed we had been hit by an oncoming train. It felt like we had been hit by an oncoming train. I couldn't see anything though - it was only as I walked down the track later that I saw the single box car.
The conductor yelled for everyone to get back on the train (I'm glad to see that even though he knew we wouldn't be on time, he still had a schedule to keep). I did, briefly (I had to retrieve my hat, of course). But as people started to gather themselves (and, as its been 5 hours since, I'm confident to say that I still haven't gathered myself fully), everyone started clamoring to get off the train.
I was definitely confused - I called my wife, she told me something, but I didn't really figure it out. I saw some people, presumably people that weren't seriously hurt, walking down the tracks to the train station. I started out to follow them - I didn't know what else to do - the conductors had started creating pools of people, those who needed medical attention and those who didn't - and all I could think of was 1) WHAT THE HELL!! and 2) I NEED TO GET TO CLASS!!
I could hear sirens, lots of them, and a helicopter overhead. Help was on the way. I was dazed, and continued to walk down the track, leaving the wreckage behind. I'd say I'm not particularly proud of this, but I quite honestly don't know what I could have done - I was working on instinct and that instinct was to get the eff away. I checked in with the other people that had self diagnosed and made their way to Canton Junction - asking if they were ok and if they had seen anything I hadn't (such as a logical reason for a box car on the track of a major train thoroughfare). I called my boss (why? not sure, still not sure.) I called my wife again. She said to stay put (I think this was reiterating the previous message), but I was already way past that.
I had and still have a few lingering questions - why didn't the engineer warn the commuters? I can only imagine that the panic that would have caused though. What would a real train crash be like? How fast was the box car moving?? It couldn't have been going too fast - but if it caused that much havoc at low speeds, I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a real high-speed collision. And of course, the most important question, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? How did a train heading to Providence 10 minutes earlier pass through unscathed, and yet a box car appeared seemingly out of nowhere, likely a mile away from the nearest track split and on a track it shouldn't have been on.
A lot of people, I'm quite sure, are very angry and very upset. I feel quite fortunate to have been able to walk away, without serious injury. And I feel quite concerned about the fact that I have to get back on the train tomorrow morning.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sublog: The Most Hated Man on the Train - Part II: Rail Redux
I spoke FAR too soon.
(Note: Unless you have a relative that works for the MBCR, I doubt I will offend you here, however I warn you now that I can sometimes get a little angry when talking about the commuter rail.)
This sublog was put on hold due to the downward spiral that the commuter rail went into starting sometime last summer - its impossible to be the most hated guy on the train when the conductors are closing cars, refusing to open doors, and being all around jerks about their job. However, the new year started off almost better than could be expected: All seven of the first seven trips that I took managed to depart and arrive on time. ON TIME!! If you don't know about the problems that the train has been having (they lost their collective wrist watch), this may not seem like a big deal, however I would estimate it had been no less than 9 months since I took seven consecutive trips with trains that ran within five minutes of on time.
Finally, with train service seemingly coming back to normal, I could once again explain all the ways I annoy virtually everyone on the train - at least, I would be annoyed if someone else did the things that I did - I'm not sure if the mindless drones much notice me as they head into and out of their beehives daily.
Luckily, I had the opportunity to put in another hour and a half of work tonight, beyond my usual departure time, and I was graced with a train that was 13 minutes late in arriving to Back Bay, and another 10ish minutes (net 23 minutes) late in getting to Canton. This is what I expect from my MBCR (thank God the MBTA extended their contract by 2 years!)
As usual, I spoke too soon. It was foolish of me to think that they'd go 8 for 8 (come on, even Top Brady has an incomplete pass, or forgets to put on a helmet, once every 8 or 9 times, right? Just ask Randy Moss. Or Bridget.)
Anyway, my favorite train moment of the new year happened right in the Canton Junction parking lot. Because of the un-recent-winter-like winter we started out with (ie, there's actually snow on the ground, or at least there was), there are some pretty good sized snow banks about the lot (though not once have I seen the snow bank get its lazy ass up and pay for its space like the rest of us). When the "good" parking lot fills up (the good one is the one on the same side of the tracks as the inbound train) fills up, I inevitably have to park on the "bad" side - but people have started to miss the last spot on the good side - its half covered in snow and ice, and if you back in, the rear drivers tire is elevated a good 8 inches higher than the rest of the car, but its a thousand times better than parking on the bad side.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure the good side fills up by about 7 am... maybe 7:20. By the time I get there, at about 8ish, the good lot is full. Last Thursday though, I lurked around the lot, and found that the hidden space was still open. I backed in (not too hard in the little rubber-band of a car that I have, even with the ice obstacles), and within about 60 seconds, 3 more cars came looking to see if the spot was open. But my favorite moment was the first guy that pulled up... he stopped short when he realized that I had already snuck into the spot, looked over in disbelief (he must be one of the other few that gets it when I don't), then smiled and nodded at me.
