TIL Presto wants 25 cents to clear your negative balance. I didn't know this was a thing

DID YOU KNOW THIS? I didn't. Presto isn't a bank.

Presto tweeted me back:
@ThisCrazyTrain @ellenroseman @GOtransit This is not new. This fee is in the PRESTO Card Terms & Conditions http://t.co/diWO6ysIJb (see PDF)

I read through it and although it's documented, it's not explained why the fee is necessary.

I think we're entitled to ask and know why Presto feels a need to collect a fee seeing as they aren't in the bricks and mortar business.

Anyhow, here's a follow-up post: Presto charges for courtesy. I guess I can be okay with that

Shout Out on yo' Barrie line

Really?! REALLY? It's not 15 plus 1 - Quit trying to change the rules, GO Transit. It's not cool

Thanks for the new air freshener this morning, GO Transit

Quiet Zone. You're doing it right

Source

Petition to bring GO train service to Niagara

from:		AV
to:		"cj@thiscrazytrain.com"
date:		Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 8:48 AM
subject:		Niagara GO petition

Hey CJ,

Are you aware of this petition?

http://www.getniagaragoing.ca/?utm_campaign=niagara_week&utm_medium=email&utm_source=getniagaragoing

Thought maybe some of your readers would want to sign it.

Hope you’re having a good day.

Has nothing to do with GO Transit... but he's wearing green in the video

Do you want to laugh some more? These are even more funnier if you remember the GI Joe PSAs from when we were kids (those of you in the 35-45 age range)

And the award for most balls goes to ...

from:		MM
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 10:09 AM
subject:		Bag rider extraordinaire

Guy in the headphones is reading the paper. Has his bag and‎ personal office set up on the seat across from him. Hung his jacket over the headrest to infringe on another quad entirely. 

Woman sat down, didn't seem to care the jacket was there. Dude didn't seem to care she was leaning on his jacket, and made neither an attempt, nor an offer, to move his‎ shit. 

To quote Dr. Evil, "Let me tell you a little story about a man named Sh!"

Oh the Quiet Zone. How I hate what you've become - a playground for passengers with pent-up passive aggressive anger issues and for those who don't give a shit about anyone but themselves.

I wear headphones. I gave up on the Quiet Zone even before there was a Quiet Zone. I learned early on that some people can't help themselves and the worse, THE WORSE, are the helicopter mothers. The ones who phone their teenage children at stupid o'clock in the morning to drill them on whether they are out of bed, found the clean underwear left on the tea cart in the living room, if they got breakfast going, brushed their teeth, put their lunch in their backpack, grabbed the spare key, fed the dog, wiped their ass and ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! and ARGH! My mother never phoned me any morning of my high school life to make sure I was up, fed and dressed. NOT EVEN ONCE. If I couldn't find my underwear at 14, I sure as hell wouldn't be holding down a job at 24. I don't know... I don't know about today's parents of teenagers. Mind you, I have a daughter with autism spectrum disorder. Maybe I will have to hover? I don't plan on it, though. I grew up with a mentally disabled sister. My mom sure as hell didn't hover over her - at least nothing like what I have witnessed on the train via these one-sided phone calls.

All the Quiet Zone did was force these moms to the lower level, but there are still the moms who don't give a shit and still make the calls. I sat next to one this morning who started her call in the Rouge Hill dead zone. All I needed to hear was, "Hello? Hello!!! We're breaking up. HELLO!? Did you find the orange juice?" and I was out. I turned up the volume on my episode of Sons of Anarchy and disappeared.

I get, on average, one to two emails a week (same with text messages) from passengers pissed off at people who can't shut up or who sit right under the Quiet Zone sign and conduct loud conversations on topics nobody gives a rat's ass about. But yesterday was a special day. There must have been something in the air because I received an email and two simultaneous text messages all around the same time and another email this morning.

from:		DR
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 7:41 AM
subject:		Quiet zone

7:15 am LSE express to Union.

25 min later of talking about trailers, the conversation continues...

from:		J
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 5:55 PM
subject:		Welcome to the quiet zone on the Kitchener line

Where people take three seats with their crap, foot ride (at least the shoes are off) and have 25 minute phone conversations at volume 11.
I want all the chainsaws....

Would prefer to remain anonymous,  please.

Text Exchange Number One

Text Exchange Number Two
(What makes this one funny is this is a friend of mine, but I didn't know that at first)

"Hook" me up? Will ya?

An anonymous but very reliable source at GO Transit provided an answer about yesterday's "jaunty pipe" aka the girder hook aka the whole Leprechaun post, etc...

The email:

"As GO works on the Union Station Re-vitalization – safety is our top priority!  So is complying with the legislation around preserving a heritage building such as Union Station.  The hook in question is one of a number of ‘shore power hooks’ throughout the shed. The hooks were used to hold electrical cables which served the trains.  They kept the cables up off of the ground and out of the way of the baggage carts and people on the platform.  They are heritage artifacts and are identified for retention during our renovation.  They are all in good condition and securely welded to the steel shed structure."

I guess me using them to hook footriders from is out of the question. Dang.

Lucky charms

I snapped this picture because I was intrigued by the long metal hook suspended from the steel girder.  What I got was a Leprechaun with a jaunty looking pipe.

UPDATE - it's not for mail or bags or anything of the sort. Answer here.

More talk of relief transit and GO

Hi CJ.
Saw this on the Star website. Talking about using GO to relieve crowding on TTC. The third last paragraph nails the sentiment I'm sure many GO riders would be wondering.
http://www.thestar.com/bigideas/2014/04/08/big_ideas_can_go_relieve_ttc_crowding.htm
-Bicky

Poor footriders, it's so hard to be a squirrel with a nut

Dirty chicken. That's a new one. Note left on the windshield of a GO customer's car

- doggbuster

Meanwhile, on a Brampton street

Just call this the working title of my memoirs

This post is rather timely as I was just hit up for some "how do I change myself into a better self?" advice. I don't know if my advice will be helpful but I hope it provides the person with some inspiration.

Some nights I come home absolutely ravenous and when I discover my husband doesn't have dinner on the table at exactly 6:25 pm, I become a raging lunatic.

When I get off the bus, I have visions of him frantically cooking, sweat pouring down his back as he anxiously watches the clock and begs the pasta (whole wheat of course) to boil faster. Our kitchen faces the street so I can see the tension on his face as he nervously glances towards the front walk looking out for my arrival.

It's awful it's come to this. And this is where I want to apologize to him. I am blessed to have a partner who can be counted on to prepare dinner five nights a week.

Chad, I'm sorry for all the things I've said on an empty stomach.

I'm in mourning

One of my favourite stand-up comics died on the weekend, apparently from natural causes. John Pinette was overweight but like myself, he had been working on getting healthy. He had dropped considerable weight since his early performances.

I'd like to take a moment to honor him here.

And from Matt:

Where can I get one?! I want to wear it on a Friday night train ride home

I'm not a train expert, but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to work...

Source

Reason #131 why we can't have nice things

That white thing is gum.