Pinned Down at Downtown Crossing

Bus Departure Time: 6:59
Bus Arrival Time: 7:16
T Departure Time: 7:17
T Arrival Time: 7:38
Weather as I call it: Cloudy and cooler...a little rain once I got into Boston
Level of commute annoyance (scale of 1 to 10): 3
Feared for my life: Nah

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Good stuff this morning! Let's start at the beginning. I got on the first bus since it was pretty empty and arrived right around the time it should.

Three stops later: A woman wearing flip flops fell down while running to catch the bus. It didn't seem that she hurt herself though since she got right up and laughed it off.

Funny thing is, I see this woman all the time. She always looks exasperated on the bus. The first time I saw her smile was today...after she fell. She may not take herself as seriously as I thought.

That'll teach me.

I got on the Orange Line after a very short wait. The car I was on filled up with people by Sullivan Square...and the A/C wasn't on...or it wasn't working.

It was pretty steamy by the time we got to Downtown Crossing, when the normal grand exodus occurred and the few of us left on the train got some relief.

Or so I thought.

Before we left DTC (that's what the cool kids call Downtown Crossing), a guy sat down next to me...a pretty large gentleman. He had a large plastic bag full of soda cans, he talked to himself, and he smelt like garbage.

The worst part was he had me pinned in my seat. His left elbow was pressed against my right arm. There was no escape! Ok, I am exaggerating, but at Chinatown I got up and sat down in the next section of seats. That's the first time I have had to do that this year - move away from somebody because I was starting to get sick to my stomach.

P.S. The old Dean's Home Furniture building in Malden Center is being torn down. Am I going to miss it?

I freaking doubt it!!

Catchphrases

Departure Time: 7:14
Arrival Time: 8:00
Weather as I call it: Cloudy but mild
Paper Guy: Smiling, waving, and selling with his winter hat and shades
Shady Gas Price: $2.23
Yelled at other drivers: No
Feared for my life: No

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Have the college kiddies gone on winter break already? The roads have been calm, and although the volume has been roughly the same...there seems to be a rhythm...a smoothness...to the commute that usually coincides with the lack of inexperienced drivers on the road.

Or maybe I am just filled with X-Mas joy and it's affecting my attitude about driving to work.

Like Dean's Home Furniture used to say, "I doubt it!"