Welcome Back to Me

It's been a long time. Frankly, the whole fare hike business did me in; I was drained and tired of being obnoxious. Fortunately, I was able to persuade my employer to allow me to work at home two days a week to offset the considerable impact of the fare increase. You cannot imagine how that arrangement has enhanced the quality of my life. It effectively puts $52 a week back into my pocket, not to mention, the laundry is being done, mail is being opened and read in a timely way and I can have a full-on dinner prepared and served before nightfall - all while meeting deadlines and making things happen at work.

So without the hassle of a five-day-a-week commute and the full burden of that expense, I have mellowed out somewhat and only rage occasionally at the bad manners and bad hygiene of some fellow riders.

My current peeve actually has nothing to do with NJ Transit. At the moment, I am concentrating my wrath on people who don't follow escalator rules. We leave the left side free for passing, folks. If you want to stand there and take in the view as we descend into the bowels of Penn Station, be my guest - but do it from over there because I am going to make the 6:13 express by the skin of my teeth ONLY if you MOVE OVER and let me fly down past you. You would think most people would understand the concept of "rush hour." It's not "dawdle hour." I am mad tired and I want to get home - sooner as opposed to later. So when you commandeer the left side of the escalator when I need to be down at my track, and when you don't respond to "pardon me," you need to be prepared for me to cop a little attitude 'atcha.

I am trying to be a warmer, gentler commuter. Even though it's stinkin' hot, the summertime commute is infinitely more pleasurable than it was over the winter. There are more highly attractive people out and about I am just grateful to be working in a terrible economy.

Hopefully, I will be compelled to write about the more pleasant aspects of the commuting experience in the weeks ahead. Be patient as I adopt my new mindset. It is a struggle for me to surrender my curmudgeonly ways...

A Reply to Deb's Comments

Did you serious riders/readers have an opportunity to read Deb's comments on my recent post? Thanks for that, Deb - I think you nailed it. Indeed - last night's delays and lack of communication about train status were a PR nightmare for NJ Transit, although I assume that with budget and service cuts, this is only a preview of what's to come: more lines and equipment down, fewer individuals to service and maintain them, fewer trains overall and more irate riders.

Gonna be a hootnanny!

Listen, as for the hearing, I give you a TON of credit for going. I know your remarks were measured, accurate and well delivered. But you also had to know going into it that NJ Transit was just going through the motions, right? I mean, the "leak" of a memo projecting a 30% increase was likely designed to shock us into accepting a 25% increase (by their hillbilly calculations) was a gift.

If they were really people-focused and heard the valid concerns their riders, they would not have only offered a break to bus and light rail riders, they would have rolled back the hike on train fares as well, wouldn't you think?

So, although I am generally not a conspiracy theorist, (and have limited tolerance for those who are,)as a PR hack myself, I do appreciate masterful manipulation of the masses. And that, my friends, is what happened. Because even though we are all threatening to drive or quit our jobs or hire rickshaws - honestly now - most of us are still going to line up on April 20 to get our May passes just like steer queue up right before they end up on a McBun.

Am I right?

Read it and Weep

This link was forwarded by NJ Transit in an e-mail that did not offer a reply option. I am sick to my stomach.

The Morning After

Today, of course I am in the car with the conductor I chased down after yesterday's free ride. He didn't cop an attitude with me, so he gets points. I should also point out he checked my pass before we even left Jersey Avenue.

Riding The NJ Transit Gravy Train

Carmine,

Whatever action was being taken to address my last complaint apparently did not stick. This morning on the NEC 8:17, I rode from Jersey Avenue all the way past Newark Penn Station before tickets were collected. I actually stopped a conductor when we got off the train to ask him why no one looked at my ticket until after Newark. He didn't know. Of course, he didn't know. And he didn't want to talk about it either.

So NOW what are you going to do?

How can you allow train after train to ferry people for free on such a regular basis? Why in the world do you not have a strategy in place to collect fares from each and every passenger AS THEY BOARD?

