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Friday, July 27, 2012

From the mail bag


from: Jennifer B
reply-to: xxxxxxx@rogers.com
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Sat, Jul 21, 2012 at 8:42 PM
subject: Loving your "Crazy Train" blog!
Hi CJ!

Nice to meet you! Have been thoroughly enjoying your blog! "Crazy Train" is quite a fitting name! Commuting certainly is crazy.

I also wanted to share some pet peeves about fellow passengers with you, maybe get your feedback? I wanted to commiserate! I feel your pain and frustration! I've only been doing the commute from Shwa to Toronto Union since May 7 2012 (attending George Brown) and it's been quite an adjustment.

Yesterday, Friday July 20, I sat next to a man who was true-blue Shwa. Have you noticed that a good 95% of the men in Durham region all sport ball-caps, greasy long hair, piercings, tattoos, ratty t-shirts and never bathe? They're not 10 years old, they need to lose the ball-caps!

But I digress. This ballcap-sporting older man I had the misfortune of sitting next to noisily sighed randomly all the way from Union to Oshawa, with his smelly wool-covered feet propped on the seat in front of him. Chainsaw?! Yes, please!!!

The worst part was his neck - I'm not sure if they were simply deep fissures running along the back of it, blackheads, or old, ingrained dirt in the cracks, but I couldn't look without gagging. Please don't visualize, I'm still feeling ill at the thought and wouldn't want you to feel sick as well. :-(

Have you noticed that at Danforth, the  train's HVAC system always pulls in tar-smelling air? ACK! Sickening!

Another pet peeve: WHY do people stand in the way on staircases and in the ailes and cluster around the exits on the trains when there's seats free?  They refuse to move, stare at you like you're the stupid one and then wonder why they get stepped on or shoved. They don't understand that standing up is not going to get them home faster. They're creating a hazard - if the train stops suddenly they're going to bang into someone and hurt them, send them flying, make them break a tooth. Makes my head hurt and my blood boil.

Thank you kindly for reading, dear lady, and keep up the good work! Us sane, considerate, *clean* and sensible commuters who shower daily must stick together!

Jennifer B.

4 comments:

ExGOnowTTC said...

Oh Jen Jen Jen. Such commuting naivety! Why do they stand around when seats are available? Well it's so they can be out first. Didn't you know it's a race and if they get off first that means they've won the game of life? Don't forget their need to get home/pub/shopping/staring open-mouthed at the sky is far more important than any need you'll ever have. The sooner you learn that the better. Now excuse me while i put my wet muddy feet up on the seat and have a loud conversation on the phone about my smelly vagina.

Squiggles said...

Oh Jen. Everything you said was true! Personally, last week (or earlier this week, I have no concept of time) I sat next to a Pickering man who sighed and huffed the ENTIRE trip there.

Anyhoodles, I have noticed that the standing people at doors (aka Door Donkeys) have been worse since the construction at Ajax made the platform shorter. Just an FYI that it *might* improve once this never ending construction improves.

Dan Garcia said...

Although I don't take the train very often, I am one of those people who stand with seats available. Often, after sitting on my arse for 10 hours a day, I just feel like getting some blood flow to my legs. I make sure, however, that I don't stand in the way of the stairs or opening doors.

Unknown said...

I get irritated by those people who get up at Ajax to get to the exit door and are not getting off not until Oshawa.
BUT - in my old age I am finding that getting up one stop before mine helps me with the stiffness in my hips and knees and legs. This makes it safer for me to step off the train without stumbling or hobbling.

Maybe we are seeing a case of hip and knee disease?? Resulting in Door Donkeeism.