There are people in this world who's sanity depends on the stability of their every day actions. These people are zombies. They are machines programmed for regularity. Any glitch in their everyday system of operations can be the determining factor in whether they have a good day or a bad day. I know this because I observe them every day on my commute to work. I ride the train, and I love to observe people. I am not a stalker, I am just a wanna-be Robert Goren.
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The Tie
Every morning there is a gentleman, who appears to have reached the mid point of his life, who arrives to the strain station with a look on his face that leads me to believe the morning did not bring a fresh start to his day. Like most people who ride the commuter train, he talks to no one. His attire is composed of a button up shirt, dark colored dockers and tennis shoes. But the quirky characteristic that always sticks out in my mind about this gentlemen is that he always has an untied neck tie around his neck as if to say, "I had time to do everything necessary to get myself to the train station... except fix my neck tie."
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Every morning there is a gentleman, who appears to have reached the mid point of his life, who arrives to the strain station with a look on his face that leads me to believe the morning did not bring a fresh start to his day. Like most people who ride the commuter train, he talks to no one. His attire is composed of a button up shirt, dark colored dockers and tennis shoes. But the quirky characteristic that always sticks out in my mind about this gentlemen is that he always has an untied neck tie around his neck as if to say, "I had time to do everything necessary to get myself to the train station... except fix my neck tie."
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Mi train es su train
There are four main seating sections of the rail car that I ride. There are two small seating areas at the front and back of the car, and there are two large main seating areas in the belly of the car; one upstairs and one downstairs. The two seating areas at the front and back of the car offer more room. There are six bench seats available. Each bench seat accommodates two people. However, instead of the seats being stacked all facing one direction, every other one is facing each other. And every morning when I get on the car of the train that is located third from the rear (yes, it is always third from the rear) I always find the same gentleman sitting asleep in the same seat in the over sized seating area. If I were to end here you would wonder where the unusual repetition is, but I am not finished. He is not sitting with two feet on the floor and maintaining his socially acceptable bubble. He is sitting with his feet up on the adjacent seat... with his Campbell's Soup shaped lunch bag between his feet... with his shoes off. Not only does this man feel the need to occupy two seats, but he must drive the other patrons to the next seating area with the stench coming from his feet. I do not care what other people's quirks are. I'm not saying I don't have my own fleet of crazy habits. However, if someone else's crazy habits cross my path, I get annoyed.
There are four main seating sections of the rail car that I ride. There are two small seating areas at the front and back of the car, and there are two large main seating areas in the belly of the car; one upstairs and one downstairs. The two seating areas at the front and back of the car offer more room. There are six bench seats available. Each bench seat accommodates two people. However, instead of the seats being stacked all facing one direction, every other one is facing each other. And every morning when I get on the car of the train that is located third from the rear (yes, it is always third from the rear) I always find the same gentleman sitting asleep in the same seat in the over sized seating area. If I were to end here you would wonder where the unusual repetition is, but I am not finished. He is not sitting with two feet on the floor and maintaining his socially acceptable bubble. He is sitting with his feet up on the adjacent seat... with his Campbell's Soup shaped lunch bag between his feet... with his shoes off. Not only does this man feel the need to occupy two seats, but he must drive the other patrons to the next seating area with the stench coming from his feet. I do not care what other people's quirks are. I'm not saying I don't have my own fleet of crazy habits. However, if someone else's crazy habits cross my path, I get annoyed.
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JUST STOP MOVING!
There is a young lady who does not ride the train on a regular basis, but when she does she indeed finds herself on my list. Every time she rides the train she gets to the station far in advance of the scheduled arrival of the train. To pass the time she walks from one end of the platform to the next, up the stairs to the parking lot and back again. Her stride is not that of a mall walker seeking exercise, but more of a gang member asserting their authority over their territory. To just notice this woman one time you would pay her no mind. However, the third fourth and fifth pass by, you might think to yourself, "didn't she just walk past me?"
There is a young lady who does not ride the train on a regular basis, but when she does she indeed finds herself on my list. Every time she rides the train she gets to the station far in advance of the scheduled arrival of the train. To pass the time she walks from one end of the platform to the next, up the stairs to the parking lot and back again. Her stride is not that of a mall walker seeking exercise, but more of a gang member asserting their authority over their territory. To just notice this woman one time you would pay her no mind. However, the third fourth and fifth pass by, you might think to yourself, "didn't she just walk past me?"
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The Regular
The final person I want to describe to you is a woman who crosses my path every day as I am waiting for the train at the end of the day. She is an obvious "old timer". She knows the station workers, she knows the other train riders, she even know the conductors. Everyday, right before the train arrives, she makes her way to the end of the platform closest to the direction it is coming. She stands with her purse over her left shoulder and her additional day bag on the ground to her right. Her right foot is slightly in front of her left foot with her hand on her hip. And if anyone would ever take me up on the bet, I would be a rich man when she, like clock work, waives to the conductor.
The final person I want to describe to you is a woman who crosses my path every day as I am waiting for the train at the end of the day. She is an obvious "old timer". She knows the station workers, she knows the other train riders, she even know the conductors. Everyday, right before the train arrives, she makes her way to the end of the platform closest to the direction it is coming. She stands with her purse over her left shoulder and her additional day bag on the ground to her right. Her right foot is slightly in front of her left foot with her hand on her hip. And if anyone would ever take me up on the bet, I would be a rich man when she, like clock work, waives to the conductor.
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