Yep, its a sad, sad brotherhood, the poor souls that park at Canton Junction station. For just one moment, I wasn't hated. Envied, maybe, but not hated. At least, not until I probably half shoved him out of the way so I could get off the train first.
(Note: Unless you have a relative that works for the MBCR, I doubt I will offend you here, however I warn you now that I can sometimes get a little angry when talking about the commuter rail.)
This sublog was put on hold due to the downward spiral that the commuter rail went into starting sometime last summer - its impossible to be the most hated guy on the train when the conductors are closing cars, refusing to open doors, and being all around jerks about their job. However, the new year started off almost better than could be expected: All seven of the first seven trips that I took managed to depart and arrive on time. ON TIME!! If you don't know about the problems that the train has been having (they lost their collective wrist watch), this may not seem like a big deal, however I would estimate it had been no less than 9 months since I took seven consecutive trips with trains that ran within five minutes of on time.
Finally, with train service seemingly coming back to normal, I could once again explain all the ways I annoy virtually everyone on the train - at least, I would be annoyed if someone else did the things that I did - I'm not sure if the mindless drones much notice me as they head into and out of their beehives daily.
Luckily, I had the opportunity to put in another hour and a half of work tonight, beyond my usual departure time, and I was graced with a train that was 13 minutes late in arriving to Back Bay, and another 10ish minutes (net 23 minutes) late in getting to Canton. This is what I expect from my MBCR (thank God the MBTA extended their contract by 2 years!)
As usual, I spoke too soon. It was foolish of me to think that they'd go 8 for 8 (come on, even Top Brady has an incomplete pass, or forgets to put on a helmet, once every 8 or 9 times, right? Just ask Randy Moss. Or Bridget.)
Anyway, my favorite train moment of the new year happened right in the Canton Junction parking lot. Because of the un-recent-winter-like winter we started out with (ie, there's actually snow on the ground, or at least there was), there are some pretty good sized snow banks about the lot (though not once have I seen the snow bank get its lazy ass up and pay for its space like the rest of us). When the "good" parking lot fills up (the good one is the one on the same side of the tracks as the inbound train) fills up, I inevitably have to park on the "bad" side - but people have started to miss the last spot on the good side - its half covered in snow and ice, and if you back in, the rear drivers tire is elevated a good 8 inches higher than the rest of the car, but its a thousand times better than parking on the bad side.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure the good side fills up by about 7 am... maybe 7:20. By the time I get there, at about 8ish, the good lot is full. Last Thursday though, I lurked around the lot, and found that the hidden space was still open. I backed in (not too hard in the little rubber-band of a car that I have, even with the ice obstacles), and within about 60 seconds, 3 more cars came looking to see if the spot was open. But my favorite moment was the first guy that pulled up... he stopped short when he realized that I had already snuck into the spot, looked over in disbelief (he must be one of the other few that gets it when I don't), then smiled and nodded at me.
Yep, its a sad, sad brotherhood, the poor souls that park at Canton Junction station. For just one moment, I wasn't hated. Envied, maybe, but not hated. At least, not until I probably half shoved him out of the way so I could get off the train first.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Sublog: The Most Hated Man on the Train - Part I: I Ride the Train
I'm setting context here. Nearly an hour of my day each day consists of riding a train to and from Boston. No smarmy comments (those are for later), or analogies, just pure unadulterated truth: I take the train.
I hope you understand the weight of this statement.
I've had a really crappy day. Really crappy. I had to bring work home with me, and once I completed it, it didn't save, and I had to do it all over again. That was bad. Stuff happened when I was at work... it was worse. We don't live in a meritocracy, that's for sure. Meghan and I hadn't been grocery shopping in a week, so we were out of food so I had to spend $6 on a sandwich. Not a sandwich and chips, or with soda, or anything. Just the sandwich. I didn't have time to roam further then Rebeccas Cafe today because of... you guess it - work. But... I take the train.
Nothing tops the train.
We could start with the beginning, or the end, to prove my point... but we'll stick with the beginning for tonight (the return ride home featured a power hungry conductrix who defies explanation while still being only mostly politically incorrect). The ride in to work today was really the coming attractions that set up my day.
