Internship

I think it would be useful for me to do an internship with the train company so I can better understand what the hell is going on. There seem to be some things that seem rather simple to figure out, but must be very complicated behind the scenes.

I was running late this morning because I decided that caffeine was more important than anything else I had going today, so I missed my train by about a minute. That meant I had to take the next train with the mad dash changeover.

I went running through the station to find that my connecting train was running 5 minutes late. No problem. But, as I was looking at the departures board, it became evident that there was no way my train would arrive at that time, because there was one departing a minute before it on the same platform. About 2 minutes later, the delay and expected time changed to an 11 minute delay. But, the same problem was going to happen with another train, and then the next one after that. Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but it seems evident that there was never any chance that my delayed train was ever going to arrive at platform 14 only 5 minutes late when there were 3 others in the way. It eventually left 24 minutes late, and I'm guessing that they knew that at the outset. If they'd have just said that, I could have at least gone to get another coffee instead of freezing my butt off on the platform for 26 minutes.

Maybe I drink too much coffee

I popped into the chain coffee place I often frequent on the way to the station*. The guy behind the counter greeted me with a warm smile and he chatted away for a couple of minutes. I was just thinking that I'd better order my drink so that I could get a move on when he handed me a steaming hot cup of life-sustaining liquid.

It was like the planets had aligned and all was right with the world. After that, the train was on time with four carriages. I'm sitting opposite the very entertaining prep school kids, and I can barely hear Management-speak Wanker blathering away behind me. Thanks, coffee guy!

*Apologies to my most favourite barista in the whole world. I feel like I'm cheating on you, but you're not open at 7am. Hell, sometimes you're not even open at 10.

Work nirvana

So, Thursday I had the perfect working day. I came home in a fantabulous mood because everything went perfectly. The morning bus and train were on time. I had time to stop for a decent coffee on the way in, and I got to make idle chat with Train Buddy and the Comedy Expat (AKA Manstruator) from the comfort of decommissioned first class.
When I arrived at work, I had meetings that I enjoyed. Don't blink. You read that correctly. I enjoyed 2 meetings. I'm not sure that has ever happened before or that it will happen again. Everything I touched that day was golden. Except for the train bathroom, but we won't speak of that.
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Caffeine is a powerful drug

It's 6:10 in the morning, pitch black. Raining, gusting wind and all I want is a freaking coffee. I've been standing outside the coffee shop on the platform next to the sign reading "We open at 6" while the 25 year old guy manning the shop potters about behind the counter. He is refusing to acknowledge my presence until he saunters slowly over to unlock the door. He looks pointedly in my direction and unlocks the OTHER door.

In a former, pre-commuting life, I probably would have launched into a tirade about the fact that I'm frozen and soggy, now have 4 minutes to catch my train and if I can get myself to the station at this hour after being up all night with a deadline, he can damn well open the door on time. However, I've learned something from my travels. Three-quarters of the people coming through here are travel-weary, confused and enraged, so that tactic won't work. Besides, I'm pretty sure that this guy lives with his mother and spends his money on pirated DVDs. Shouting won't faze this guy. So, instead I opt for confusing him by being cheerful. When I finally get in the shop, I ask him if they no longer open at 6.

The extra from Clerks slowly looks me up and down, before deciding that I'm cool and and on his side, so explains that his bosses have decided to stop paying for staff to take a taxi to work because of the recession. So, he's showing his protest by opening the shop when he feels like it. I get the impression that I'm supposed to join him in outrage and congratulate him for sticking it to the man. Instead I just order a large americano and a bacon sandwich while checking my watch and wondering if I'll have time. The customer service poster boy throws me a bone. He won't be bothering to put out any sandwiches for another hour or two, so I'll have time to make the train after all.