Joining the Ranks of the Great Unwashed
Have been somewhat absent of late for several good reasons, and a few bad ones... like laziness.
In the last few weeks, I've moved house (almost complete, probably one trip left of moving stuff from my place). So I'm now a lot closer to work, and best of all, I've managed to trick my girlfriend to move in with me (Hypnosis. Works every time).
So I've been setting up internetz, gas and electricity; the usual fare for all those who have to move house. Including figuring out what to throw out (When did I buy this?) and packing memories.
And how does this relate to the title of this journal? Because my friends, I am now ... (pause for effect) ... a public transport user.
My average trip, which I'm sure will thrill my personal trainer, consists of a total of 30 minutes walking and a 15 minute train ride; and that's to get to work. I've got the same thing on my way home too.
A few things that I've noticed in my last few weeks of using the public transport system:
-Everyone owns a MP3 player/touch phone - What ever happened to the grand old days of reading a book, or just blankly staring out the window as the cityscape passed you by in a blur of green and concrete? Why has everyone sealed themselves into a little zone, basically flipping the finger to all and sundry while they sit cocooned in their own private universe? Well, I say private universe, but for some reason only known to themselves, they feel the need to share the terrible noise they are listening to. While I truly do not care about the hearing loss of complete strangers, I do care that I'm forced to listen to some white rapper talking about why he doesn't have enough bitches and ho's.
-People smell. I am not claiming that I am the cleanest person in the world. I shower daily, change my clothes regularly, and more often than not, you can find a food/beverage stain somewhere on my clothes. But I don't think I smell. So I find it hard to understand why every person on public transport stinks. And I'm not exaggerating here. Every time I've had someone sit next to me, they reek. I've taken to standing, rather than sitting, simply so I don't have anyone next to me. How in the modern world of aerosol's and shower gel can people smell so bad!
-Timetables. I've known from a young age that public transport timetables, to quote a popular pirate, is more like guidelines than actual rules. I know that the 10:10 train might not arrive until 10:15, or in extreme cases, even 10:20. I understand this, so why can't everyone else? why must people huff up and down the platform, constantly dialling that press button service that tells you where the train is, and when it will arrive. If you pressed it 2 minutes ago and it said it would be here in 5 minutes, why do you act shocked that they tell you it will be here in 3 minutes now? n the modern world of smart phones, there are aps you can download which will tell you how far away a train is. Download it to your iPhone, and stop pressing that fraking button.
And finally...
-Food. This is less of a gripe, than a "I can't believe it!". For years upon years now, there have been vending machines at the larger train stations, where you can get a drink and a snack, at an exorbitant rate. And I've been fine with this. I have many many times over paid $4 for a cookie, that I use to get for $1.80 at my school tuck shop. But it seems that the companies who make these devices must have cottoned on to the fact that not everybody has $10 in change to get a drink and a snack. So in their wisdom, what have they done to combat this issue? Lower the prices? No. They now have places for you to swipe your credit card. FLM. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to get my credit card out on a public train station, just to buy a $4 bottle of Coke. Get nicked.
-End Rant.
In the last few weeks, I've moved house (almost complete, probably one trip left of moving stuff from my place). So I'm now a lot closer to work, and best of all, I've managed to trick my girlfriend to move in with me (Hypnosis. Works every time).
So I've been setting up internetz, gas and electricity; the usual fare for all those who have to move house. Including figuring out what to throw out (When did I buy this?) and packing memories.
And how does this relate to the title of this journal? Because my friends, I am now ... (pause for effect) ... a public transport user.
My average trip, which I'm sure will thrill my personal trainer, consists of a total of 30 minutes walking and a 15 minute train ride; and that's to get to work. I've got the same thing on my way home too.
A few things that I've noticed in my last few weeks of using the public transport system:
-Everyone owns a MP3 player/touch phone - What ever happened to the grand old days of reading a book, or just blankly staring out the window as the cityscape passed you by in a blur of green and concrete? Why has everyone sealed themselves into a little zone, basically flipping the finger to all and sundry while they sit cocooned in their own private universe? Well, I say private universe, but for some reason only known to themselves, they feel the need to share the terrible noise they are listening to. While I truly do not care about the hearing loss of complete strangers, I do care that I'm forced to listen to some white rapper talking about why he doesn't have enough bitches and ho's.
-People smell. I am not claiming that I am the cleanest person in the world. I shower daily, change my clothes regularly, and more often than not, you can find a food/beverage stain somewhere on my clothes. But I don't think I smell. So I find it hard to understand why every person on public transport stinks. And I'm not exaggerating here. Every time I've had someone sit next to me, they reek. I've taken to standing, rather than sitting, simply so I don't have anyone next to me. How in the modern world of aerosol's and shower gel can people smell so bad!
-Timetables. I've known from a young age that public transport timetables, to quote a popular pirate, is more like guidelines than actual rules. I know that the 10:10 train might not arrive until 10:15, or in extreme cases, even 10:20. I understand this, so why can't everyone else? why must people huff up and down the platform, constantly dialling that press button service that tells you where the train is, and when it will arrive. If you pressed it 2 minutes ago and it said it would be here in 5 minutes, why do you act shocked that they tell you it will be here in 3 minutes now? n the modern world of smart phones, there are aps you can download which will tell you how far away a train is. Download it to your iPhone, and stop pressing that fraking button.
And finally...
-Food. This is less of a gripe, than a "I can't believe it!". For years upon years now, there have been vending machines at the larger train stations, where you can get a drink and a snack, at an exorbitant rate. And I've been fine with this. I have many many times over paid $4 for a cookie, that I use to get for $1.80 at my school tuck shop. But it seems that the companies who make these devices must have cottoned on to the fact that not everybody has $10 in change to get a drink and a snack. So in their wisdom, what have they done to combat this issue? Lower the prices? No. They now have places for you to swipe your credit card. FLM. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to get my credit card out on a public train station, just to buy a $4 bottle of Coke. Get nicked.
-End Rant.