It's really just too easy for you to reach into my pocket. I don't like it and I really don't think that you are even really trying.

So, how do you like that? On the very day NJ Transit voted to increase fares, another trainload of rush hour commuters rode from Jersey Avenue past Newark Penn Station for free, free, free.

When we arrived at New York Penn - late, by the way - I confronted a conductor to ask which car the card game is in so I can join him tomorrow morning. He got that deer in the headlights look and I watched the cogs come to life and begin to turn the wheels in his head while he figured out this was heading nowhere good, and that he should am-scray before I got wise and checked his breast pocket where his name is embroidered. (Embroidered!) Needless to say, I was so transfixed by watching him figuring out how to deal with me, I actually did forget to grab his name. (He was one of those people who process with their whole being; his physical bearing changed as he took hold of himself. I was really fascinated by that and it did pull me off my game just a little.) Not that it matters. I wouldn't really want to single out one guy when he's not the only one futzing around.

Being a train conductor is not a job I would want necessarily, but you have to agree it's a pretty decent gig. You have a union behind you that negotiates your way out of doing unpleasant things like - say - wresting puking Ranger fans from their seats, or mopping up the hotdog-popcorn-Budweiser-Jägermeister vomit that winds and sloshes on the floor under the seats to where my tan suede loafer-clad feet happened to be planted unsuspectingly. Collecting fares and sticking to a schedule also seem to be tasks the union smartly assigned to the "Optional" category.

Well, I'm pretty well resigned to the fact that my commute will be jacked to $400+ a month and I will be the beneficiary of even fewer amenities and pleasantries on NJ Transit. So with that said, I better get back to work because I am going to need this job to pay for the privilege of getting here late and irritated five days a week.

NJ Transit Responds

Yippee! I received a reply to my Friday afternoon telephone inquiry seeking to find out why no one bothered to collect fares on a rush hour train last week.

Dear Morgan,
We are replying to your feedback of 3/26/2010 regarding subject: Collection of fares.

I hear and appreciate your frustration and concerns. NJ TRANSIT is aware of reports regarding incidents where train fares and tickets have not been collected on some of our trains. The information you gave us has been incorporated into our on-going system-wide effort to investigate employees who are engaged in the behavior you have described. This has already yielded some positive results. Though crowded trains and other situations may sometimes prevent 100 percent fare collection, this does not excuse employees from making every attempt to perform their assigned duties. Those employees who refuse to comply with this directive, if caught, will face appropriate corrective action.


Details and results of this investigation are kept confidential so as to not compromise our efforts, and to honor contractual obligations with the employee unions.

Rest assured that NJ TRANSIT is taking action to address this issue.


Thank you for contacting NJ TRANSIT.

Sincerely,

Carmine Melillo
NJ TRANSIT Customer Relations Specialist

Okay, Carmine (since we are all friends and on a first-name basis now,) I really do appreciate the reply. But can you imagine for just one instant how ridiculous this situation would be if the agency in question were, say, Delta? Or even Amtrak? How is collecting fare ever an option, particularly for a cash-starved agency that already committed to cutting jobs and raising ticket prices? It is, in a word, unacceptable.

A lousy prep school headmaster (NOT Ted Lingenheld ♥)- once called me a "math paraplegic," but even with paralyzing dyscalculia, I can do this arithmetic: MORE PEOPLE ON THE TRAIN = MORE MONEY. Yet, NJ Transit seems to be okay with a really backwards formula: more people = less money because it's too difficult to get to everyone on a full or overly full train.

Huh?

Wouldn't you think that if you ran the operation you would make it a priority to to maximize your revenue from the really crowded trains? Wouldn't you consider those peak hour trains to be your cash cow? And wouldn't you do everything in your power to maximize your take? Or if the packed trains really constitute an impediment to efficient collection and quality service, can't conductors simply close up cars when they reach capacity? How will NJ Transit ever be prepared to address collection issues when they cut service and eliminate jobs? More people on fewer trains with less staff to inspect tickets? Does this make sense to anyone?

