Thursday Blues-day...wait, that doesn't rhyme...

Yes that doesn't rhyme and it was just one more thing to go wrong on my commute home yesterday. I left work right around 5 pm, but a couple minutes later than I normally would. I will call this mistake number 1. 

I waited at Judiciary Square on the Glenmont side for probably 20 minutes. 2 trains came through in that time, both of them packed to the gills with people and no one getting off. During this same time I counted 7 or 8 trains going towards Shady Grove -- clearly they were not having any issues on that track. I finally gave up and decided to walk to Union Station* (mistake #2 -- more explanation on that at the end of the post). PS - I've been having an issue with my right foot in the last week and it gets irritated the more I walk or use it, hence, all the time I'm upright, so this was a fun almost mile walk, in the heat yesterday afternoon. 

By that point, I had missed the 5:20 pm train, and might make the 5:40 pm departure. Nope. Didn't happen. Especially with the foot issue. I walked into the station right at 5:40 and wasn't even going to attempt any sort of rushing movement. 

I was definitely no Betty Boop yesterday. 

All red-faced and limping.

The next train didn't leave until 6:20 pm, so I sat and waited. Only to receive an e-mail that THAT train might be delayed due to equipment issues. By 6:13 pm, a track still hadn't been posted for the 6:20 train (they usually post them anywhere from 15-20 minutes out from departure, if known). At that point, I received an e-alert that the 6:20 WOULD in fact be leaving on time, but with one less car, so to expect "crowded conditions". Yay. 

Because I received the e-mail, I started making my way out to the platforms and as I reached the door, I was lucky enough to hear the MARC customer service rep say that our train would be on track A-15. Yippee! I was one of the first people on the train and got a seat thankfully due to that saintly MARC rep. 

But wait, there's more.

::Stomps foot::

But, I don't wanna, Heather Dubrow of the OC Housewives (love her!).

The train I got on had no power, so it was hot. And quiet. And dark. And it seemed like the conductors weren't sure it would turn on, hence the delay and issues. But come what may, at 6:35 pm (15 minutes after the train was supposed to leave, if you're keeping track), the power came on and by 6:40, we were moving westward - Hallelujah!

I finally arrived home at 7:30 pm, 2.5 hours after I left work and ready for some pizza - thanks, hubs! - and HBO -- re-watching The Wire after reading this yesterday...LOVE LOVE LOVE that show. 

*Ultimately, I should have decided to just cross the platform at Judiciary Square and take a train in the other direction towards Shady Grove, getting off at Rockville and catching the MARC train to Germantown from there. I probably would have caught my earlier intended 5:20 train or at worst, the 5:40 train from Union Station from there AND I wouldn't have lost money standing on the Metro platform. Oh well, lesson learned. 

I still don't know why everything was royally messed up yesterday afternoon, maybe it had something to do with the fabulous year WMATA has been having so far. Lord only knows.

Happy Friday, y'all. Here's a puppy rolling around in a ball pit to make myself and you feel better about life.

Hump Day perspective

It always happens, I'm literally seconds or minutes away from missing a train at a connection (i.e. at Rockville transferring from Metro to MARC) and hurts so bad when I can see the MARC train from the Metro car I'm on as it pulls into the station and the MARC train is leaving. Sigh. And then of course, I wait for 20 minutes until the next MARC train in the sub-freezing temperatures. Always.

But things could be worse -- I could ride the Yellow or Green lines everyday and pass through L'Enfant Plaza and I could have been on one of these trains on Monday. 

Yeah, it's all about perspective in either case. Happy Hump Day, y'all.

My glee was a bit premature...

So after my post yesterday, I got an alert that all MARC train service was suspended going west on the Brunswick line (my line). According to all sources I was inquiring to, everything appeared to be FUBAR.

First, I heard there was police activity west of Germantown (my stop), then that a person had been struck by a train west of Rockville, then finally the actual story of pedestrian who was hit and killed at Gaithersburg. 

Once I heard the initial report though, I hauled out of work early to Metro home. They honored my train ticket, so I rode for free (wheee!) and I was able to catch the Ride-On 71 bus from Shady Grove. I was only on the bus for maybe a half hour (?) and walked maybe a quarter mile to get back to my car at the Germantown train station. Overall, it was a good, efficient way to public transit home, when your public transit isn't working - ha!

But seriously, if this (and many other previous situations) has taught me anything, it is ALWAYS good to have a back-up plan when commuting via public transit. And, no, I don't mean, have your spouse or friend come pick you up at the end of the line at Shady Grove. Yes, that works, but it isn't always an option, or the best one. I do the Commuter Connections Guaranteed Ride Home, which thankfully, I haven't needed yet. And, I always have the bus routes in my county easily accessible on my phone. 

Well, I can admit, that sometimes you can't always have a back-up plan and my poor husband (along with millions of other commuters) took almost 3 hours to get to work because of the snow that people didn't think would amount to much. Yes, it's not more than three or four inches outside when it's all said and done, but no, it does not bode well when it starts falling at 5am and the Feds decide, "Hey, that's not snow, that's just dandruff, come on in!" AND none of the school systems decide to close until 8am. 

Either way, as we are all well aware, when there's even a chance of anything wet falling from the sky, well...this happens: 

Happy Tuesday. Only one more day now until FLORIDA!

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!

Idiots

So this week, a video of two women in Indiana has been all over the news and how they ALMOST GOT HIT BY A FREAKIN' TRAIN. I'll say, if you believe in an almighty God, or some-sort of higher power, you better believe these oh-so-smart women had someone up there on their side that day. 

That being said, each and every day, if I have a choice, I ALWAYS walk over a bridge or through a tunnel to cross the tracks for my commute. There have been a few times when I have to cross the actual tracks on foot and youbetterbelieve I am looking both ways at least twice and hauling tail (but not running, since that can lead to trippage...see paragraph below) to get across ASAP. 

I have seen on more than one occasion, people idiotically (when they have a choice to cross the tracks via bridge or tunnel) run across the tracks right before a FREIGHT TRAIN goes by, or even once, when a woman fell at the Rockville station, splayed across the tracks, AS THE TRAIN WAS PULLING INTO THE STATION. That one made me sweat, but someone thankfully helped her up in time.

Needless to say, I'd rather miss my train than to play chicken with anything that can squash me going 35mph. The women in the video above deserve every charge against them -- they're lucky to be alive. 

Happy Friday?

In the spirit of Jimmy Fallon's Thank You notes, this is my post today:

Thank you, suspicious package at Union Station, for suspending all rail service into the station this morning. This was my reaction when I read my e-mail on the moving train, that had been sent 20 minutes prior.

And thank you MARC train conductor for telling us as we arrive in Rockville that the suspicious package is no longer an issue and trains will be able to get into Union Station, you're just not sure when...

So, hence me getting off the train to get to the Metro:

You know it's bad if Metro will serve you better than MARC. 

Hey, at least it was a free ride! HAPPY FRIDAY!?