Yesterday I missed my train, again. Not a big deal at rush hour though, because there's one that comes along a few minutes later. Actually, it was kind of strange, I got to the station, looked at the board and it said proceed to track 3A. Which I did, except that I got lost. I could quite clearly see on a board that 3A was supposed to be somewhere, but then, I couldn't see just exactly where it was. So, I stood near the sign and spun around looking for where it might be, and then I'd look back at the sign. Who the hell knew that commuting was going to be so damned hard? Eventually a nice man asked me if he could help and directed me to the track I was looking for. I got there just in time to see the damned train pull away.
However, on the elevator with me were some people that knew there was another train coming along in less than 20 minutes, so no big deal. I spoke to the helpful man for a minute or so while he told me that the train he was waiting for was going to Hamilton, so I would be able to get to Burlington on it, and then I just stood and waited. He seems to know everyone, because the longer the waiting lasted, the bigger the group of people that were surrounding him became.
So, the train comes, and I guess the car that stopped nearest to me must have been the one that's meant for wheelchairs, because the seats were bench seats that folded up, but also, they had a ton of room inbetween them. I go in, find a seat that sits in the right direction and sit down. (I can't ride backward on the train, it makes me sick) The party from the platform is also on the train, as is the operator. Before too long we get going, I'm still not sure I'm even on the right train, thankfully the operator (conductor?) announces where we're going.
More people join the train, who this man appears to know. He tells everyone that's willing to listen that he's been in Chinatown and got 4 lbs of strawberries for $4. It's loud, everyone is talking, the lone child on the car is screaming, the conductor/operator guy is yakking away... I just couldn't believe it. THEN, the man starts passing around cookies. I shit you not. He opened up the package, and passed them around, to anyone and everyone on the train. In fact, when people refused he got a little upset. "There are lots, what else am I going to do with them?" (Why'd you buy so many then?!)
As people got off they gave each other hugs... it was just the most bizarre experience I've ever seen. I sat quietly and read my book and observed all of this going on, and wished that I had some music or something I could listen to so I didn't have to pay attention.
The train was express to Clarkson and then stopped from there on. At Oakville a girl got on, and immediately made a phone call to...who I assume was her fiancee. Do we suppose that the entire train needed to hear about how their parents were fighting, and how her mom was mad at his mom, and about what kind of topper they were going to have on their wedding cake? Nope, pretty sure nobody gave a shit about that.
Then, as I was standing waiting for the doors to open these two ladies were talking, older ladies who I'd have expected would have gone through menopause already or at least be starting it. The one woman was talking about being cranky and how her boobs hurt. Clearly PMS, but...again, did the entire world need to know this?
So I got this new job. Well...kind of. I am still managing a bookstore, and still really loving managing a bookstore, it's just not the same bookstore. In fact, since December, I've been manager of three different bookstores. Not because of any particular action on my part though, just because I keep being moved.
The first move was a bit of a mistake. On January 10th I left the store I'd been at for most of last year to move to a store closer to Toronto. It was down in sales, which they'd been putting down to the fact that there is a big Chapters across the road. But then, at Christmas time our VP spent some time in there and realized that it's not that there was a big Chapters across the road, it's that it was being sorely neglected. So, off I went to fix the store, to clean up the dust balls the size of tumbleweed, amongst other things. Three days after I arrived, they received an eviction notice from the mall. So, there went the plan of fixing that up.
So now, I'm downtown Toronto. Again, the store is a bit of a problem. It's down in sales. It apparently never makes it's bottom line because the rent is so high, but the big problem at the moment is that it's also not makaing it's top line. The top line, I can control. Perhaps not immediately, because there are some big changes that need to be made, but before too long, I think there should be some improvement there.
My point in all this, is that now I take the train to work. And, after only two days, I've discovered that there are a lot of idiots on the train. Along with the idiots, are people that just piss me off.
Friday wasn't so bad actually, but then, I wasn't travelling during a busy time. I came in around 11am and went home at almost 10pm.
Saturday, however, is an entirely different story. I got on the train at 10:30am. Did you know...that the circus is in town? I had no idea, but, from what I understand it's there! Which meant...kids...ALL OVER THE TRAIN. As you can imagine, I was not pleased about this.
There was a mother behind me with a kid, who had taken control of her cell phone. And who was playing every ring the thing had, in succession. I wanted to turn around, and snap that little flip phone in half. What kind of person lets their child be so fucking annoying when surrounded by people?
There was this woman that got on the train a couple of stops after me, I hear 'Can I have some help please?'. So, the people getting on, turn around, and help her lift her baby carriage onto the train. Nice of them, I wouldn't have helped. With her, she had a baby that cried almost the entire trip, and two kids who were...I'm going to guess about 5 years old. They were happy, running around, getting in everyones way. The lady was on her cell phone, yakking away, she told the person on the other end that she loved them about 15 times before finally hanging up. At a stop not too far along, a lady got on and joined them. This made the girl child furious, and she stomped away and moped the entire rest of the trip to the city. From what I gather, the new lady was this girls mother, who was joining them at the circus. It was a surprise! The girl child, was not at all happy about this surprise. The mother grounded her for being so miserable. No wonder she wasn't pleased!
Beside me this man sat down with a kid about the same age as the others, I'm going to guess. This kid was very well behaved, except that he asked his dad at every stop if this was their stop. "Are we there?" "How many more stops?" "What's this stop called?" Completely annoying, but only because I wanted some quiet so I could read my book.
On the way home...I missed the first train so I had to wait an hour. By the time I got on the train, my head was pretty sore, I started to get a headache around 5pm. Which, I figured had something to do with me being hungry. On the train at 9:00 pm on a Saturday you find people who are going out to party.
There was a couple who were going to Mississauga to My Apartment. They were sitting behind me, using their outside voices, discussing the impending evening, as well as what happened the last time they'd hung out with their old high school friends. Then, the guy got on the phone to his friend, and got EVEN LOUDER. Do I really give a shit if his friend is already hammered? Nope, pretty sure I don't. I also don't care if his friend is driving to My Apartment, or how said friend is going to get home.
There were these two really weird guys that were pacing the train. They were quite obviously already on....something, I can't be sure what. It appeared that they'd been on the train for some time already, because the one guy was talking about how bored he was. They were wearing black lace up boots to their knees, then black jeans which were cuffed at the top of the boots, then black bomber jackets which had swastikas on them. Oh, they were sporting shaved heads as well. These two were going to a party, in Oakville...where they'd never been before. To be honest, they made me a little uncomfortable.
A girl got on at the station, asked the My Apartment couple if the train was going to Port Credit. They didn't know. She ammended her question to was the train going to Mississauga, which they were able to answer. She clomped off to her seat in her cowboy boots and sat down. Then she got on her phone. "Where do you live? Oh wait, I know where you live. Are you sure they dont' want to pick me up? Well, then how am I going to get there?" And so on, and so forth.
Oh, I forgot to mention the man who was coming back from a long trip, because he had all of his luggage with him. He kept getting phone calls. "Yes, I'm on the train now waiting for it to leave the station, I caught it early, I can't wait for a drink when I get home, although I did have a double scotch on the train" Gah...LIKE I CARE! He had one of those loud booming voices, I couldn't have ignored that one if I tried. And, his phone kept ringing, and the conversation was almost exactly the same every single time.
Most of this likely wouldn't bother me, except that my head was pounding. And everytime someone started up on their cell phone it pulled me away from my book and into their conversation. Which, I really didn't want to be a part of.