Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 31, 2010

• Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Evening Commute -- Mar. 31, 2010

I walked into Government Center at 6:05 and took a seat on a bench. A woman came and sat unnecessarily close to me, which, of course, annoyed me. Why do people do that? Are they just not thinking? Or are they frightening people prone to stalking who see no problem with invading the personal space of others? I moved to the opposite end of the bench, and she did not follow me. Maybe she's OCD and needs to sit on that end of the bench? Who knows?

At 6:08, an E line showed up, and at 6:09, another E line. This was Boston subway efficiency at its best. WHY? WHY SHOULD TWO TRAINS FROM THE SAME LINE EVER FOLLOW EACH OTHER? ESPECIALLY THIS QUICKLY? Argh.

A D line showed up at 6:10. Well, I knew it was a D line because I was standing far enough down the platform to read the sign on the second car. The signs on the first car were all blank. This meant that the driver had to keep announcing it was a D line train, since you couldn't tell from just a glance. But the driver announced it with supreme annoyance, like he could not understand why this had suddenly entered his job description. Dude, fix your signs, it'll solve everything.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 31, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:13 and ran immediately onto a train. By doing my trick of switching to the second car at Kenmore, I was able to get a seat.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 30, 2010

• "The Secret Adversary" by Agatha Christie
• "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis

Evening Commute -- Mar. 30, 2010

I was meeting friends for dinner in Newton, and one of the friends, who also works downtown, suggested we take the bus. I don't know why I let her suggest this, because what I discovered is this: The only form of transportation worse than the Green Line is a Boston bus. We got on the bus at 6:00, and, luckily, got seats. I say luckily because it was very, very humid on the bus, and because the traffic was TERRIBLE. It took us an hour to get to Newton, a drive that should maybe have taken us 15 minutes or so, on the outside. Why does anybody take buses? It seems to me it strips everything pleasurable out of driving--like being protected from having to interact with the general public--while keeping all of its annoyances--like traffic.

The good thing about the bus is that it was extremely quiet. The subway is almost never quiet during my evening commute.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 30, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:25. A train did not arrive until 8:32. Unsurprisingly, given the long wait, the train was packed, and the driver was insisting that you couldn't get on the train unless you could stand behind the white line. I understand this is probably some kind of safety thing, but sometimes I really get the impression that subway drivers are exerting power over you just because they can. "Hey, you wanted to get to work on time? Tough! I've decided I'm suddenly going to start enforcing the white rule line! Hahahahahaha!"

We got to Copley at 8:40, and I got off the snippy train with relief. I don't know why the trains were so spaced out, though, because I waited until 8:44 for the next train to pull into Copley. Luckily, I got a seat. A wet seat. People, how difficult is it not to put your umbrella on a seat? Seriously.

Then, when we got to Park Street, the fire alarm was going off. So I guess subway fires really are a concern!

Evening Commute -- Mar. 29, 2010

I got to Government Center at 6:04, just as a C line was pulling away, but a D line pulled up right behind it and I got in. I have two points of complaint this evening:

(1) I hate wet garbage. I mean, people's garbage on the train is always disgusting but when it's been raining and the garbage is wet, for some reason, I have to suppress a gag reflex when I see it. Ugh. People, DO NOT THROW YOUR GARBAGE ON THE FLOOR. WHY IS THIS SO HARD FOR YOU? I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO GAG DURING MY COMMUTE.

(2) I have not seen a huge number of Kindles (or any other e-book readers) but I've seen a couple, and I'm not sure what I think about them. As the Boston Book Trends feature might indicate, I often get a feel for the big books out there by spying on what people are reading around me. I am sad to think of a day when we can all be even more anonymous and less interactive on the train than we already are, so that not even the contents of our pleasure reading will be known to those around us.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 29, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:06 and ran to catch a train. There were no seats available but, at Kenmore, I moved from the first car to the second car, getting a seat immediately. This is another CommutingFail Tip for a Smoother Subway Ride(tm): Try to move far enough down the platform to get on the second car. It is almost always considerably less crowded than the first car. (Have I given this advice before? Ah, well, it is worth reiterating.)

At Park Street, they were urging me to help prevent subway fires. I didn't realize this was a major threat.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 26, 2010

I got to Government Center at 5:44 and ran to make a D line train just coming in. I learned this: Wow, I am out of shape.

