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Thursday, April 24, 2014

I got to be *that* person again!

I was in the Quiet Zone on a morning train, towards the end of the coach, one quad away from the stairs. Some dude sitting in the last row, near the window, was conducting a conference call on Speakerphone.

For real.

As we rolled out of Ajax, I observed the reactions from my seat mates and those around me. There were the typical gestures of annoyance: throat clearing, snapping newspapers, exaggerated shifting in seats, Exorcist-style turning of heads, gopher movements of popping up and out of seats with "Who you talkin' to Willis?!" expressions, eye-rolling and sighs.

So I got up, moved into the aisle, leaned over the guy sitting to next to conference-call dude and politely asked if he had headphones as he was interrupting several naps and I could hear him over my episode of The Walking Dead. Blank stare. Then I pointed to the QZ sign right in front of him. He mouths an, "Oh" and gets up to head downstairs. All of sudden it was like opening a cupboard in some ghetto basement apartment and having hundreds of cockroaches come at you at once when folks standing in the bi-level below realized a seat from free. Aggressiveness? You has it.

I sat back down. AND YET AGAIN... no one clapped, no one lifted me onto their shoulders and chanted my name.

You're welcome (I oughta snap a newspaper across some of yo' heads...)

18 comments:

Nora said...

Great, CJ.... but what you're telling me is that this idiot went from being the upper floor riders' problem to the lower floors riders problem - still a problem!

Loved the imagery of the Exorcist head turning and gopher imitations, though - priceless :-)

Rouge Hill-er said...

I would have given you a standing ovation if I'd been there - wtg!

C.J. Smith said...

I didn't banish him to the lower floor. He took himself there. Hopefully someone down there decided to take him on. All I wanted was a high-five from at least somebody!!!

Squiggles said...

I was *that* person this morning. Only I nipped that in the bud first thing. Barely settled in my seat and ereader turned on when a young man comes in and sits in the quad ahead of me. We hadn't even started moving when he started to sing along with whatever rap crap he was listening to a 6:41 in the morning. Got up, and in a quiet voice let him know he was in the Quiet Zone and could he refrain from singing and maybe turn the volume down a little. Very apologetic, and did as I asked. It was amusing later on the trip when I noticed he was mouthing the words and bopping his head to the music.

This is the third person/group of persons I have reminded. Not one of these people freaked on me. I think it is because I get out of my seat and approach them in quietly remind them. Or it could be that at 6:41 in the morning people are a little too sleepy to really argue and freak?

Jules said...

I would have high fived you or clapped.

Valentino Assenza said...

Nicely done....I would have given you props CJ!

Sylv said...

C.J., C.J., C.J.! I would have cheered you!!

C.J. Smith said...

I have always said, start with being polite. If you go in with all guns blazing which a lot of quiet zone enforcers do, you're going to get a bad reaction.

Look, just imagine being the other person, do you want to be singled out suddenly and without warning? Most people just forget they are in a zone designated as a rolling library. We have to all try to be decent to each other. AT FIRST. Then it's all ax and chainsaw from there.

Anonymous said...

Good for you!

It's bad enough when people talk on their phones period -- but on speakerphone??

Also, if it was a conference call, I'm assuming it was work related. I'm not sure his company would have been too pleased to have their business broadcast all over the GO train. You never know who's listening in.

I once overheard a group of women talking/complaining on the train about work... not only did I realize they worked for my company, I was easily able to figure out who it was they were bad-mouthing.

C.J. Smith said...

^ Exactly!!! Like, WTF.

Anonymous said...

I doubt this happened. Strongly. This is an over-exaggerated story.

Anonymous said...

right, because everyone behaves in the quiet zone -- roll eyes...

GO Train Superhero said...

Oh and no one ever asks anyone to be quiet in the Quiet Zone. Ever.

Anonymous said...

Half of these stories she posts are over-exaggerated tales of things she wishes she could have said at the time, that she never did. I guarantee you. Don't believe everything you read on here.

George said...

And your guarantee is backed by?

Oh I forgot. It's always best to believe the guarantee of an anonymous blog commenter. Rock solid there buddy.

mike f. said...

Real or not, who cares? I mean, really? Who gives a shit. Hollywood movies are fiction most of the time and I bet you pay money to go watch some made up shit because you find it entertaining. And oh look, this blog is free! And it's entertaining! Having met Cindy in person after a nasty confrontation with a smoker, I can tell you she is no wallflower so unless you know her personally, you got nothing. In the meantime, if you don't find the site worthy, go find something else to do with your time - like knitting. I could use a winter hat. Let me know how to contact you.

Deb said...

I agree with mike f. Who cares anonymous if the stories on here are real or fake... get a life.

C.J. Smith said...

Man, you guys sure get angry at them trolls.