Monday madness

This Monday before Thanksgiving, I am all over the place. Trying to plan for baking bread and pies for Thursday, keeping my work schedule straight, donating canned foods to a local drive, and organizing my tasks for my extra-curricular activities, all with being out of town the entire past weekend and coming back super tired. So, Thursday and Friday (oh, and Saturday and Sunday) I'm ready for this...

So jealous of this dog right now.

So this morning, when I dealt with not-so-smart people and they STOPPED at the end of the down escalator at Union Station because they are on the phone and pulling a suitcase (multi-tasking is a fine art, friends), I had to do this...

I'm no Madonna, but for realz. 

And then, both times on the Metro, I'm getting on and you're blocking the doorway. I'm getting off and you don't move out of the entry way. This is what I will do to you!

Not really, but I'd like to.

Again, I am so ready for the holiday, giving thanks and all that jazz. If I don't talk to you friends before, Happy shimmy-A-turkey day!

It's double-layer time!

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that it was really cold out. Well, guess what...it is again. And, according to the forecasts, it appears it will be a VERY, LONG winter. 

Since I stand outside sometimes for longer-ish periods of time as a public transit commuter, I'm going to have to get saavy with my wardrobe choices. I just (in the last hour), at the request of my mother, sent my Christmas list along and got creative with "Gloves that extend above the wrists" since sometimes there is bare skin that peeks out between my coat and short-wristed gloves. Brrrr!

Today, I'm wearing a dress, so this is what I did to keep my legs warm:

Yup - those are running pants over my tights. Super stylish.

Needless to say, I was warmer than the ladies I saw, with their bare knees exposed to this frozen tundra we got going on in most of the continental United States this week.

Thou shall not judge me, Purple Lady!

So, my Monday began by me being judged by a lady dressed in all purple. Oh, and a matching purple purse. And, a fur hat. Yeah, you heard me correct. Let me tell you a tale...

I'm working late this evening at a big, fancy gala sort of thing at my work, so I left the house with a ton more bags than usual, and a dress, to get ready for said fancy event this afternoon. I also had to take the Metro since I'll be here so late; I wouldn't be able to take the MARC train home. It took me 40 minutes to drive the 10 miles to get to the Shady Grove metro this morning, so that started me off in a swell mood. Oh, and add in the 18 degree wind chill in mid-November, I'm just ready to hibernate until May. 

Anywho, I get on the Metro and find a seat in the center of the car, taking note that there is NO Priority seating sign above where I choose to sit. I stuff all my bags AND dress under my seat, because I'm considerate like that and we're off! 

The Metro ride started off very calm and quiet. I'm doing my Tuesday crossword puzzle in the Express -- it's super easy since it's Tuesday and I've had my coffee already. People keep piling on the train, making it more and more crowded and maybe it was around the Cleveland Park stop, that a lady, dressed in all purple, interrupts my 34 Down analyzing to say, "You're in a Priority seat and I need to sit." I calmly look behind me, don't see the sign, am like "uhh, ok" but start to gather all my bags (remember all those bags?), as does the woman next to me (probably close to my age) and clearly we must have seem annoyed, because Purple Lady goes across to where the ACTUAL signs are for Priority seating to an older lady who says she'll give her seat up for her. Okay. The younger woman and I stay put. 

My reaction when she asked me to move.

But then, we continue to get dirty looks from the ladies across the way. I hear them audibly talking about it and the Purple Lady thanking the other older woman about giving up her seat!

Now, I like to think I'm a very polite person and I think most people would agree. As noted above, I ALWAYS try and not sit in Priority Seating on the Metro and if I do, I would get up if asked or clearly needed to give my seat to someone older or struggling to stand. ALWAYS. Let me emphasize that. I was raised by a man who served in the Navy, did 2 tours of Vietnam, always showed me how to be polite, expects men to take hats off indoors. My mother instilled the "please" and "thank-you" mentality from the time I was barely able to walk and I was constantly around my grandparents, of which that time spent, I learned to respect my elders. That's WHY I did start moving to get up when asked, EVEN THOUGH I WAS PERFECTLY IN MY RIGHT TO STAY PUT. Either way, I did not appreciate the sneering looks and comments I got afterwards. I DID NOTHING WRONG.

So, just to double-check, I Googled "Priority Seating rules on the DC Metro" and the first three sites are all from WMATA, which do seem to contradict themselves, at times: 

The first, a more casual "Do's and Don'ts" of the Metro, say that all seats next to the doors are reserved for people with disabilities and senior citizens.

The second is WMATA's press release from 2009, announcing an initiative to get people to speak up to ask for a seat and how they will be CLEARLY labeling the seats with signs and arrows, indicating the seats are reserved and prioritized for the disabled.

The third is a "Customer Guide for Riders with Disabilities and Senior Citizens". It clearly states on page 7 of this "Guide" that "Priority seating areas are designated with signs." So boom, I was sitting in an OK place.

