A little venting …
Mar 9th, 2008 by Oana
I am just halfway into my one-year contract at my current job, and I am sick of the commute. I ride the 99 B-Line and then take the Skytrain, and it’s about 1 hour 7 minutes door-to-door, assuming no delays.
I was doing pretty well until last Thursday. I get through a novel (mostly historical fiction lately, although a bit of non-fiction sprinkled in) about every 3 days, and one or two podcasts a week.
This means I’m usually quite tuned-out, but on Thursday it was really really hard to ignore the most disgusting man I have ever seen. I get that homeless people have a hard time getting regular baths, and some of them have mental problems causing them to mutter to themselves and otherwise disturb the other passengers.
But I can make no excuses for someone who farmer-blows his green snot right onto the floor of the bus, repeatedly, undoubtedly spraying those in the vicinity and spreading god-knows what germs. It grossed me out so much and if I hadn’t been running late that day, I would have waited for the next bus.
I settled for moving to the back of the bus, but I cannot wait for September, when my commute will be much shorter, and I cannot wait for the next September, when I plan to drive!
I have a less foul story to relate about the vagabond/shower issue:
Recently, I was walking across downtown, as my job requires me often to do, and a gentleman of doubtful fixed address proclaimed to all at the corner of X and Y streets that he had showered that day. I wasn’t sure how to respond, but dressed in business attire as I was (and thus ostensibly showered, shaved, etc.), I was tempted to inform him that that makes one of us. I couldn’t get the words out in time, as I was laughing for the rest of the block.
I have nothing to add about the skytrain, except that I rode it multiple times last week (clients in Surrey), and though it was faster than driving, my car has certain inescapable comforts, like not dealing with an entire train-car filled with the product of someone’s internal fermentation of beans or similar. And they wonder why those of us with cars use them…