Summer Keeps Going Strong

Pretty soupy this morning. A little bit of rain, but mostly muggy stuff.

Had little kids running up and down the train aisle today. The guy next to me thought it was funny. He was laughing a little bit.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:34
Departure Time From Train Station 6:59
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:40
Weather as I call it: Muggy
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 3
Feared for my life: No

Changed Template

Hey - New look and feel for the old driving to work blog. Just couldn't resist blogger any longer. So now you can read my updates in a whole new way. Wow.


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Departure Time From Home: 6:36
Departure Time From Train Station 7:01
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:43
Weather as I call it: Sunny, dry, not humid at all, low 60s
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Pay For Parking Online

The MBTA is announcing the ability to pay for parking online and through your mobile device. The first time I heard about the program was from a card that some dude handed me at North Station. He was wearing a fluorescent green shirt and he was being ignored mostly by fellow commuters. I guess people thought he was handing out free stuff.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:32
Departure Time From Train Station 6:59
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:40
Weather as I call it: Sunny, 60s
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Vocal Conductor

Over the past week, there has been a vocal and overly-appreciative conductor on my train. She has been thanking people left and right for their tickets, with cheerful words of thanks.

Not sute if I believe it, but it's better than the normal groans.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:33
Departure Time From Train Station 6:59
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:42
Weather as I call it: Sunny
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Shouldn't Daydream on the Highway

I wasn't paying attention and missed my exit on the highway on my way to the train station this morning. It wasn't a huge deal because there are a couple of ways to get to the train station, but one way is quicker than the other. It forced me to park in the upper parking lot rather than the lower one, which is better for exiting for many reasons.

I have settled for second best so far today.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:36
Departure Time From Train Station 6:59
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:40
Weather as I call it: Cloudy, 60s
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 3
Feared for my life: No

Not That I Was Grinding Anything

People will tell me to get back to the grind. I don't work in a mill. After being on vacation for a week, I can tell you the commute was as good as it could be. Everything was on time and all the old favorites were on the train again. Back to my regular routine indeed.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:36
Departure Time From Train Station 6:58
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:40
Weather as I call it: Hazy sun, 60s
Shady Gas Price: $2.67
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: Nope

Need A Ride To Maine

I saw a weird scene on the street to the train station this morning. There was a couple of women who were holding up a sign that said "Need a ride to Maine". It said some other stuff but I couldn't make it out. It was out of the ordinary. I think they were in front of the entrance to a junkyard. Yikes.

The train was less crowded today...much less than it has been all week. They finally ran a train today with 6 cars instead of 5.

The doors I usually use to get in weren't opened today, so I had to walk down a bit to use the next set of doors. I was able to get into the car I usually sit in though.

I am on vacation next week. Write to you soon.


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Departure Time From Home: 6:34
Departure Time From Train Station 7:00
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:42
Weather as I call it: Partly cloudy, a little cooler today.
Shady Gas Price: $2.69
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No.

They Were Standing Up In Winchester

The train seemed crowded from the moment I got on. The conductors were opening up doors they don't normally open. The seats filled up quickly. People were standing once we got to Winchester Center.

The A/C was going so that the people were not overheated, but it was a full train.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:35
Departure Time From Train Station 6:58
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:42
Weather as I call it: Sunny, hot, humid
Shady Gas Price: $2.69
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: No

Hot Soup

Man it was hot today. I had to go to the post office and the bank before I got into work. I walked on the sunny side of the street. The heat was intense for 8 o'clock in the morning. Just tough for the first day back from vacation. Thankfully the A/C was working everywhere.

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Departure Time From Home: 6:30
Departure Time From Train Station 6:59
Arrival Time at North Station: 7:41
Weather as I call it: Uh, hot
Shady Gas Price: $2.69
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 3
Feared for my life: I was hot but not dead.

Much Cooler This Morning

Much cooler this morning in terms of temperature and commute. With the Route 495 exit reopened, I can get to the train station without too much rushing. I wish that it had been open since I started working downtown.

The only drawback is the blinding sun that you encounter before the exit. Coupled with the weird lane merging, it makes for a little bit of a tense ride.

I'll take it.


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Departure Time From Home: 6:28
Departure Time From Train Station 7:01
Arrival Time at North Station: Weather as I call it: 7:44
Shady Gas Price: $2.69
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 2
Feared for my life: Nope