Either way, my blood was boiling after this and really thinking about it. I truly appreciate someone older who can speak up for themselves, but there's really no need to be rude to someone who was trying to accommodate you, after the fact. 

My reaction after the whole debacle. 

Hence the typos most likely in this post. 

Thank you for reading anyway.

One more caveat: having someone ask you to give up your seat for them at any time, is understandable, but it DOES make it trickier to finagle all those bags and winter items, in the morning rush hour, just so a lady with a fur hat and purple purse can sit in a seat I was allowed to sit in the whole time. 

Lonely train home

On Tuesday, I worked an abbreviated day to get out of the city early and avoid this monstrosity being produced about 4 blocks from where I work, which it turns out, didn't have nearly as many people as they thought it would and of which freaked all us locals out. 

But because I left early and it was a technical Federal holiday -- this was the train home:

A very unusual sight. 

And one I wouldn't mind seeing more of from time to time :)

Today's post brought to you by: RUNNING

I know it's not a form of public transit, (officially) but you CAN get from point A to B by running!

This weekend I ran the 10K Over the Bay (that is the Bay Bridge my friends -- you know that almost 4.5-mile monster over the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland?!) Anywho, it was my first 10K officially and I did pretty well--went slightly slower than I had hoped...had to walk for a minute or so after mile 1 since well, you know, the first 2 miles of the stinkin' race were uphill. I also stopped to take some photos once I got the middle of the bridge. So that's what I'm chocking up to my slower than anticipated time. 

Probably the best photo with runners and the bridge in silhouette. 

They also posted videos of your finish online today. I cross the finish line around 5 seconds and am in the short sleeved white shirt. But what made me and my husband laugh, is that I kept running, like I was headed to another race! oh man...

The body is sore today, but I'm hoping to keep up the training and perhaps do a 10-miler in the spring! And using my walks to and from the train/station, to add to my training. So, see, that's how this blog had something about Public Transit in it!

This Tuesday might as well be a Monday...

Well I had myself a 2.5 hour commute this morning, door-to-door. In fairness, I did actually go and vote during that time as well, but even so, should have only taken me 90 minutes or so. So, here's what happened...

Left my house at 6:45 am, arrived to vote at 6:56 am -- was the fourth person in line and was out the door by 7:15 am. Then it took me the usual 15 (or so) minutes to get to the train station (with traffic on I-270) and I was just in time for the 7:34 am train to Washington. I stood there for 10 minutes in The Line (with some lady thinking she could cut in front of me -- she ended up moving up the line and low and behold, she cut in front of us all to stand right at the front of the line! Grrrr...more on her later). Finally got an e-mail and heard an announcement that the train we were waiting for was broken down and there would be a delay of 20-25 minutes. Um, ok. I believe it was 8:09 by the time I got on a train. (Which ironically pulled up and was not in line with where people had lined up, therefore Cutting Lady, as we'll call her, was no longer in the front of the line -- I was second in line based on where I was standing -- wahoo!)

Now we have a crowded train situation going on here, as evidenced on my Instagram this morning. And it's a loooooong ride into Union Station this morning. I feel so bad for anyone who comes after the Germantown stop on days like these -- they are probably better off getting in their car and driving themselves to where they need to be, because there is no way they are getting on this train between Germantown and Rockville when issues arise. 

Finally, I'm bounding down the train steps onto the platform and waltzing into the Metro station (for free! thankyouverymuchMetroforhonoringmyMARCticket.) just after 9 am. I decide when I walk into work, I deserve a 2nd coffee at the moment and reserve a Diet Coke for lunch, so it's 9:15 by the time I get into the elevator. That equals 2.5 hours, door-to-door. Blarg.

On top of that, I have already had issues with my bank, couldn't get my contact lenses in this morning so am wearing my old, weak glasses, and no one is at work because they are sick (fingers crossed I stay healthy until after this weekend at least!) so it will be hard to get anything done today. So, happy 2nd Monday everyone -- at least I did my civic duty this morning!

Woot! Exercising my right as a 'mercan.

Whoops! And, a theory.

So Friday was Halloween and my awesome boss let our department leave a bit early to beat the Halloween traffic, yea buddy.

My point of this part of the blog is as I was leaving work early, I got so distracted and excited, I almost went the wrong way on the Red line, as if I were headed to Union Station to catch a MARC train. That would have been OK, except for the fact that my car was parked at the Shady Grove metro station and ONLY if I had realized it before the Rockville stop on the MARC train would I have been OK. Again, thankfully I caught it before I got on the initial Metro train. AND, I ended up getting to my car and to the gym much earlier than if I had taken MARC to Rockville and then gotten off to transfer to Metro. So, yay!

Also, I have a theory and I'm pretty sure it's accurate...theory is:

If a Metro platform is in the center at the station (and the trains are on either side), the doors of the train will always open on the LEFT side. If the Metro platforms are on the sides (and the trains are in the center), the doors of the train will always open on the RIGHT. 

So far, I'm finding this true on the NW side of the Red Line -- haven't been able to test it on other lines as much, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Happy week everyone!