Early

The bus came early today which put into motion a commute that was shifted a least 5 minutes before I usually ride.

The faces were all different. The noise level was much quieter. I missed my peeps.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:55
Bus Arrival Time: 7:11
T Departure Time: 7:11
T Arrival Time: 7:31
Weather as I call it: Colder than yesterday but sunny.
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: Nope

Why Aren't We All Sick?

Germ warfare is a part of riding the MBTA. I am not sure everyone is a conscious participant in the germ war, but I am. It is a full-on fight not to catch the ugly virus that is making the person next to you hack and cough in the most disgusting ways.

People...please cover your mouth when you cough. I don't want to be sick. I don't want what you have. Even though my immune system has evolved and has been fortified due to my ridership on the T, I am still human. My body cannot fight off every flu or cold virus out there...especially when I am exposed to it in the cold confines of the bus and/or Orange Line.

I might need to start wearing rubber gloves and a surgical mask.

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Bus Departure Time: 7:02
Bus Arrival Time: 7:16
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:38
Weather as I call it: Mild for a January morning. 40s. Cloudy
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 4 Please STOP COUGHING ON ME!
Feared for my life: Depends.

Use Your Inside Voice

I worked from home yesterday so no post. My wife had jury duty so I was on baby duty. Is that TMI? Well, too bad! My blog. My rules.

Or something like that.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as a tough guy.

Please don't click the back button.

I had a good time on the bus. I saw some guy (in his 20s/30s) was getting escorted out of a Malden high rise nursing home in cuffs by a couple of police officers. Wonder what that was all about.

This guy behind me answered his loud ringing cell phone and then had a very loud conversation...It was pretty obnoxious. Ooh, maybe he was a little hard of hearing? Ok, next subject.

There was another guy on the Orange Line having a boisterous conversation about John Harvard's growlers and pint glasses. His southern accent was thick. I knew he wasn't from around here.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:58
Bus Arrival Time: 7:11
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:37
Weather as I call it: Cold, sun rising over the trees.
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Bags On Seats

Well, I enjoyed my three day weekend. Did you have Monday off too? I hope you did. If not, I back with you today.

The bus has been on time for the past few days. I have to hustle to make sure I get to the stop before it passes. Not that I am complaining...it's been nice not having to wait for it.

The Orange Line was packed. There were a few guys along the trip that decided that their duffel bags were way too big to place on their laps or in front of them...so they put them on the seat next to them.

The guys would move the bags eventually...but I still don't understand why they place their bags on seats in the first place.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:57
Bus Arrival Time: 7:10
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:37
Weather as I call it: Cold, 10s, Partly Sunny.
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Performer at Downtown Crossing

Jesus woke you up this morning.

If anyone goes through the Orange Line section of the Downtown Crossing stop, specifically the Forest Hills side of things...you know what I'm typing about.

Have a good weekend.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:57
Bus Arrival Time: 7:09
T Departure Time: 7:12
T Arrival Time: 7:34
Weather as I call it: Rainy...better than snow
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

A Balancing Act

The bus was NO NONSENSE today. On time and over delivered on arrival time. The driver was brisk and didn't delay at any stop. It was great.

Not sure why, but there were a lot of people falling on the T today...grasping for poles and doing acrobatics to stay on their feet. Amazing stuff.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:57
Bus Arrival Time: 7:07
T Departure Time: 7:10
T Arrival Time: 7:34
Weather as I call it: Cold but sunny
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2 (delays on the orange line make it a 2)
Feared for my life: No

Aftermath

I was witness to a bizarre landscape as I walked out of the house today. The snow was heavy in the trees. The sky had patches of dark gray and red-orange. The ground was covered in....whoa, almost slipped on the black ice in my driveway. Next time, I should stop paying attention to the sky and more attention on where I am walking.


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Bus Departure Time: 7:00
Bus Arrival Time: 7:16
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:37
Weather as I call it: Cold and weird
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: Except for the almost falling on the ice part, I was ok.

Untimely Snow

Nice. Another Nor'Eastah. Everything was on time though. There weren't a lot of people on the bus/Orange Line. No school...no work for some, I guess.

- There was a dude who was coughing up a lung behind me on the bus. I hope he covered his mouth.

- The bus was silent...outside of the dude coughing and the bus driver's c.b. radio.

- There was a woman yelling on a pay phone at Malden Center station. Maybe she was stranded and trying to get a ride home?

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Bus Departure Time: 7:00
Bus Arrival Time: 7:15
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:37
Weather as I call it: SNOW! WIND!
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 3
Feared for my life: Felt pretty secure

Mad Improv Skills

It was a dark start to the morning. No sun means night-like conditions. I thankfully missed a downpour or two at the bus stop. It was a pleasant, mostly dry wait for the the bus.

