Inbound/Outbound: December 2003
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Inbound:
Happy Last-Day-of-2003! Boy was I running late this morning.
I do not know what my problem was this morning but everything
seemed to take longer. Made it to the train with time to spare.
We were pretty empty up until the last stop. Luckily there were
still enough seats for everyone so that I could sit by myself.
I think a lady was eyeing up the spot next to me but decided to
sit in the seat behind. That was a good thing because my knee
was bothering me slightly and sitting in one of those squashed
positions would not have been enjoyable.
Outbound:
I was shooting to catch the 1:30 train since we were getting
out at 1:00 but everyone wanted to catch lunch. The service must
have been slow or something because we were there more than 30
minutes before we were served. Needless to say, the 1:30 came
and went. The stop at the bar ended up taking longer than expected
because when I looked at my watch next it was 2:17 and the next
train was in 10 minutes! I hustled out of there pretty quick with
my cohort. We ended up having to run the last few hundred feet
because we were not sure if we were going to make it. The hour-between-train
things is a pretty good running incentive. Anyway, we made the
train and my cohort was able to run off to the bathroom with time
to spare (train was a few minutes late). One of the guys that
works across the street from us shared our "usual spot"
which was nice than knocking knees with strangers.
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Took the day off !!!
Monday, December 29, 2003
Inbound:
That was not a fun drive this morning. The fog was so dense
I could barely see 20 feet in front of me. To make matters even
more fun, when the fog touched the ground it turned to black ice.
Once I got going it seemed like driveways more problematic than
actual roads. I guess it was the material or something. Needless
to say, I was surprised I made it to the train on time and even
had a seat to myself.
Outbound:
There is a few of us on my work team that are taking turns using
up the final days off before they expire at year end. Today was
my cohort's day to take. I decided to grab the early express home
to get a jump on some regular shopping. This way that is one thing
I will not have to do tomorrow on my day off. The ride
home was quiet. Not much to report besides seeing a few regulars.
Friday, December 26, 2003
Inbound:
Happy Friday and Happy Day-After-Christmas. The train pulled
up early into the station and with only 2 cars! I definitely did
a double take and was pretty unsure if we had enough room. I guess
their statistics tracking paid off because we had enough seats
(I did not have to share). It does make sense that a lot of people
took the day off as it is a strange day to come in.
Outbound:
With things being as quiet as they were today, catching an early
train seemed like a good idea. Turned out to be a very good idea.
Even by 4:00 the station had practically shutdown. My cohort and
I continued our tech conversation. I did not get much sleep in.
Oh well, I have a whole weekend to catch up.
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Inbound:
Happy Christmas Eve!!! We were under a good bit of water this
morning. I just got to the train station as the train was pulling
up. I had a few problems with tailgaters this morning. STAY OF
MY TAIL! I had to squish through a few puddles on the way to the
train. The wonders of walking in the rain in the dark. Hopefully
this afternoon will be better.
Outbound:
We did catch the 1:30 train home today. Perfect timing. We left
the office at 1:00 to checkout some of the stores in the station
and then headed down to the platform. The train came in with enough
cars to fit everyone. We took a 2-seater to avoid having to "entertain
company". Those old train seats were fairly uncomfortable
but I guess I really cannot complain.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Inbound:
The train was still pretty full for the day before the day before
a holiday. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. It was a pretty
uneventful ride in. Everyone seemed to try jump up once we got
to my station. I was a bit squished into a corner. The wonders
of being small.
Outbound:
We caught the early express home tonight. The conductor was
funny. He wished me a happy holiday at the end of the night and
shook my hand. It was nice to be in a friendly environment this
time of year.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Inbound:
Happy first day of winter! It is the shortest day of the year.
Hopefully soon we will seen some improvement on the morning darkness.
I did grab a good spot in the mud hole, right in front of the
big light pole. Probably not one of my smartest moves because
if I hit the wrong peddle, I would have had a light through my
car. No worries. I did get a seat to myself. I think a guy was
eyeing it up (there were other seats open) but he decided to sit
elsewhere. I have to remember to pack lightly on Wednesday! Who
knows how crazy that day will be.
Outbound:
That is what I get for running my mouth. I did not get to take
the early express. My cohort asked if we were going to leave and
when I looked at the clock, it was the usual time to go. Oops!
Oh well, no damage done. Actually, I saw the scientist on the
way home. He is taking a bit of time off over the holidays and
then may start looking for a few job in the new year. I told him
to stay positive as I am hearing good things about the first quarter.
Hope it works out well for him.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Inbound:
Happy Friday! Boy, our parking lot was pretty empty. I guess
it was the combination Friday and near-holiday day that made for
the lower attendance. That was fine by me except I had a few chatty
people around me (regulars from my old train). At that hour all
I want to do is focus on the tunes.
Outbound:
We caught the early express as planned. That was a good thing
as I needed to pop into a few stores once I got back home. I think
I am done with my shopping aside from maybe a few extra tidbits.
