dear god, I've served my time
So it took me four hours to get to the parents' this evening, because an 'unauthorized person' was struck by the train at Wyandanch. Apparently, this happens quite frequently between Wyandanch and Deer Park. I don't even know, you guys. What is someone doing on the tracks? It's not like you can't see and hear the train coming from a ways away, even without all the ringing bells and flashing lights that warn you. And it's not like Train v. Person ever ends well for Person. I mean, unless you are Superman (or Spider-Man), you are not getting the best of a moving train.
I realize that sounds heartless, but I did feel bad for the person who was killed, and the driver of the train as well. I also had to pee really badly (but not quite badly enough to use the public restroom at the train station), which possibly made me less sympathetic than I would have otherwise been.
The first four cars had platformed at Wyandanch, so we all walked through the train and off, and then waited for them to restore service, or get us buses. The 5:41 only makes three stops - Hicksville, Central Islip, and Ronkonkoma, so it was a fairly crowded rush hour train and none of us were people who were actually going to Wyandanch where the train was stopped.
Cab drivers started showing up, but they were, of course, gouging people for money. No, I'm not going to get in a cab that's charging $25 per person when everybody's going to the same destination. I waited for the buses, the first of which finally arrived and I got on a little before 8 pm. The dispatcher told the guy to make all local stops, but since we were all from an express train, we convinced the driver he didn't need to stop at Deer Park or Brentwood (after we were already practically at Deer Park, but whatever), so I made it to Ronkonkoma by about 8:45, and to my parents' house by 9:10.
I spent my trainride up until that point reading fic on my phone, and then after, calling and texting people about my situation, so I am amazed that the battery didn't die. It did go down into the tiny sliver of yellow zone a couple of times, but I turned it off and let it rest, and it came back green enough to make the calls I actually needed to make when I made them.
I am so tired. Long week was long, and this was just the sour cherry on top of my sundae of exhaustion.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/160444.html.
people have commented there.
I realize that sounds heartless, but I did feel bad for the person who was killed, and the driver of the train as well. I also had to pee really badly (but not quite badly enough to use the public restroom at the train station), which possibly made me less sympathetic than I would have otherwise been.
The first four cars had platformed at Wyandanch, so we all walked through the train and off, and then waited for them to restore service, or get us buses. The 5:41 only makes three stops - Hicksville, Central Islip, and Ronkonkoma, so it was a fairly crowded rush hour train and none of us were people who were actually going to Wyandanch where the train was stopped.
Cab drivers started showing up, but they were, of course, gouging people for money. No, I'm not going to get in a cab that's charging $25 per person when everybody's going to the same destination. I waited for the buses, the first of which finally arrived and I got on a little before 8 pm. The dispatcher told the guy to make all local stops, but since we were all from an express train, we convinced the driver he didn't need to stop at Deer Park or Brentwood (after we were already practically at Deer Park, but whatever), so I made it to Ronkonkoma by about 8:45, and to my parents' house by 9:10.
I spent my trainride up until that point reading fic on my phone, and then after, calling and texting people about my situation, so I am amazed that the battery didn't die. It did go down into the tiny sliver of yellow zone a couple of times, but I turned it off and let it rest, and it came back green enough to make the calls I actually needed to make when I made them.
I am so tired. Long week was long, and this was just the sour cherry on top of my sundae of exhaustion.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/160444.html.
people have commented there.