trainspotting

So. I'm a commuter now. It's a whole new world for me. The people I see on public transportation in Chicago are so much less exciting than the people Sarah sees out and about in NYC, but I've already had some great train adventures on my rides to 13.

This week - on 2 separate rides home, I've seen 2 guys sit down, kick back and... open cans of beer. On the train. Is it me, or is that a little weird? You can't wait half an hour before starting happy hour?

Mostly, the commuters are quiet, business types. They are reading newspapers, listening to music, typing on computers. Some are on the phone (don't get me started). But mostly, they keep to themselves, they are polite and they are quiet. Yesterday, I'm on the earlier train home and I decided to sit on the upper level. I must have felt something in my bones.... right where I would have sat were 2 ladies (take note: 2 adults) and a little boy. He was (oh gawd, I'm so bad at this) maybe 4? For a while, he was sitting (not very quietly, but whatever) with his grandmother. I think he was eating something. For the rest of the ride, he ran around the car, up and down the steps, yelling and playing and being a noisy child. All this time, neither adult attempted to make him sit down, be quiet and stop getting in the way of passengers who wanted to get out (one lady hit the kid in the head with her bag - on accident - as she tried to go around him to leave the car). The grandmother asked him a few times to come and sit with her, but he didn't and that was apparently okay with them. I could see my fellow passengers kind of looking and being quietly annoyed. But nobody said anything. If I'd been down there with them, I probably would have done the usual loud sighing, eye rolling and muttering comments under my breath. No worries though, I said not a thing - just vowed to never ever have children.

Why do people think everyone else needs to be entertained by their child? It's not cute okay? All I wanted was a nice quiet relaxing trip home and I ended up with a big headache. What a brat. Thank god that's not my regular train. They got off at my stop, too so there is a chance I can see them around town. Can't wait.

On a happier note. Sometimes, I bring my knitting along and knit on the train. One afternoon, I was working on (what else?) a scarf, and the conductor stopped to chat with me about it. So did another lady as she was getting off. Something about knitting just draws people together. When I was knitting on the way to NYC in February, I made many new friends on the flight, just talking about knitting.