I will admit that I was not too subtle about my "time to
go" hint but hey, it was Friday and it really was not necessary
to stay any later.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Inbound:
YEAY! I finally had a seat to myself this morning. I also managed
to grab a non-mud mud hole spot. It was a bit cold out and I do
not think the weather forecast is too bad for today, just cold.
Thank goodness too because I do not think I could stand another
soggy day today.
Outbound:
With a few minutes to spare, my cohort asked me if I wanted
to catch the early express. There I was, eating my salad than
then trying to pack it up in no time flat. I succeeded in my rushed
efforts and we booked it down to the platform. We made it to the
train and even got our usual express train seat. I think the lady
from the other day was eying us up. I think she wanted our seats
too.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Inbound:
At least it was not raining too hard this morning. Hopefully
things will not be too soggy by the time I get home. I did try
to grab a spot on minimal mud. The ride in was pretty quiet. I
am hoping one of these days I will get a seat to myself.
Outbound:
Geeze, what a night! I grabbed the early express tonight because
I just do not feel well (hope it is not the flu) and the soggy
weather made me a bit nervous. After all was said and done, I
nearly broke my leg trying to cross the track (in the snow). GRRRR!!!
I probably should have known better but really did not want to
walk up and down a set of stairs. It was a slightly slow ride
home but I do not think we actually had an ice problem. And, the
good news was that there was no flooding!
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Inbound:
I think I found a fairly minimal mud spot this morning in the
mud hole. I had a few very chatty people sitting around me this
morning. It was one of those mornings where I probably would have
preferred a few sleepers. Oh well, what can you do?
Outbound:
I tried to catch some sleep on the way home. For some reason,
the seats seem more uncomfortable lately. Maybe it is me, not
sure. Either way, I got a few minutes sleep before jumping in
the car.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Inbound:
The parking lot was a complete mush this morning. With that
nor 'easter over the weekend (only a week after the last nor 'easter)
the ground is just too soggy. I parked on frozen mud. Hopefully
by the time I get home, I will not be a foot deep in defrosted
mud.
Outbound:
It was definitely muddy by the time I got home tonight. I went
to put my bags in the back seat and stepped into a nice squishy
spot. Needless to say, for fear of slipping, I decided to push
my bags into the front seat. What a mess. I am surprised that
the inside of my car did not get more muddy. At least the ride
home was uneventful.
Friday, December 12, 2003
Inbound:
It has definitely been a long week. I will catch a late train
home because the annual Christmas party is tonight. I got a spot
in the mud hole but I probably should have grabbed the spot on
the platform - did not see it until after I had finished parking.
I was not in a mood to try parking again. At least it was a fairly
quiet ride into the city.
Outbound:
We decided that we did not want to catch too late of a train
home. Of course I got a bit caught up in party festivities, so
we had to run for the train. Ran into a few additional people
from the party too which was nice. There were actually 2 or 3
people (that I did not know) that got off at my station. A good
time was had by all and the ride home when smoothly.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Inbound:
I grabbed a spot in the mud hole next to one of the big trucks.
I left him a bit of extra room in case he got back before I did.
It was really raining hard when I woke up but luckily the roads
were passable. I wonder if there will be problems later given
there is more rain on the way for the morning???
Outbound:
Jumped on the early train again tonight because I have to stay
late tomorrow (Christmas party). It was a pretty quite ride home
and the train seemed emptier than usual. The conductor messed
up the announcement for the second to last stop. He said a station
we passed 15 minutes before. Needless to say all the regulars
turned around and yelled "what!". It even shocked a
first-timer that I jumped in on it given that I had my headphones
on.
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Inbound:
There were not any spots left in the mud hole this morning so
I parked next to the stump. It took me a few tries to lineup properly.
Granted, this spot is closer to where I get off and I forgot my
umbrella for tonight. I hope we do not have flooding issues.
Outbound:
Caught the early train tonight because I was not sure about
the flooding situation. Luckily, but the time we got to my station,
it was just slightly raining. The conductor made a comment about
me being awake. Yesterday he was giving me a hard time (joking
of course) about sleeping. He kept slamming the doors too. He
is definitely good for a laugh.
Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Inbound:
I pushed to get out a few minutes early again. There is still
some ice on the roads so I wanted to leave extra time incase certain
areas got really bad. The mud hole was pretty empty. I think all
the mud (still frozen) scared people away. I backed in next to
that older guy that always seems to give me the "look".
He had plenty of room to get out of this car. A lady sat down
next to me. I had to move some of my stuff quickly. Apparently
my gloves ended up being sat on! She got a laugh out of it when
we went to get off the train. She seems nice.
Outbound:
We went down to catch the usual train and there were more people
on the platform than expected. The overhead arrival boards did
not seem to indicate a problem. Sure enough, it was the early
express that was late. So when that train showed up a minute or
so before our usual local, we jumped on it. We made decent time
considering it was 15 minutes late getting started.
Monday, December 8, 2003
Inbound:
The roads were still not great but at least they were passable.