I had some shopping to do at Newbury Street, so I got off at Copley and arrived back at Copley, shopping done, at 7:10. Naturally, I had two machines reject my effort to add money to my card, but the third time was the charm, and then I got onto a D line right away.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 26, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:06, and it was 8:16 before the train showed up. Predictably, considering the long wait and the fact that it was snowing, the train was packed and I got stranded in a no-man's land with nothing to hold onto. The overhead bar doesn't count for me, it's way over my head, to reach it I have to stand on tiptoe and then I lose all the blood in my arm.

So it was with relief that I got off at Copley at 8:24. Are the trains slowly creeping up where they stop at Copley? It's weird. The next train arrived at 8:25 and I got a seat on that one immediately. Unfortunately, it was next to a man. I hate to sit next to men who feel the need to dramatically sprawl. Dude, it's not that big, I know it's not, stop it and give me room.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 25, 2010

I got to Government Center at 6:35, just as an E line was arriving. A C line was right behind it, making my commute fairly simple.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 25, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:36. A train didn't arrive until 8:38 but the advantage of being a little late is that I got a seat right away!

Evening Commute -- Mar. 24, 2010

I got to Government Center at 6:04, with an E line arriving immediately. I sat on a bench to wait for the next train, listening to music and BlackBerrying as I usually do. A young woman approached me, probably in her early 20s. "Excuse me," she said, timidly. Normally, lost tourists approach you this way. I try to be friendly, to improve Boston's reputation. So I looked at her and said, politely, "Yes?" "The other day," she begins, "I was sitting here, or maybe at the next bench over--" She gestures, and I'm thinking, Is she going to tell me she lost something? Does she know how many people go through this station every day? "And a man came up and flashed me," she finishes. I kind of just stared at her for a second, because this was not what I had expected. "What?" I said, stupidly, finally. "You know," she said, and gestured meaningfully to her crotch. I just kind of blinked at her, trying to figure out what was going on and how I'd gotten involved in it. "I..." I said, and then kind of shrugged helplessly. "Does that happen often?" she asked me, earnestly. I now believe I must have been part of some weird prank college students were playing, and this is why Bostonians are not friendly to strangers. Luckily, a D line was pulling in now, and I gratefully seized the excuse to get up. "No, I've never heard of it before," I told the young lady, calmly, and then got on the train.

Weird.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 24, 2010

• A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
• The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (really, Boston? That's the first repeat book I see? Sigh)

Morning -- Mar. 24, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:18. The ticket machine gave the impression of working, but when I tried to swip my card it blinked "Error While Validating" endlessly and then I finally gave up and headed on the train that arrived at 8:21. The train was very, very, very crowded, and we squeezed on like sardines. It was with relief that I exited at Copley at 8:31. The next train arrived almost immediately but was also fairly crowded. The next train came at 8:32, still fairly crowded. The next train came at 8:34, still fairly crowded, but, as there was no other train in sight, I gave up and got on.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 23, 2010

I was meeting a friend in Harvard Square after work, so I needed to take the Red Line. Under normal circumstances, I would have just walked to Park Street, but the weather was absolutely miserable, so I thought it made sense to just dart into State and hop on the Orange Line to switch at Downtown Crossing. Why do they make you walk a mile to get to the Orange Line platform at State? It's so absurd. You walk so far that you can literally see the Downtown Crossing Orange Line platform from the State platform. I mean, it's convenient that the walking happens inside instead of out in the elements, but it just makes little sense having two platforms so close together.

At any rate, I finally got to the platform at State at 7:16, and a train pulled in at 7:17. We got to Downtown Crossing almost immediately, and I walked to the Red Line platform. To do this, I had to walk down a hallway through which a gang of teenagers had decided it sounded like a brilliant idea to practice bird calls. Excellent.