Assuming that it would be awkward and overly time consuming to collect tickets from people as they board a commuter train, I propose some sort of EZPass or an electronic swipe key that would read your ID and automatically deduct fare from a pre-paid account as you board. It cannot be so cost prohibitive to retrofit trains with an electronic eye, particularly when it would certainly result in a higher rate of collection.

Carmine, I don't envy you your job and I am sure that you're on overload going into this fare hike circus. Seriously - thank you for writing. And I hope you know that when I slam customer service at NJ Transit, I am not slamming you or the call center staff I spoke with who have been, without exception, patient and professional. It's the approach to customer service at NJ Transit that infuriates me - the idea that it's okay to slide here and there because you have a "system-wide effort" in place, or because, as one employee on your Facebook fan page suggests, you are the only game in town. (Who is that person, by the way? Does she understand she's not doing the NJ Transit brand any favors by being a smart aleck on Facebook?)

Listen, nothing would make me happier than to get off this rant and find something more cheerful to write about. Let's get some serious plans on the table to ensure NJ Transit explores every avenue to eliminate waste and inefficiencies before we let it sink its clammy hand into my pocket.

Thanks for Nuthin'

In typical but ever-so-frustrating fashion, NJ Transit is deferring complaints to an online form. So basically, I had a live human being on the phone who told me she could not accept my complaint. Now, hear me when I tell you the lady on the phone was very nice and professional to the extent that call-center operators can be. I mean to say that generally, folks in call centers have very little authority or discretion to make whole people who are dissatisfied. They follow a script and they follow direction unless you ratchet your complaint up to the level of a supervisor. Clearly, the direction she received was to send any fare-related issues to a highly impersonal, dialogue-deficient channel that is on the NJ Transit website. She did listen to me for a while, though -- that is, before she told me to go to the website. And I have to tell you, she was genuinely perplexed about why last night's free ride from New York would irritate me. Free is good, no? NO! Because it's not free!

But I digress. Here is what I had to say to NJ Transit about last night's junket:

A live human at your customer service call center directed me to this site. For the record, it should be the other way around. Authentic customer service is personal -- it engenders relationships. Writing on a form makes me feel like I am wasting my time. (And I have no reason to believe otherwise... given that these comments are not posted publicly -- where do they go? What happens to them? Who reads them? Will I hear from someone? Will that person be someone in authority?) You cannot call this 'customer service' when the customer is doing all the work and all the talking. Something more apposite would be 'customer disregard.'

Anyway, my issue: Last night, I rode the 5:54 from NY Penn all the way to Jersey Avenue and not a single fare was collected from anyone on that train. If NJ Transit is so strapped for revenue that it is proposing a double-digit fare increase, how is it that people on a very full rush hour train can ride the entire length of a route and not be asked for tickets?

How in the world can you justify taking more money from me when you have operational inefficiencies that allow hundreds of fares to go uncollected? Isn't this your primary and most consistent revenue stream? People who buy your tickets to ride from Point A to Point B? At least twice a week, I see how folks riding to Newark and Secaucus get on and off without having their fares collected. It's like a game - a game those of us father down the line have to finance.

I have put up with late trains, trains with doors that don't close, trains with conductors who make announcements starting with "you people...", post-hockey game trains with people so loaded they vomit on the seats and on the floor, and trains so overcrowded that I stand for more than half of the ride, even though your conductors can clearly see I am wearing a cast on my foot.

For the increases you are proposing, it is only slightly more expensive for me to drive to New York every day. Given the fact that I will arrive on time and will not run the risk of vomit on my shoes, I think that will indeed be my preference over paying higher fares for the minimal to mediocre service currently being offered by NJ Transit.

If you are prepared to address your current inefficiencies and answer to the fact that people routinely ride without being charged, I would love to know about it.

