commute

It took me over an hour to get to work today. My commute is normally 25 minutes. Apparently there were some terrible thunderstorms with torrential downpours early this morning. I slept right through it all, and was very surprised to arrive at the train station and discover that the tracks were flooded and trains were running 10 to 15 minutes apart, instead of the usual 5 minutes. As a result, the platforms were mobbed, and my husband, M, and I figured we'd never get on a train. We re-routed ourselves out of the way (took a different train to another stop) and eventually got into Manhattan, after some terrible crowding. I am gross, sweaty and annoyed.

When we finally got on a Manhattan-bound train, we smashed ourselves in with the 1,987,000 other people cramming into this particular train car. Once securely wedged in, the train began to crawl slowly toward Manhattan. Immediately next to me was a girl curling her eyelashes and putting on mascara. She had a teeny little mirror out, with her eyelash curler, and was balancing against the door. She took the curler, applied it to her lashes, and clicked it a few times against them. Took it away, poked at her lashes with her finger, and repeat. Then again. and again. M started counting the number of times she did this. We were partway through the cycle on her first eye when we got on the train, but caught the entire cycle on her other eye.

She repeated this little curl, poke, repeat TWENTY-SIX times. On one eye. Click, click, click, poke, poke, poke, repeat. Twenty-six times. I wanted to slap her. Then she applied liberal doses of mascara to each eye, so much so that it bled through onto her eyelid, which ended up covered in black mascara. In the end, she looked much worse than when she started.

I eventually got off the train into the extreme heat and humidity and made it to work. Forty minutes and a second packed train after me, M made it to his job. We found out after arriving that they've now canceled most train service around Manhattan. I wonder if they'll get it together by the time I have to turn around and make my way home. Let's hope.

2 comments:

Ma Ma to 3 said...

Oh my...what a morning. I slept through the big storms as well...but I did hear about them. What stinks is your long trip to work this morning...this I why I am so glad to live in boonieville and not have to worry about stuff like that. :) I hope yours and M's bosses understood. I know I was never able to get to work late without a great excuse and have to make up that time too...so I don't miss that either! But we still miss you and M! The fall will be here before you know it and you will have the ice and snow to deal with on your train ride into the city.

maresi said...

that sucks. I hate being hot and sweaty and having to move whilst feeling that way. grr. can I link to your blog?

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