I got to the Red Line platform at 7:23. While I was sitting there waiting for a train to show up, the clock skipped forward an hour right in front of me. Weird. A Red Line train arrived at 7:27, and I grabbed a seat. Two people got on at Park Street and decided that it would be a wonderful idea if they sat right next to me and began laughing uproariously in such a way that required them to clap their hands together and rock back and forth in their seats, which drove me to stand up and move to another area where I would not be assaulted.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 23, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:05, and a train arrived at 8:06 but we sat around for a while, so we didn't actually leave the stop until 8:08. Who knows why these things happen? We got to Copley at 8:17 and I got a seat on the next train to arrive at 8:18.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 23, 2010

• Giving an Account of Oneself by Judith Butler
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Evening Commute -- Mar. 22, 2010

I got to Government Center at 6:30 but received an e-mail that required me to turn around and go back to work. So, if you're counting, I paid for a ride I never took at this point. I walked back into Government Center--paying again--at 7:01, just as a C line was pulling away, alas. An E line showed up at 7:02, and a B line showed up at 7:03, but Boston's run of fine weather had vanished, so I held out hope for a C or a D line. I was rewarded by another C line arriving at 7:06.

At Park Street, one of the doors on the car did not open. This provoked mass hysteria while people almost stampeded over each other to move to another doorway. If there is ever a true emergency on a subway train, I despair for all of us.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 22, 2010

• Feliz porque si by Marci Shimoff

Morning Commute -- Mar. 22, 2010

I had a dentist appointment in the morning! A call for great rejoicing, as it meant I got to go into work late, and I walked into Kenmore at 10:52. A train came at 10:54, and I have this to say: A commute not during rush hour took half the time it normally takes. Sigh.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 19, 2010

Got to Park Street at 5:34, just as a B line was coming in, and, because it was another beautiful day in Boston (ah, spring was teasing us!), I hopped onto it.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 19, 2010

• The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
• New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Morning Commute -- Mar. 19, 2010

I got to the stop at 7:59, just as a train was pulling in. Naturally, the pay machine was broken. This is the machine they stuck at my stop against which I am supposed to press my card and, in exchange, I am supposed to get a ticket, but this machine almost never works. It is broken oh, at least 70% of the time, I would say.

And now for a CommutingFail Tip for a Smoother Subway Ride(tm): Do not hesitate to grab a seat. Fortune favors the bold.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 18, 2010

• The Making of McPaper by Peter S. Prichard and David Colton
• Blood Atonement by Dan Waddell
• The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
• American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson

Evening Commute -- Mar. 18, 2010

I arrived at Government Center at 6:05, and at 6:06 a B line showed up. The B line stop is probably about a ten-minute walk from my house, and the C and D lines are both closer, and sometimes I get lazy and ignore the B line. However, it was finally beautiful weather here in Boston, so I took the B line to enjoy the extra time outside.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 18, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:17 this morning, and the train came fairly quickly. I got to Copley at 8:26, and here's a CommutingFail Tip for a Smoother Subway Ride(tm) for all of you: If you are standing in front of the door, and people are trying to get out, and you are blocking their means of egress, please step momentarily out of the car and out of the way so that people can move. I promise you, you will be able to get back on the train, it will just help all of us if you do something other than stand like an immoveable block in front of the exit.

The next train came in at 8:28 and was crowded. There was another train at 8:31, also crowded. Then another train at 8:32. I hope this is not the dawn of a new day at Copley. It used to be that the trains came one right after another, but this is the second straight morning I've had to wait a couple of minutes between trains. And when the third train came, I looked behind it, because it was still crowded, and it used to be that you could see a line of green lights indicating trains waiting to swoop in to the station next, but the tracks were empty, so I gave up and just got on the third train.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 17, 2010

I got go Government Center at 6:24, just as a D line was pulling away. It was followed immediately by a B line, and then, at 6:25, a C line. Therefore: an unexpectedly perfect commute!

Morning Commute -- Mar. 17, 2010

I arrived at the stop at 8:08. The train arrived at 8:11. I thought it might be an easy commute, since today is a city holiday in Boston, but the train turned out to be very crowded. I got off when we reached Copley at 8:20. The next train didn't show up until 8:24, and was quite crowded. Another crowded train came in right behind it, at 8:25, but then I had to wait again until 8:29 for the next train to show up. This was also crowded but I decided to give up at that point. You do not normally have to wait between trains at Copley, so I don't know if the subway was running an abbreviated schedule because of the holiday, or what.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 16, 2010

I got to Government Center at 6:16. There was a C line there but I had to run an errand at a store closer to a D line stop, so I decided to wait for the D line. Let us note that the C line is the line closest to my house, and the odds of there being a C line at Government Center when I arrive on a night when I want to take the C line are basically less than zero.

