An experiment...

So, today I decided randomly to see how long I was on the train, while in transit. I pulled out my trusty iPhone and started the stop watch feature as soon as the P876 on the Brunswick line (my usual train that leaves at 7:11 am) started leaving the Germantown station. 

As we pulled into Union Station, I checked the stopwatch and it was at 41 or so minutes. We waited for probably 5-7 minutes and I finally clicked stopped as the train came to a stop at the platform. 

51 minutes and 45 seconds. This felt like a typical commute for the most part -- sometimes it's longer, sometimes it's shorter. For reference, MARC train schedules estimate that this trip should take 1 hour and 4 minutes, on this particular train. The time on my phone says "8:08" and the MARC schedule says this train is estimated to arrive into Union Station at 8:15, so an early train - woo!

Note that I started the timer when the train started moving, NOT when the train pulled into the Germantown station -- that's probably another good 3-4 minutes of people getting on the train at Germantown before it pulls out of the station. Remember, The Line?! That's how MARC determine trip lengths by when a train arrives at a station.

Also for reference there are trains that don't stop at all the stops so can significantly cut back on the travel time. The P878 -- 7:34 am departure from Germantown -- is what I like to call an "express train", or one that doesn't stop at all the little villages and towns along the way. 

Now, I did some more fun math this morning. I've been a full-time commuter on the MARC train since October 2012, meaning I use the MARC train daily more than 4 times a week. As I've noted before, because of my job and schedule, I often times have to take Metro to and from work to account for late hours, etc. So, I tried my best to estimate, based of previous spreadsheets I kept to track my finances with and just relied on general knowledge of holidays, vacations, days off, etc. to see how many trips I've taken on the MARC train in the last 2.5 years.

Drum roll please...approximately 43,964 minutes of my life have been spent on a commuter train so far (I'm not counting METRO at all). That's 732 hours and almost 45 minutes worth of sitting, and riding, and waiting. That's almost a full month -- 30.5 days -- - of commuting via MARC. 

That equals a nice, LONG vacation. Two paychecks worth of time. A full cycle of bills to be paid. That's 8% of a year of life. That's 6.3 years of the average American's life expectancy! That means that, at this rate, I'd have to ride the train daily as a commuter, for another almost 30 years (29.92 exactly) to have ridden the train non-stop for a full year of my life. Make sense? Holy bananas. Sad part is, that's not unrealistic to accomplish and I'm sure others have been doing it for 30+years already. And, since the Brunswick line goes all the way out to Martinsburg, West Virginia, some people are getting to that mark even quicker.

Anyway, a fun thing the mind does when sitting on the train -- it thinks of blog topics that either fascinate you or make you really, really sad for me. Hopefully it's the former.

Brr, Brr, Brring it on, Spring!

So, unless you've been living in a ice-encrusted igloo somewhere on one of the Poles and have no access to electricity, you may not be aware that the entire continental US has entered into the end of days with the polar vortex of 2015. 

My thoughts on this today, the coldest day I've experienced by far in my 30+ years of life (and was record breaking in DC), when my car read 1 degree this morning when I got in at 6:15am and didn't rise much above that after the sun came up:

-It's really cold and yes we're going to complain about it until the cows come home. I live in the mid-Atlantic, not Canada, not Boston, not Chiberia, so when I complain, it's because WE ARE NOT LIVING IN THOSE CITIES, therefore SHOULDN'T HAVE my eyes water and immediately freeze when stepping outside. Ok, end rant. (PS - I have to admit that I do like to give our family in Florida a hard time when they complain it's cold outside when it's 40 or 50 degrees. You wish.)

Never moving to Chicago -- sorry, Grandipants.

-Despite my complaining, I'm very thankful for a warm home, car, and workplace to relish in 23.5 hours of the day during these crazy-town temperatures.

Smart little creature.

Wish I had one of these, but the vents in my ceiling work just as well.

-There are some nutbags (and by nutbags, I mean LADIES) walking around with skirts, AND NO TIGHTS ON in this weather (I've blogged about this before). Now, I saw one woman with knee socks on, but still, that's a lot of thin layering going on between the knee and the waist...more than I can handle on a 50 degree day, honestly. Brave women. Stupid women, but brave. 

There's no shame in that, Joey.

-Commuting sucks in this weather. This might be the only time of year I wish I drove to work and only had to be outside for about 10 minutes of my day, versus waiting for a bus or a train for 5-10 minutes each time. On that same regard, waiting in The Line also blows in a climate like this. I really wanted to yell at some people when they cut in line today, but my lungs hurt too much from the cold to attempt to. 

I do feel for our furry friends during this cold. Their poor wittle feet. :(

-Finally, I'm going to have to invest in a few massages come spring because I find myself lifting my shoulders in a shrug-like position and HOLDING them there when it's this cold. Almost like I'm trying to keep my ears and neck warm with my bony shoulders. I'm a weirdo. 

I'm permanently stuck like this, December thru March.

Alright, enough complaining, but good news is, only 1 month until Spring officially comes back to taunt us, sticking around for maybe 45 days before it's seeping hot in DC once more. Yay. 

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.