The singer/guitar player at Downtown Crossing has been playing a big part of my morning.

He was singing and playing while we were stopped in the station. Then, some passenger walked by and said, "Sing about how you're Jesus woke you up this morning."

And he did just that. He has mad improv skills as well.


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Bus Departure Time: 6:59
Bus Arrival Time: 7:14
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:38
Weather as I call it: Dark, rainy, high 30s
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: No

They Need The Space

Bus came right on time today...but so did all the passengers. I ended up standing in the back. I hate the guys that take up three seats in the back of the bus.

These are the seats that do not face forward, they face the side of the bus.

It's not because they are large, they just feel like they have to spread their limbs and their stuff across all three seats. No need to make room for anybody else.

They need the space.


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Bus Departure Time: 6:57
Bus Arrival Time: 7:13
T Departure Time: 7:17
T Arrival Time: 7:38
Weather as I call it: Partial sun..a little cooler...around 40 degrees
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Let The Old Man Sit Down

I had the choice of two buses today and with choosing the later bus, I was able to get to Malden Center faster. Sweet.

Right before we got there, an elderly man got on the bus. He struggled to walk passed the people standing up front. Passengers sitting around me started shouting, trying to get someone to give up their seat for the old man. No dice.

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Bus Departure Time: 7:02
Bus Arrival Time: 7:13
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:37
Weather as I call it: Warmer again this morning - 50s
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: Nope

Yankee Doodle

I thought I would change the format of my posts so that the body comes before the stats. I have seen some sites that republish this blog and the stats make the post look ugly. So, let's see how this goes.

There was a musician at Downtown Crossing playing songs on his guitar. While we were stop there, this guy played "Yankee Doodle". Although not a choice I would pick for the winter season, the worst part was that he only knew a verse...well sorta...I think he made up words for the last line in and he kept playing the verse over and over.

"Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his hat
And walked down the hallway...??" (I think that's what he was singing).

He just kept repeating these lines over and over.

I was facing the other way, but the people across from me were snickering and whispering things to each other.

He sounded like he was having fun.

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Bus Departure Time: 6:58
Bus Arrival Time: 7:15
T Departure Time: 7:17
T Arrival Time: 7:38
Weather as I call it: Warmer - High 40s
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: Not today

Plenty of Room in Back

Bus Departure Time: 7:01
Bus Arrival Time: 7:18
T Departure Time: 7:22
T Arrival Time: 7:43
Weather as I call it: 40s and cloudy
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: No

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Bus was pretty full today. I had the fortune of being able to sit. A woman who stood beside me had her duffle bag placed on my lap. I didn't mind.

The driver kept telling people to move back, but people were trying to stand their ground..trying to avoid the three steps.

You see, these new buses have rear sections that are set above the rest of the seating. There are three steps that lead to this elevated section and act as an invisible barrier...keeping the majority of the passengers out.

Finally, the bus driver had to point out that there was plenty of room in the back...and other passengers help spread his message. Eventually, people walked up the stairs to stand in the back.

A Little Warmer Today

Bus Departure Time: 6:58
Bus Arrival Time: 7:12
T Departure Time: 7:14
T Arrival Time: 7:34
Weather as I call it: 10 degrees out, but that's warmer than yesterday.
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: Nope

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Everything was running on time again...which made the cold temps bearable.

The bus driver did not have a good time with brakes. He made jerky stops the whole way. It was disconcerting.

Not sure what's up with the bus route, but we have not gone done Pleasant St. at all this week. I overheard the bus driver telling a passenger that the city of Malden is behind the route change. Not sure. Maybe I will investigate.

Catching Breaks

Bus Departure Time: 6:59
Bus Arrival Time: 7:15
T Departure Time: 7:16
T Arrival Time: 7:34
Weather as I call it: COLD
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 1
Feared for my life: No

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It was cold. Very cold...but I caught some breaks. First, the bus showed up pretty close to on time. Then I didn't have to wait on the T platform at all because the train was in the station when I arrived and I was able to jump on before the doors closed.

I was able to cross the street without having to wait an entire light cycle.

All of these things add up.

One Bus One Love

Bus Departure Time: 7:07
Bus Arrival Time: 7:24
T Departure Time: 7:28
T Arrival Time: 7:50
Weather as I call it: Cold and cloudy
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 4
Feared for my life: I slipped on some ice while walking on my driveway.

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I brought back the old template. So yay. There was only one bus that came during the 7 o'clock timeframe, so we all had to pile in and make the best of it.

People were shouting "No more room!" by the fourth stop. The driver decided not to pick up any more passengers once no one could get on any more.

I hate it when a scheduled bus fails to run at all. Not just late, but absent.

It happens way too often to be acceptable.


The Orange Line was fine. I need to start bringing books to read on the T. The Metro is rotting my brain.