Sleepers Ride Free

Soooooooooo the next time I forget my monthly pass (which makes me furious) all I have to do is go to sleep? As the conductor was collecting tickets this morning he pauses at the man sitting in front of me who is fast asleep. Does he wake him up to collect his ticket? No, he does not. This is the same conductor who gave the women who claimed she didn’t know she had to purchase a ticket a discounted fare. Come on now, you bring your metro subway fare card to ride the train? Really?

I’m going to try this one day. Just pretend I’m asleep and see what happens. How much youbwant to bet he wakes me up to collect my ticket GREAT, now the guy is snoring and thr women sitting across from him is sneesing without covering her mouth What a great start to the day… and it’s not even 8:00 AM yet!

Spring cleaning

It’s spring in the DC. It’s so hot it feels like summer but that’s a whole other story. In spring people put away their winter clohes, start working on their gardens and do a little spring cleaning. Well, Maryald Transit Authority must have gotten the memo because they cleaned the trains.

At first I thought they got new seats but actually they just gave the train a good cleaning I’m grateful for that! Looking at how clean the train is you can see by comparison how darn dirty is was.

On another note, when did it become popular to paint your nails in public? We are in a small enclosed area with no windows. Finger nail polish is a toxic smell that next to the heavy cologn people spray on train makes me sick. People, please do your grooming at home! Don’t clip your nails, polish your toes, spray on scents or shave in public places. Where were you people raised? Do you have NO home training? Oh, and don’t even get me started on using your inside voice or the proper use of headphones. We are ridding public transportation people. This is not your bathroom or living room!

MARC train fares

I find it interesting that the MARC train staff have the dissertion to charge whatever they like to whomever they like. When I forgot my monthly train pass one day last week I had to pay full fare. This women gives the conductor her Metro card and some song and dance about not knowing what kind of ticket to purchase and he only charges her $3.50. What’s up with that?

Happy Holidays

Two days before Thanksgiving and I’m making my commute from my job in Baltimore back to DC. There’s a six piece band playing Christmas music in the lobby of Penn Station. The lead singer, in her silver sequined gown with golden locks hitting her right at the shoulder, looks oddly out of place. Looks aside, this woman can blow! The jazz band, playing softly but beautifully is nice addition to the train station.

We’ve got all kinds in the station today. The young woman sitting next to me with her matching lime green luggage and skinny jeans on has just left the hairdresser. How do I know? Well, she doesn’t have rollers in her hair but those silver hair clips tell me she goes to the Dominicans (it’s a Black thing) for a wash & set and she specifically asked to keep the clips in so her hairdo would last.

The older couple standing in front of me look like they are heading out to visit family. They’ve been together a long time and I bet this argument they are having is a repeat of one they’ve had many, many times.

All in all people seem a little nicer with the music playing. Although there is a buzz of stress in the air as holiday travelers watch the board and sigh when the status reads their train is “delayed 20 minutes”. Those waiting to catch the MARC train I’m riding home are hoping we aren’t late also because they have flights to catch at BWI or Amtack trains to make at Union Station. Which makes me wonder, who is going to be entertaining the waiting passengers in DC? I’m expecting big things from them although I didn’t notice a thing when I boearded this morning.

It does make me wonder why we don’t have a band at the station every day? I mean, I know’s it comes down to a budgeting issue but why can’t we be filled cheer and music all year long? What, we get six weeks of kindness and the gift of music then it’s back to the grind?

Oh well, I’ll enjoy it while I can. Gotta go now… my train is ready to leave and isn’t late today… for a change…

Happy Holidays!

An Ode to MARC by Natasha Ramsey

I recently found out that one of my favorite digital gal pals is also a MARC commuter.  We go in opposites directions… me DC to Baltimore… her in the opposite direction.  We are experiencing opposite ends of the same crazy commute and love/hate relationship we have with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) MARC train system.  My girlfriend, Natasha Ramsey is also an amazing poet.  She has given me permission to post her unedited poem “An Ode to MARC”.  I LOVE this poem and if you’ve EVER had to commute on the MARC train you’ll know why.  Enjoy!

“Mostly Annoying Rail Commute” describes my train ride to DC most days
MARC, your engines are old, outdated and worn
Even your conductors no longer have your support; a smile is hardly ever found.

Loud announcements hurt my ears
Please tell the 7:20 conductor/announcer wanna be Kanye rapper that after waiting forty minutes in the freezing cold,
his sing-song tone announcing the stops are not American Idol worthy.

“No standing in the vestibules! We’ll get there when we get there!”

Tell me, why are there fewer cars when you expect crowded conditions?
Why you feel the urge to slack off and not give a damn?
Is it because really, there is no competition?

The Maryland state commuter train and even its official parking lots are a joke
Cars constantly getting vandalized on lots
While MTA Transit cops give oh so helpful advice of, “park under the lights” and “good luck!”

“As usual, MARC’s facing extensive delays”
Even the morning newscaster knows the score
I swear if I could sue, MARC directors will be forced to commute
Using their own faulty, flawed train system
Let’s see how they like it when they’re stranded, losing time at work, and then ignored.

Ahhh, saving the best for last,
I bring up exhibit D which is none other than time.
For time is something you seem to care less and less and even less about
But no doubt you still bill my hard earned dimes no matter the delays and extensive cancellations
Please understand this all adds up to my frustration.

Hitching rides, metro’ing…
Everyday is an adventure.

How to fight a state entity without fear, knowing they’ll never be replaced…
It’s like Tony Soprano bullying you nicely,
“you take our trains, why should we care, get the hell outta my face!”