Also, you should know that I called customer service as soon as I got off the train last night. The auto-operator told me my wait would be less than five minutes. It was in fact, 43 minutes when I finally gave up. How would you read this situation if you were in my seat?

And here is the response I received back from NJ Transit, which basically confirms that there is to be no dialogue, no acknowledgement and ultimately, no accountability:

Dear Morgan,

Thank you for your feedback. Your comments have been received and will be entered into the public record. You will not receive a further response to this submission.

If you wish to comment on an issue other than the fare/service proposal, please click here to contact NJ TRANSIT Customer Service.

Sincerely,
NJ TRANSIT

Nothing like a form letter to cultivate the alignment and engagement of your customer base, eh?

It's Official: They Suck

WTF, NJ Transit?

This is the agency that is preparing its ridership for 20 - 30 percent fare hikes this summer. The agency that needs the extra revenue just to survive. And yet, today on the 5:54 - the crowded 5:54 - not one single ticket was collected. A reversal of fortune, perhaps? A cache of transit checks has been discovered in a basement file cabinet and the agency's financial woes are now resolved? There is, perhaps, such a windfall, that not only are the fare increases off the table, the agency is now giving away rides to its loyal patrons. Well, huzzah and hallelujah Hannah!

Or was it just continued inefficiency and apathy? "Ah, throw the chumps a free ride, we'll be rich soon enough...bwahahahaha."

Well, inquiring minds wanted to know, so I called customer service at NJ Transit the minute I got to my car at Jersey Avenue. The automated system informed me that my wait time to speak with a rep would be under five minutes. Suffice it to say, I drove from Jersey Avenue to South Brunswick, stopped for gas, dropped a check off for my doctor, and drove home to Princeton. 43 minutes and 47 seconds. I gave up.

But, rest assured, I will keep trying. I am dying to hear the explanation not only for having blown me off on the phone tonight, but how in God's green earth, NJ Transit can be so blatantly and publicly stoopid about not making an effort to charge people for the very service they are there to provide (if only in a highly mediocre way.) I also want to know exactly what NJ Transit is prepared to do to compensate me for my inconvenience. Last time, they threw me two courtesy tickets. Seems like they are big on the giving tickets away thing...

Would it Kill You?

People with an aversion to physical contact with other human beings should not - nay - cannot ride a train. In particular, they cannot ride a rush hour train. And if you do not wish to come into contact with extraneous limbs brushing, then do what you can to keep your own body within the limits of your own seat and floor space. If you would prefer our knees don't knock, do not sit with your legs a foot-and-a-half apart, and try to compact your body to the extent you can when I am attempting to pass by you to get to the seat across from you.

Today, you had that four seater to yourself when I came hobbling along with my big shoe cast. Perhaps you didn't see it. But when I asked you to excuse me so I could sit across from you, you made me crawl over your knees. You are an older gent, but not an old man, so I know you know I know you know I know you know better. The exasperated sigh of irritation was not necessary. It was, in fact, that very display of impatience on your part - more than the swelling and throbbing - that compelled me to lift my injured foot up on the seat next to you. I knew that you would be highly annoyed by the proximity of my stockinged foot. (I am reasonably certain my foot was not smelly, but on the train with its smorgasbord of aroma, I could not swear to it...)

Look pal, I looked around, and you could do a lot worse than me as a seat-mate, foot issues or otherwise. There is no way around sharing a seat during rush hour - the solo rider on the Express is an urban legend like spider eggs in Bubble Yum. It is not possible. You are only a few years away from your own age-related mobility issues, so do remember that your reap what you sow, and one day, you will be looking for someone like me to accommodate you when one or more of your body parts aches, swells and pounds.

