I counted 8 as I was driving by.
One was hanging from a lower branch by it's tail with it's little
front paw reaching out trying to get the shrub that grew below the tree.
I have no idea.
I first got a commuter rail pass in 2009 because I was sick of traffic. I live 13 miles from work. On a good day it’s about a 40 minute drive. On a bad day, well once I had it take 1 ½ hours. For 13 miles. So I got a rail pass.
It turned out to be a good move because a few months later gas prices went through the roof for a while.
I did not renew it for 2010. Traffic was still bad, but gas prices weren’t and they had increased the cost of the pass. So I decided not to get one.
Towards the end of the year though, traffic started bothering me again so I decided for 2011 I would renew my pass.
All of this is to point out that I haven’t taken a train in about 1 ½ years.
And apparently, things change.
I printed out the current schedules and figured out which trains I needed to take. Naturally the times had changed just enough that they were kind of in between what I needed; one a little too early, the other a little too late.
So a couple of weeks ago I made myself get up 30 minutes early and I caught the later train.
I went to the spot I waited at 1 ½ years ago, and sure enough, at the correct time, the train comes out of the west. The only difference was the actual train. It wasn’t the double decked one it used to be. This one looked more like an AmTrack train and instead of a platform that you just step on to get in the train, it had steps. And they were a tad bit higher than my crunchy knees were happy with.
Good thing there was a hand rail to help haul myself up with.
I get to my stopping station, and the commuter bus to my building is still there. When I get on, it is about 20 minutes before my scheduled start time. I’m thinking this is great, I will be able to take the later train and still get to work on time. Then we sit there. And sit there. And sit there some more. I’m about to ask how long we actually sit there before we go, when a westbound train pulls into the station. Then the bus driver starts his engine. Oh, ok. So he has to wait for the other train before we can go.
Well I end up at my desk about 6 minutes late. Not too bad, but I decided that next time I will try the earlier train and see what time I get there.
After work I go out to the bus stop and pick up the bus back to the station.
Now. This station has two sets of tracks. The last time I was taking the train, 1 ½ years ago, only one track, the far one, was being used. I saw no indication that anything was different. When I got off that morning, it was on the far track. So I go over to the far side, sit down and start reading to pass the time.
A train pulls in behind me. On the tracks that 1 ½ years ago were not in use. And since I was reading and not paying attention, I didn’t see which direction it had come from, so I couldn’t tell which direction it was going.
I walk over to that platform, but all the doors on that side of train are blocked off and pulled up. After a few minutes a worker hops out a little door and starts fiddling under the train. I go up to him and ask if this train is eastbound. He says yes, but passengers are supposed to board from the other side.
I was on the wrong side of the tracks.
I explained that the last time I took the train, that track wasn’t in use, so as far as I knew, I was on the correct side. He took pity on me and unblocked one of the doorways and let me on, the whole time pointing to the other platform and making sure I understood that next time I needed to be over there.
So now it is a couple of weeks later. I haven’t taken the train again since then. I’m finally motivated enough to make myself get up an hour earlier so I can catch the earlier train and see what time it gets me to work. The $65 it took to fill the Jeep the other day, is what motivated me.
I go to the station. Stand in the usual spot. Here comes a westbound train, on the track behind me. And it stays there.
I eye it suspiciously, but I saw it come westbound, and I need to go east.
About 5 minutes later, on the track in front of me, here comes another westbound train.
Now I’m really confused.
I see the two conductor guys chatting at the far end of the platform so I head that direction. One conductor turns and hops on the one train and the other starts walking towards the other. He is about to hop on when I holler at him and ask him if one of these is going east. He points to the one he is about to get on and shakes his head at me, apparently quite amused.
I was on the wrong side. AGAIN.
I’m wondering if it was the same train guy from a couple of weeks ago.
