Metro Drama Drama Drama

Last week there was a horrible accident on the red line. But the news media isn't covering the entire story, they are missing the story of the people stuck riding the red line and the anarchy which ensues. Two incidents occurred last week that ar both making me stop riding the red line until the track is back to normal - an hour plus commute and being sandwiched and an incident with an old lady.

A few days after the crash, I was thinking, surely the metro will be almost back to normal. I was walking ot of my door and I checked my blackberry. Four minutes until the next train... perfect ( I thought). Wrong! So I get to the platform and everything seems normal for now.

So then four empty trains go by. This isn't good. Apparently, they were off-loading at Woodley Park. At this time, the platform is so crowded that I am committed and there is no way that I can escape the crushing crowds. So I wait. I wait while a train comes to Dupont... it is at "crush capacity" and then it does the unthinkable, it unloads... what the crap is happening?

OK, now I am really stuck. I eventually get on the 5th train that comes (that is te 10th train overall) and think phew... I'm going to make it. Unfortunately, the train stops for 20 minutes between stops and I am personally in a very umcomfortable and somewhat compromising poition. Drama!

You would have thought that I learned my lesson, but NOOOOO I didn't. A few days later I try to press my luck again. I go down to the platform and things look like usual. So I walk to my spot and wait for a train to come. There was already an older couple there. The train pulls in and I, like everyone else who rides the trains, moves to the closest available door.

Well the old bitty gets a little sassy with me. She firmly places her arm in front of me and begins to lecture me. Telling me that she was there first and is getting on this train because she has been waiting (I have on my ipod and I'm pretending to ignore her) then she keeps geeting angrier and angrier. So I calmly take off my headphones and say that surely there will be room for all of us (note... i wasn't even in front of her). She then keeps railing on about us young kids and having no respect.

You'd be proud of me because I was thinking of saying the follow: "Listen up old bitty, don't take your frustrations out on me. As you eloquently noted, I am much younger than you and if you keep up this attitude it will only take one quick hip check to send you flying down to the ground, you'll probably break your hip and miss yet another train, so step off!"

Instead I said let her get on the train first. Her hubby let me get on next. Then the suckers got sandwiched in while I enjoyed a fairly spacious ride.

Lesson Learned - Don't ride the metro when there are severe issues. You'll only end up resisting the urge hurt an old lady... and those urges can never be good.