Riding Rut

The train has been running along pretty much as scheduled for the last few days.  No one ever acknowledges when the train pulls out or arrives on time.  There for awhile it seemed like such a rare occurrence that it was news when departures and arrivals occurred as scheduled.  Now the riders have been lulled into thinking that the problems have been worked out and late arrivals and departures and breakdowns are things of the past.  I'm not so optimistic.  But I do appreciate the last week of uneventful commuting and I look forward to many more weeks like it.

Late Late Coffee Break

While I don't get on the morning train at the first stop, I do get on at the second and I am always amazed when the announcement is made that the train will arrive late to its second stop.  That's what happened this morning.  The announcement was made that the train would be arriving 10 to 12 minutes late with no explanation of the problem causing the delay.  That early in the morning I figure the delay is self-induced rather than caused by any technical malfunction.  After all, the train did arrive, it seems to be running smoothly, and all systems are a go.  Thus, I can only deduce that one of the crew was simply stuck in the drive thru at Dunkin' Donuts waiting to pick up coffee for the rest.  I just wish he or she would have grabbed an extra cup for me.

Chariot of Doom

As the train pulled up about 5 minutes late this morning, fellow rider L -- I don't want to use his full name -- announced loudly, "the chariot of doom arrives." It's the first time I heard our morning train so characterized but I kind of liked it, expecially today as we are getting progressively later with each stop we make.  No explanation for the cause of the lateness, but it is raining outside.  I guess rain and chariots don't mix.