Hold on tight true be-loggers, this is going to be a very specific Philly post. As mentioned in previous posts, I have been commuting from New Jersey to Philadelphia via the NJ Patco line. I enjoy taking the train in the morning, most people are polite and quiet (except for one large African America woman who takes the 7:05 train, I see her at least once a week and she is on the cell phone every time I see her and she TALKS SO FUCKING LOUD). Besides the occasional loud talker there is one phenomenon that I don’t quite understand; When the train arrives in Philadelphia, it makes fours stops – 8th & Market, 9th-10th, 12-13th, and 15th-16th. People getting off at the first three stops usually get up before the train stops so they can get out in time, however, people on the last stop do the same thing.
What makes this odd you might ask? The train doesn’t leave for a good 10 minutes when it reaches final destination. It just sits there. Why should these people cram themselves at the door to get out when the train isn’t going to move? You might be asking why this bothers me… there is a good reason. I am a big dude, so when I can, I like to sit at the front seat (where the commuter exits are) because there is just a little more leg room. These people get up and crowd around the door hitting me accidentally with their laptop bags and purses, they invade my personal space by grabbing the handle on the head rest (right next to my head)… On that subject: the train will stop at the last exit, there are 8-15 crowded at the exit around me, the train slows down making jerking movements and of course I have some old asshole in my lap BECAUSE HE CAN’T JUST STAY IN HIS SEAT!.
I am going to make this simple: If you going to the last exit on a train, stay in your seat until the train comes to a complete stop, the 3 seconds you saved rushing out the door isn’t going to make a difference because if you are taking a train to work, you aren’t that fucking important.
BONUS STORY:
I have been noticing a lot more middle aged women riding the train in groups. While this may be lovely for them, it is terrible for me. These married family women seem to enjoy spending their 35 minutes on the train bitching about their kids and husbands – don’t these women have anything else to talk about? IT’S AN ELECTION YEAR. Today, two miserable women sat behind me and Allison on the way home. The one woman was literally barking words (I could feel the words on the back of my head). I got up to move but there were no double seaters for me and Allison. The minute I got up, the loud lady’s sidekick attempts to put TRASH ON MY SEAT!?! Even if I move, what the hell makes the trains this slob’s personal dumpster. I shot her a nasty look and sat down with defeat. I was serenaded to the sounds of this woman complaining about:
1. Her husband not cleaning under the range after he spent the whole day cooking (He made a nice big pot of “gravy”)
2. Her husband leaving the sponges “too soapy” when he was done cleaning
3. The fact that a hurricane was named after her step-daughter
4. The long drive to the King of Prussia mall
5. The long waits at the Cheesecake factory
6. Her dog not wanting to go outside to go to the bathroom due to the weather
Thirty-five minutes on the train with this woman and I feel nothing but sympathy for her husband and wonder why people can’t keep quiet for a few minutes in a public area, PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND THEY DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR BORING LIFE.
AMEN.