Oh, Crap

The commute into New York is a feast for the senses and by "feast," I mean an all-out assault. Generally, I'm immune to the tang of the fuel, and the day-later aroma of partially metabolized garlic, curry, scotch and Bud Light escaping in the perspiration of my fellow riders. Today, however, my very psyche was KO'd when someone on the train had a very terrible accident. I don't know who; I didn't want to look around as I thought it would be horrible to actually come into eye contact with the poopy perpetrator. No one in eyeshot appeared to be the sort who would do that intentionally. Everyone, in fact, made an effort to be blase about it, save for a few initial furtive glances around. (Oh, except the guy across the aisle from me who sniffed around, then stood up and checked the seat of his own pants. Way too hilarious.) So am I sure? Absolutely. How do I know? Because it was unmistakable. This constitutes reasons number 1,2, and 3 why, even if I reach 300 pounds, Alli will never be my ally. The barrage continued when we reached Penn...This time it was an aural assault - lots of choice language during some sort of commotion involving a loitering - and from the looks of it - chronic ne'er do well. I say this because of the way a swelling contingent of transit cops called him by first name as he steadfastly refused to obey their requests to leave his seat in the ticket-holder only waiting area. Anyone could see from the number of cops and canines assembling at a distance of several feet, that a tasering was imminent. I've never seen anyone get tasered and I decided that today was not going to be the day I ended this lucky streak. The guy was huge - a shaved head, massive, WWF-looking guy with a defiant attitude and a baguette sandwich. I decided that although sticking around would result in some excellent blog copy, I didn't want to risk being in the vicinity of anal incontinence twice in the same day. The day could only get better from there, dontcha' think?

Come On and Take a Free Ride (to Newark)

I can't help but wonder how much revenue flies out the NJ Transit window from uncollected fares from riders between New York Penn and Newark Penn. Those folks riding to Secaucus and Newark have it made. I would say that on at least two of five rides weekly out of New York, conductors don't get around to collecting tickets until we are past Newark. I'm not suggesting those riders don't want to pay, or that they are intentionally taking advantage. Hey, if no one collects my ticket, I don't go chasing down the conductor to hand it over. But at the same time, if I am noticing the tremendous number of fares going uncollected, why doesn't NJ Transit? Can it really afford to be so lackadaisical in the face of a thirty percent fare increase?

NJ Transit Rate Hikes

To be clear, I am not anti-NJ Transit. However, the impending service hikes are so extreme, they signal something inherently wrong with the management of the organization. You know my regular rants about delays, poor maintenance and inconsistent customer service. NJ Transit offers far-from-optimal service as is -- what in the world will life be like with fewer conductors, fewer trains, reduced service and maintenance and a fare increase?

This feels like another corporate bailout I am being forced to subsidize without knowing exactly what steps NJ Transit is prepared to take to introduce new efficiencies. The proposed layoffs of 200 staff and fare hikes of up to 30 percent are extreme, particularly in an economy where I will be lucky to see a one or two percent salary increase -- if I see any raise at all.

I am willing to pay my fair share. I am willing to absorb a reasonable increase - but 30 percent? No. No indeed. My commute is already nearly $400 a month including monthly fare, parking and mileage to Jersey Avenue. That is a not insignificant percentage of my salary -- a salary that is already strained under the burden of increased costs for nearly all of monthly necessities.

So with that said, I invite my fellow riders to sign the petition at www/stopnjtransitfarehike.org. Do I know these people? No. Could they have an agenda beyond the proposed increase? Maybe, sure. But if this petition can -- at the very least -- get the attention of the NJ Transit executives and board, and assert the hardship these rate hikes will impose on the riding public, then I will be satisfied.

Look, everyone in this economy is paying for the free-spending sins of recent years. I know I am. But I would look to NJ Transit to implement every conceivable operating efficiency before leveling such extraordinary increases on its riders.

Sign the petition and stay tuned.

Well, EX-KYOOSE ME

It hasn't helped my attitude that my dinner date this evening just called to announce he had a late lunch and is still on the LIE when he was supposed to be home hours ago, but I'm having a lousy ride. It's a given that I'm going to share a seat but there's a nice way to do it, and there is a piss-me-off way to do it. I prefer you do it the nice way. You see, I have not spent my life, my day or even the last five minutes waiting for you.