Let us also note that the clock on the platform at Government Center is now an hour ahead. How did that happen? Did they accidentally spring forward twice?

At 6:17 a B line arrived. And then, at 6:18, another C line came. At 6:20, an E line showed up. At 6:22, there was yet another C line. I promise you, the C line never comes this often when I am actually waiting for it.

At 6:24, another B line showed up. And then, at 6:27, the fourth C line in the past eleven minutes arrived. I finally decided to just give up, having wasted ten minutes sitting around Government Center learning that people are too incompetent to properly stagger the Green Line.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 16, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:24, just as a train was pulling up. The train was packed to the gills, to the point where, for the doors to close, everyone had to take a deep breath and suck in. But there was no other train in sight (I can see quite a way down Beacon Street), so, rather than wait ten minutes for the next train, I obnoxiously squeezed my way on.

I gratefully stumbled off the train when we reached Copley at 8:31. The next train came at 8:32, but it was also packed. The next train didn't show up until 8:36, but it wasn't crowded and I got a seat on it right away.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 15, 2010

It's Restaurant Week here in Boston, meaning I got to leave work very early for me so that I could make a reservation. I got to Government Center at 5:52 and caught a D line right away.

We went to Top of the Hub for dinner (very good) and then, because it was still raining in Boston, we took the E line into Arlington before switching over to a D line. I love how tricky it is to switch from the E line to any other outbound Green Line train, because if you try to switch at Copley, which would be the obvious switching point, you find yourself having to pay again. I think they do this on purpose.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 15, 2010

I got to the stop around 8:30. It was pouring rain, very miserable weather, and the train was packed. I hate the subway in the rain. I hate how moist everything is around you, including the very air you're breathing. I hate how the garbage that people toss on the floor is wet and sticky. I hate how everyone is dripping all over everyone else.

I hate rain.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 12, 2010

I left work around 7:30 or so, and immediately went out for a drink. Which meant that I was drunk when I got to Government Center and I have no idea what time it was or how long it took to catch a train. I know only that, for a change, I had to go to Lechmere, and it's sketchy over there. And on trains heading in that direction.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 12, 2010

I got to the stop at 7:39 a.m. and ran to get the train. The great advantage of taking the subway that early is that I got a seat right away!

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 11, 2010

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
• Floating Off the Page by Ken Wells

Commutes -- Mar. 11, 2010

I admit that I was so stressed out today that I neglected to take notes on my commute. I did note that I got to the stop in the morning at 7:57 but I didn't mark down when I got on the train. Coincidentally, I also got to the stop at 7:57 tonight to go home. A C line train was pulling away when I walked up, which is always how it goes on long days, but a D line train pulled up right behind it, so that was good, and unusually quick for being so late.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 10, 2010

Before getting on the train to go home, I paused to add more money to my card. This might be a good time to discuss those machines in every station that you can use to add value. It used to be that I could never get them to work on the first try. In fact, I used to have to go from machine to machine, trying to find one that would complete the transaction. They would all pretend to be in working order, but would then call my card "unreadable" at the very last step of the process. I've noticed--tentatively--that they seem to have fixed this problem. I don't want to go overboard with praise, but I think it's been a couple of times now that I have had success on my first try at the first machine. So this could possibly be a Positive Subway Experience!

After adding the money, I got down to the platform at 7:10, just as a nice, deserted D line train was pulling in.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 10, 2010

I had to go to work early today, so I got to the stop at 7:46. Luckily, I timed it correctly again, and a train arrived at 7:47. I thought maybe it would be less crowded than trains normally are, being a bit earlier, but no such luck. I got off at Copley at 7:56. There was a bit of a wait for the next train at 7:58 but when it arrived it was fairly deserted and I was able to grab a seat.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 9, 2010

Didn't get out of work until 8:30. When I work until after 8, I treat myself to a cab, so no subway shenanigans to report tonight.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 9, 2010

• The Face of a Naked Lady by Michael Rips

Morning Commute -- Mar. 9, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:04, and a train was only a red light away. I stopped at the stupid automatic ticket machine to buy a ticket. I hate these machines. I hate how they take my card and convert it to a piece of paper that is only useful if I enter in the front door of the train, so I might as well just pay with my card. Anyway, I always go and get this useless piece of paper because they have told me to, in an effort, apparently, to increase pollution in the city, and the machine won't give it to me. In and out, in and out, in and out, goes the piece of paper, and eventually I managed to grab the tiny sliver of it that kept making a brief appearance.

