Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

just getting started

It’s been a long morning, and it’s not even 10 a.m. yet.

I dragged myself out of bed early this morning (alarm set for 6 a.m.; finally got up at 7) to take my car in for a potentially costly visit to the mechanic. It’s overdue for an oil change, which won’t be all that expensive, but the car also sometimes makes this loud scraping sound when I brake, particularly early in the morning or on humid days, which is a bit worrisome. The car stops making that nails-on-chalkboard noise after it warms up, but it’s annoying and garners irritated glances from passerby.

From there, I got a ride to the Van Dorn Metro station, where the sign read three minutes to the next train. And then listings for two more trains appeared on the sign, and the ETA for the first train disappeared. About five minutes later, those two listings disappered from the sign. Still no train in sight.

Finally, maybe ten minutes later, a six-car train arrived, only to have the conductor order everyone on board off the train. More waiting, waiting, waiting for the disabled train to finally leave.

A four-car train arrived soon afterward, the seats already full, leaving our now-crowded platform to pack into the aisles. (This is unusual — usually you’re practically guaranteed a seat if you get on at Van Dorn; oh, the power of Metro delays.) The smart commuters who had the luxury of time stayed back on the platform to wait for the next train, due in four minutes.

Because of the delay, and because we were the first train to come through, there were a good number of riders queued up at every station down the line, waiting to push their way into the four-car train.

For added hilarity, a confused wasp found its way onto my car somewhere around King Street. The passengers standing in the aisles ducked and bobbed as the wasp flew in circles around the car, and they inched away whenever it landed on someone’s bag.

I finally arrived at Rosslyn around 9, pushing my way from the center of the car out to the door, and managed a speedy transfer to Courthouse and work.

Whew.

A morning like this calls for a chocolate muffin.