Now almost anything I’ll do to avoid you;
The plague you have become on my life.
No longer do I anticipate being at work by 8 a.m. so I can have dinner with my husband
No longer do evening cocktails with friends fit my plans

Constantly, your disheartened, sullied staff tells me to kick rocks
Well not in so many words but they say things like, and I quote, “if you’re unhappy, find a new way home”

Exaggerating?  Here’s a verbatim PA system relay:
“Train 411 is 30 minutes delayed”
Twenty minutes later, “Train 411 is on the move”
Five minutes later, “Train 411 will bypass the West Baltimore stop; Train 415 which is no longer on schedule but only 10 mins late will pick you up”.

Seriously, MARC, what the fuck!?

Read more about Natasha Ramsey on her website http://www.natasharamsey.com

My Birthday

Could the Universe be working in my favor because it’s my birthday! I decided I wouldn’t ride my bike to Union Station today. I wanted to look cute for my birthday and only non-bicycle gear would do

Not riding my bike means leaving extra early because I have to rely on our unpredictable DC metro to get to Union Station. Which is why I ride my bike in because when I ride… I know exactly when I’m going to get there. Anyway, I had to rush to the metro this AM and although I heard the train coming I still needed to load money on my Smart Card. I’m sure “smart” stands for something but if you don’t ride DC metro it’s basically a “fast pass” that you can load up with money to get through the gates.

Anyway, I JUST made it on my first metro train before the doors closed. Then, I was running to catch the transfer train and the doors closed just as I got there. But, miracles upon miracles the doors opened back up and I made my train.

Making those two trains allowed me to make my MARC train to Baltimore. So, I’m on time this morning. Which means I get my work done enough time to leave a little early this evening and enjoy a happy hour and a nice dinner.

I’ll take have a good commute to work as a nice big old birthday present from the Universe.

Increased Security on the MARC train

I was up really early last Friday. Blame it on my cat who decided she wanted to make sure I knew she was hungry at 3:00 AM! One good thing about being up early on Friday was being able to catch the early morning news.

As I fumbled around in the dark at 5 AM.  I heard our local morning newscasters inform the viewing audience that if you ride the MARC train to work you should leave early due to an increased security presence.  Maryland Transit Administration Police began the program of random security checks at MARC train stations, using bomb-sniffing dogs to screen passengers’ luggage and packages to detect explosives. No worries, they told us, there had been no threats. Apparently the new security measures were something they had been planning to do for a while and the funding finally became available for them try out the new measures.

Leave ten minutes early they advised us… just in case we were one of the unlucky random people to be stopped. Well, I did as I was told but I have to be honest, I haven’t noticed much of a change. True… there were more heavily armed security guards (HEAVILY armed). And, yes I saw more of them all over the place. But really, I didn’t see my tax payers dollars at work in any extra special way.

Some might mistake my observation for a complaint. I’m not complaining. Because if the fact that we were able to board earlier and roll out of Union Station on time this past Friday AND this morning is part of the security process then bring ‘em on!

I’m for anything that gets me on the train earlier and gets me out of the gate on time. Of course, it’ll be just my luck that the one day I’m rushing to the gate with no time to spare… will be the exact time I am stopped for a random bag check. Until then, carry on MTA… this leaving for work on time thing works for me!

Working on getting my glass half full!

Maybe there’s more to “driving” a train that I’m not aware of. To get the MARC train from Union Station in DC to Penn Station in Baltimore the crew goes up and down the same tracks until their shift is over. Not hard right?

Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s a lot that goes into it…. safety checks, technical issues, the lives of hundred of people in your hands. Then the trains occasionally break down and have mechanical problems… they are old… I get that. Once in a while we have and unruly passenger or a streaker on the train tracks (see my earlier post). I can understand those kind of instances causing us to be late. But today’s delay baffles the hell out of me.

It’s early Monday morning and all eyes are on the brand new electronic announcement board. People waiting to get to work. Folks traveling out of town and catching flights. Students going to college. All of us waiting for the illumination of our train track information.

Eventually the board lights up and signals our train is “delayed”. After twenty minutes they assign a gate and we board the train. After another twenty minutes they tell us we are waiting for the conductor and engineer who will be “taking the train out”. So, uh, question… WHERE ARE THEY? Don’t they just ride up and back on the same train tracks? The train doesn’t run 24 hours a day and I’m not on the first train out of the gate so it’s not like they were late for work. Where were they?

More questions… why have us board on the train, in the tunnel, with no cell reception if we aren’t going to pull off? Normally, when the train is this late (and it’s late a LOT), they get the folks catching a flight at Baltimore Washington International airport on an Amtrack train so they can make their flight. Not this morning. This morning the student flying home to see her Mom, the couple going on vacation, the Father taking his son to see Granny are all late and about to go on standby.

I love my job… truly I do… and I love the people I work with but this commute blows the big one. I will switch gears here and see the glass as half full, which will make my co-worker Ross very happy. It took yet another co-worker, Suzanne, to reminded me everything happens for a reason. So I’m thing… maybe there was an awful accident that I avoided by being late. Maybe the conductor and/or engineer where just in a horrible accident and need our patience and love based on what they just went through.

I’m going to try to carry the “everything happens for a reason” idea with me throughout my day. But I have to tell you… being two hours behind schedule is not the way you want to start the work week. I’m back to half full. Being in good health and of sound mind and body is a good way to start the work week. So, good Monday morning to you all! It’s on and poppin! Let’s get out here and make a difference… no matter how long it takes to get there. I’m listening to music looking at the beautiful changing leaves and happy for a new day!

MARC still blows… even with a positive attitude!