Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 8:20 a.m.

I went to my favorite restaurant, Caro Mio for dinner the night before this morning. Caro Mio has excellent Italian food and is known for not skimping on the garlic.

A well-dressed man was sitting in the window seat and I took the aisle seat. At Fullerton, he got up like he was going to exit the train. Instead who stood in the aisle - rather than sit - the entire ride to Lake. I felt bad that my over pungent odor offended but then I thought, "it's just garlic - I still showered".

I didn't have any sympathy for him once I rationalized that.


Monday, October 23, 2006 - 1:15 p.m.

Had the day off so headed downtown for lunch. I was taking the el home with my friend Jacki and we sat by an "Out of Order" door. We were captivated the whole ride with how long people took to notice the sign and run to another door.

Some people were really quick. Some - like this well-dressed asian youth in perfect matching white clothes and shoes with distressed designer jeans - almost didn't amke it.

I wondered how many times that I have boarded and rode the "el" only to find myself at my destination with no recollection of the previous ride.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - 8:20 a.m.

A defective train backlogged the Red Line. I could tell by the amount of people waiting on the platform that something was wrong. There was an announcement that one train would run express from Granville to Wilson thereby passing Berwyn at the speed of light. There would be an "immediate follower"

I went to the back of the train there was a man sitting in the last seat. He had yellow paint on his face - like Madonna when she presented at the VMAs a few years back when she transitioned into her mystical self. The man also donned a little pony tail in the back. I am not sure what religion he was but I found it very had that he was wearing a leather coat.

A young man who got on at Addison was wearing a grey outfit but it was accented with brown shoes and a brown belt. It was very sharp.

At the Grand stop, a man two rows ahead of me got up, walked up to me because he had placed his suitcase in the back of the car. I wondered why would he not sit by his suitcase?

I was annoyed that my paper deliver seems to confuse me with a Sun-Times reader.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 6 p.m.

I rode the blue line from downtown to the Division/Ashland stop. A woman sat across the aisle from me who had really huge eyes and really huge boobs. She also wore librarian-esque glasses and had a blinking problem.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 8:17 a.m.

I sat behind a man who was studying his English. He made himself a test book with an odd assortment of English phrases. I am not sure what the native language was (A google search seems to suggest Turkish) but here are a few tidbits:

Sabah = Morning

Dikkat Et! = Be Careful!

Ayn Say = Same thing

Yheisku bir erkek = Handsome man

Urkek = nervous

Yeni = New

Gok Yasa = Bless you!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 8:05 a.m.

There was a woman (probably homeless) sleeping in the parallel seats. She had one of those carts that you wheel to the grocery store with her. Her cart would roll back and forth as the train moved. There was a older, Asian who would politely push the cart back to this woman each time it touched her.

This cart was the Berlin Wall. People who entered would not cross the force field this cart presented. People amassed each stop in the doorway.

FInally, one brave man broke through the barrier and stood in the center of the aisle. Nobody sat in the empty seat next to this woman the entire ride.

She was awake when I got out at Lake and seemed pretty oblivious to the world around her.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - 5:10 p.m.

I saw a seat that was available on the aisle. The train was unusually quiet. The woman sitting in the window seat shouted "I get off at Chicago so you go in. One second while I get up. Ok. Now Scoot"

Seat Confusion

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - 8:06 a.m.

What is it about finding a seat that provides so much confusion for "el" riders?

I can see the train approach and before the door opens know the three options I have to sit. I take the first available.

There was woman who entered the train and paused to survey the whole car as to which of the many empty seats she would like to sit. She blocked each way so I could not get past her to any of the seats. I have been occuring this phenomenon more frequently with my "el" rides - the confused seat person. This is a new low type of annoying person on my rides.

Sitting by the door was a very petite female-to-male transgendered person (You could tell by the padding under the T-Shirt to hold down the breasts). I felt bad for him when the largest, fidgety man sat next to him.

Monday, Ocotber 9, 2006 - 5:05 p.m.

Great - another seat hog. This time playing a game on his cell phone. Not only playing the game but playing it enthusiastically physically. Spent most of the ride with the edge of the seat in my ass crack. Fortunately at Addison, a full seat opened up which I sat by the window.

I did not finish my crossword by two words. I did finish the soduku.

Monday, October 9, 2006 - 8:16 a.m.

I went to the front of the car to sit there but someone had smashed a Dunkin Donuts cup of coffee all over the seat next to the conductors booth. The smell was overwhelming and I could not sit there.

Right before the Clark/Division stop this woman screams "Can someone push the button someone has fainted!" I looked and did not see a hole where a person was. The doors opened and a groggy man exited and sat on a bench. A herd of people got on the train. As the train pulled away, the groggy man got smaller and smaller with nobody attending to him.

Nice to know that nobody pushed the button and everyone made it to work on time. Hope I never faint on the train.

I am almost finished with my book, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I highly recommend it about a woman who grew up and escaped extreme poverty.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - 8:15 a.m.

I had two questionable women come on the train who I had felt I might give up my seat. The first was a woman who was older but not gray yet. She was also heavier. I could not tell if the question "would you care to sit down" would be taken as an insult or not.

The second woman wore a peacoat cut jacket that had a slight flair. I could not tell if the flair was the coat or a baby. I was tired and opted that it was the coat which thankfully was right cause she did remove the coat and there was no baby. Plus she was not weaving or appeared to be uncomfortable.

Yes, I sat the whole ride to downtown.

I read an article in the RedEye about these two guys who met at a bus stop and fell in love. They have been together six years! One of the guys used the column to propose (its was the public transportation column by Kyra Kyles). Congratulations boys!



Monday, October 2, 2006 - 5:20 p.m.

There was a crowd of people waiting for the red line north and the Lake street station. Thankfully I had time so I could wait four trains until they were at a normal capacity. Some people get very unnerved when the trains are not coming. There was a woman sitting on a bench in the station. She was slumped over her cane and weeping.

As I went to take a seat two men were sitting in the aisle seats having a close conversation where we all had to step over their legs to get to the seats. One was clearly drunk. Their conversation went like this:

"So you were caught drinking"

"No mother fucker ... i wasn't"

"you aren't supposed to do this shit"

"i know ... this is our stop" (man stands and falls into his seat)

"No shithead .. our stop is next where we will go and get you straightened out."

They exited at Chicago. Apparently there is an AA meeting in Watertower.

I had a starer. Every time I looked up, this man was staring at me - doing the crossword, yawning. I couldn't tell if he was trying to hit on me or just took pity on me. Probably both.

Monday, October 2, 2006 - 8:15 a.m.

There was only one seat on the car available which I took. It was a window with a large man sitting in the aisle seat. I tried to make myself as small as possible but for every ince I gave, this man took it. Pretty soon, I am pressed against the window by this man. He was not corpulent but pretty obese plus he was travelling with his suitcase.

Everyone who exited at the Grand stop was wearing light blue shirts. At the Lake stop, there was a mass of people in Pink shirts. I did not know that the stops were color coated - I missed the memo.