Why people felt the need to tailgate was beyond me. One guy actually
passed me. One word: ICE! Whatever. If people feel that safe on
the roads, go ahead. Me, on the other hand, left myself extra
time so I could CAREFULLY drive. So I did make it to the train
station, on time, and pulled into a spot between one of the regulars
and my banker friend. All of a sudden the other guy moved his
car to give me more room. How nice! I probably had enough room
for a standard parking lot . This one, people like to leave extra
room between cars. The guy that moved had left himself tons of
room on the end so he could spare a foot or two. The funny party.
Both guys have the same first name. That was a bit strange.
Outbound:
Caught the usual train home tonight. Actually the roads were
not really all that bad. I think we were about on time. YEAY!
Managed to get a bit of sleep, but not much. I was pretty out
of it by the time we hit the next to last stop. Not quite sure
how that one happened but at least I did not have a conductor
poking me awake.
Friday, December 5, 2003
Inbound:
I think a lot of people stayed home today. Cannot say I blame
them. When I left is had not started yet. By the time I got to
the train station, it started to snow with a light wind. As we
traveled inbound, it got progressively heavier. I wonder how the
rest of the day will fair???
Outbound:
What a ride home! I caught the 3:30 train. Any later and I would
probably have not gotten home. I think we made decent time on
the train. I was fairly squished into the window. It took me 20
minutes clean off my car. YIKES!!! So by the time I finally got
on the road, 4:50, it took me a solid hour to drive the 15 miles
home. The highway was a mess. There were no lanes or tracks to
follow. I did get the occasional tailgater. I think I'm going
to hibernate for the next few days until these storms pass.
Thursday, December 4, 2003
Inbound:
I did get a spot in the mud hole today. YEAY! I think that is
because one of the regulars parked up by the platform. We probably
could have squeezed in another car or two but with no lines, parking
can get a bit crazy. Oh well. I wonder if that storm will actually
start tonight?? I will have to suggest to my cohort that we catch
at least that earlier express. I do not want a repeat of the black
ice incident.
Outbound:
I did end up catching the early express tonight. I planned on
taking it from the get-go. My cohort (who is not feeling well)
opted to join me. He was originally not sure if he would even
last that long. We were running a bit late getting home, about
10 minutes. Not sure what had us crawling at times. Oh well. I
still got home earlier than if I had taken the local. That left
me enough extra time to pack my car up for what could be an adventure
tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Inbound:
The roads were nice and clear this morning. Thank goodness.
I am not sure what is on the horizon for Friday. I am already
getting nervous. I did not get my usual spot in the mud hole and
had to park in the spot under the tree, next to the stump. Oh
well. At least I am closer to where I get off in the evening.
And a few of us were still talking about the craziness from yesterday.
I still do not know how I made it in such a short time compared
to other people. I guess I had good timing or something.
Outbound:
I caught the regular train home tonight. My cohort caught the
next train because he was going out to dinner and needed to time
things better. The network engineer showed up and asked me to
to sit with him and his friend. I could not since sitting backwards
turns me green. The rest of the car probably did not need to know
that. Either way, I sacked out for the ride home so all is good.
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Inbound:
What a morning!!! Out of some crazy luck a small snow shower
planted itself right over my commute area. At first this did not
seem like a problem (pretty dusting), until a section of the highway
must have gotten a half to an inch of snow! Given that there was
no salting and the ground went from warm to frozen, I was suddenly
faced with a mile of black ice!!! There were a few jackknifed
tractor trailers, spun out cars, and lots of police vehicles.
I also heard the bridge just passed my exit was closed. I do not
know how I did it (given I was driving 2 mph - no joke - at times),
but I made my train just in time. I tried to back in next to a
lady but she did not want to close her doors over. Grrr. So I
had to move over more than I wanted to. Strangely, her car alarm
malfunctioned right afterwards. The timing was just strange. One
of the other regulars (with a huge pickup truck) has problems
driving as well. He actually had to get out to and make some sort
of hub adjustment in order to put his car into 4-wheel drive so
he could go up a fairly slight incline. Ok, I am guessing things
were as messy this morning because it was unexpected. I definitely
would rather NOT do this again. To matters more
fun, the lady that sat down next to me kept elbowing me every
few minutes. Needless to say it too a lot of self control to keep
from getting snippy with her. Way too much for one morning.
Outbound:
At least it was a much quieter ride home. I caught the early
train (my cohort stayed late) because I had to get to a store
before it closed. I wanted a bit of time to spare just in case
it turned into a fiasco. All in all, I made good time. That was
so much better than this morning. And, on top of it, it turns
out the lady with the car alarm from this morning did not even
know her car had an alarm! Now that must have been a shock.
Monday, December 1, 2003
Inbound:
Happy December! This is one of those lazy months were a large
number are on vacation at some point so I should be getting some
additional room at least in the parking lots. I did catch a space
in the mud hole. I thought I was running a bit late. My mother bought
me an adorable baby christmas tree that I needed to care for this
morning. Poor thing was completely dried out. No worries. The tree
got watered and I made my train on time.
Outbound:
I did not realize that my cohort would not be joining me on the
way home. I ran off to catch the regular local. Boy was it strange
not to really know anybody on the train. Luckily it was not crowded
so I could sleep in peace. I did talk a bit to the conductor because
it turned out to only be me left in the car when we finally reached
the end of the line.
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