You know how when you go to the movies you usually see previews and say, hey, this looks good? Or hey, why did they make that movie, I wouldn't like to see it... No matter what you think, the ad is usually directed at the audience... If you were to show a preview for Saw V before a screening of Finding Nemo (Again), people wouldn't think anything but WHAT THE HELL!!
Well, the train ride is apparently similar to the previews... it tells you everything you need to know about the type of day your going to have.
Sure, the 2 1/2 year old that spent the entire ride in his stroller screaming, screeching and yelling wasn't a recurring theme for the rest of my day... but the desire to strangle him and then throw his parents off the train was a sentiment I'd end up feeling many more times through out the day.
Ok, that was harsh. But it needed to be said. Before we continue with this litmus test analogy (I gave up on not using analogies if you hadn't noticed), I have to have a little sidebar with you:
ITS EIGHT IN THE MORNING. I HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE YET. FOR GOD SAKES I'M NODDING OFF. I'M DOING MY BEST NOT TO SNORE HERE. WORK WITH ME. SHUT YOUR GOD DAMN KID THE HELL UP!!!!!!!
These parents let their kid (yup, both parents were on the train) make as much noise as possible for lungs that small. Once in a while, they'd ask him to quiet down. Yes, let me tell you, this helped. He stopped yelling for their attention and switched to full force shrieking. Much better. This way the headache is splitting by the time the coffee kicks in.
I know people... people that have produced these miniaturized persons that have been in fashion for oh so many eons. And let me tell you, they all have control of their younglings. Not a screamer in the bunch. Which really just reinforces the thought that I was having while bleary eyed and angry this morning... will this 7 double-deckers train carrying a few hundred passengers at 60 mph go any faster if 35 pounds is suddenly jettisoned? Now I know why Matt always talks about punting babies.
So am I shocked that my day sucked? Nope. Just like Jerry and Dorothy "at hello" (subtle pseudo-sports reference... heh heh heh), today had me at AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH EEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.
Yep... I ride the train.
I hope you understand the weight of this statement.
I've had a really crappy day. Really crappy. I had to bring work home with me, and once I completed it, it didn't save, and I had to do it all over again. That was bad. Stuff happened when I was at work... it was worse. We don't live in a meritocracy, that's for sure. Meghan and I hadn't been grocery shopping in a week, so we were out of food so I had to spend $6 on a sandwich. Not a sandwich and chips, or with soda, or anything. Just the sandwich. I didn't have time to roam further then Rebeccas Cafe today because of... you guess it - work. But... I take the train.
Nothing tops the train.
We could start with the beginning, or the end, to prove my point... but we'll stick with the beginning for tonight (the return ride home featured a power hungry conductrix who defies explanation while still being only mostly politically incorrect). The ride in to work today was really the coming attractions that set up my day.
You know how when you go to the movies you usually see previews and say, hey, this looks good? Or hey, why did they make that movie, I wouldn't like to see it... No matter what you think, the ad is usually directed at the audience... If you were to show a preview for Saw V before a screening of Finding Nemo (Again), people wouldn't think anything but WHAT THE HELL!!
Well, the train ride is apparently similar to the previews... it tells you everything you need to know about the type of day your going to have.
Sure, the 2 1/2 year old that spent the entire ride in his stroller screaming, screeching and yelling wasn't a recurring theme for the rest of my day... but the desire to strangle him and then throw his parents off the train was a sentiment I'd end up feeling many more times through out the day.
Ok, that was harsh. But it needed to be said. Before we continue with this litmus test analogy (I gave up on not using analogies if you hadn't noticed), I have to have a little sidebar with you:
ITS EIGHT IN THE MORNING. I HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE YET. FOR GOD SAKES I'M NODDING OFF. I'M DOING MY BEST NOT TO SNORE HERE. WORK WITH ME. SHUT YOUR GOD DAMN KID THE HELL UP!!!!!!!
These parents let their kid (yup, both parents were on the train) make as much noise as possible for lungs that small. Once in a while, they'd ask him to quiet down. Yes, let me tell you, this helped. He stopped yelling for their attention and switched to full force shrieking. Much better. This way the headache is splitting by the time the coffee kicks in.
I know people... people that have produced these miniaturized persons that have been in fashion for oh so many eons. And let me tell you, they all have control of their younglings. Not a screamer in the bunch. Which really just reinforces the thought that I was having while bleary eyed and angry this morning... will this 7 double-deckers train carrying a few hundred passengers at 60 mph go any faster if 35 pounds is suddenly jettisoned? Now I know why Matt always talks about punting babies.
So am I shocked that my day sucked? Nope. Just like Jerry and Dorothy "at hello" (subtle pseudo-sports reference... heh heh heh), today had me at AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH EEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.
Yep... I ride the train.
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