I got a seat on the train, which meant that it went out of service at Kenmore, which is how these things go. There was another train sitting at Kenmore, upon which, of course, we were packed. I got off at Copley at 8:14 and got on the next train, which looked less crowded. And it was, but I didn't get a seat until Arlington.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 8, 2010

I met a friend to go see "Alice in Wonderland" tonight, which meant a *much* later commuting time. This is terrible, because it usually means you wait forever for a train. I entered at Boylston at 9:04, and a train was just leaving. I told myself not to look to see what line it had been, but curiosity got the better of me, and I was disappointed to see that I'd just missed a C line. An E line was pulling in right behind it, and then, at 9:05, came an out-of-service train. What are these out-of-service trains? Why do they exist? If they're going to go past all the stops, why not just carry passengers?

A B line showed up at 9:10, followed by another E line at 9:14, and then I hopped onto the D line that arrived at 9:15.

Morning Commute -- Mar. 8, 2010

I got to the stop at 8:06 and a train came at 8:07 but it was very crowded and I was stranded in a sort of no-man's land where I had nothing to hold onto and kept swaying and staggering into other people. Relieved, I got off at Copley at 8:16 and got a seat on the very next train to come in, at 8:17.

Evening Commute -- Mar. 5, 2010

I met friends for dinner downtown, which meant I had two evening commutes.

(1) On the first, I arrived at Government Center at 6:25 and ran immediately to catch a D line train that was coming in.

(2) On the second, I arrived at Park Street at 8:23. A C line train arrived at 8:24, which was far sooner than I expected, but we then were "held" at the station until 8:26.

Boston Book Trends -- Mar. 5, 2010

• Acts of Mercy by Mariah Stewart

Morning Commute -- Mar. 5, 2010

At 7:54, I arrived at the stop and made a mad dash to catch the train that was pulling in as I arrived. Because the second car of the train is almost always less crowded then the first car, I dashed past the first car to the second car. The driver, seeing me coming, closed the doors on the second car, in order to avoid the inconvenience of having a passenger enter the car. I paused and looked back to the first car, who had also closed its doors, now thinking that I was going to find myself in the position of standing next to a subway that refused to let me on. However, the driver of the second car took pity on me and opened his door again.

And then, because I had been smart enough to get on the second car, I actually got a seat at Hynes.

Commutes -- Mar. 4, 2010

No commutes today, because I had to drive outside of the city. So, I guess there was still a commute. Involving lots of traffic. So, yeah, still some commutingfail.

Update from the Red Line -- Mar. 4, 2010

Red Line Baron states as follows:

Today on the Red Line I was trying to read my new book. I had just started to get into it when the lights in our car wen out. They came on again a minute later and I went back to my book. But then they went out again, and kept going out. They'd come back on for a minute, I'd start to read, get halfway through a sentence, and they'd go out again. This happened almost the entire ride to Park Street.

I am beginning to suspect that the subway is cutting costs by playing on our assumptions of their incompetence. Like, no one would suspect that they were intentionally turning out the lights to save money--we just assume it is the train sucking as usual mixed with the usual failure to take care of equipment. Same thing with the buses. They never seem to show up when scheduled. I think they just cut buses every so often and assume that *we* will assume the bus was just caught in traffic or something.

But perhaps I sound paranoid.

Evening Commute -- March 3, 2010

Look! My computer is finally back! Huzzah!

Got to Government Center at 6:19, just as a C line was pulling away. A B line came at 6:20, and an E line at 6:21. I got on a D line at 6:22. It moved excruciatingly slowly underground, who knows why? But here are some musings and observations from tonight's commute:

(1) Why can't people take their newspapers with them when they get off the subway? Is that a difficut thing to do? Stick it in your bag, throw it out when you get to wherever you're going? Really?

(2) A girl asked me if she could sit in the seat next to me. I was surprised by that, as I didn't have my bag on the seat, so it's not like she really needed to ask permission. Normally, people would just slide into the empty seat. However, once she sat down, she said to me, "Sorry, is this train going to Kenmore?" and I realized that she had been so polite because she doesn't normally ride the subway.