I got the seat five minutes ago.

I got my ticket out.

I got my iPod out.

I checked my email.

So, I didn't see you standing there right away. You could have said, "excuse me," or "may I sit there?" But no, you just stood there and when I looked up, you continued standing there, glaring at me. And even after I started to move my stuff out of your way, you continued to glare at me, just to make sure I understood the gravity of not anticipating your arrival and preparing ahead to accomodate your seating needs. Hey, this was a seat on a crowded rush hour train. I did not steal your husband or your money...I was just sitting in a seat that you happen to think belongs to you.

Next time, get there early if you want to claim sovereignity over the 5:12.

Now, have a nice weekend.

Ya bitch.

That's How the Shit Works

Overheard in front of the departures board at 5:47:

"He told me to take it at 6:13. Here's a 6:13. It doesn't say where to go?"

"You have to wait until closer to the time, then they tell you. That's how the shit works."

"Why does it say Trenton? We're not going to Trenton. We're going to Edison."

"I think they're in the same town. Or near it or something? They're like...I don't know."

"Um. Yeah."

Smoking Kills

I realize you are a senior citizen and set in your ways, but the stench of stale cigarettes coming off you is going to kill me. Can't you see how I am clinging to the edge of my seat contorting my upper body away from you in a futile effort to refill my lungs with fresh air? Second only to stale urine (another all too frequent commuter encounter,) nicotine and tar-infused wool -- er, wet wool -- is highly offensive. I also suspect this particular gentleman has not brushed his teeth in a while. Well, at least it does not appear that he is incontinent. That's a small favor for which I shall be grateful.

Move

Hey, New Brunswick Parking Authority, the Jersey Avenue lot is a sheet of ice which makes it extremely difficult to manuever around the pedestrians who are similarly rushing to catch the 7:55 at 7:53. Leave it to me to decide not to wear my wellies this morning, so once I actually parked, I had to run on the ice in heels. Wheeeeeeee! And falling was not an option because of a weensy road rage confrontation I had with some schmuck who got dropped off in a car that blocked my access to the upper lot. (I had my pride to consider; falling in front of the guy would not be an option after my show of cool.) Yes, our parking lot gets mucked up a lot by spouses who take their Breadwinner to the train every morning. Each vye to get said Breadwinner as close as possible to the platform, which at 7:55, means clogging the already narrow upper deck with a parade of Caravans and Accords (or, a "Caravan of Accords..?) that stop, deposit passengers, then negotiate through the back-in parkers while they turn around and try to exit through the narrow corridor where I am trying to pull in. It's "kiss and go", my friends. Kiss and GO. When I have but a minute to spare and you are coming between me and a parking spot, I would appreciate it if you discussed what's for dinner, the weather or your prostate issues at another more appropriate time. Yeah, so, here's Honda Husband, taking his sweet time with the farewell to the missus while I can see the conductor on the platorm walking back towards the train to close the doors. Opting to channel my intensifying rage/panic to my hand, rather than the foot on the gas pedal, I laid on my horn, and of course that compelled this common man to stand in place and glare at me so he could effectively hold me up for another full 25 seconds. We had the staredown showdown, but our hearts weren't in it because neither of us wanted to miss the train and be stuck looking at each other in the station for twenty minutes waiting for the 8:17. (Awkward...) That was my bad, actually - I didn't plan that well - I should'a waited till I was in the clear before getting my crazy on, then we both could hollered a little and then moved on without risking the ride. Happily, though, I did make it on board and apparently he did too. Mercifully, he was not lurking inside the car, waiting to come at me with a claw hammer. Uneventful the rest of the way...

You are Delusional, NJT

The NJT board meets today to discuss a proposal to cut service and hike fares 20 to 30 percent. I know this because I am listening to the radio news on my iPod as we are at a dead stop outside of Secaucus. Regular readers know that my ride into the city every morning routinely comes to a dead stop and it's always one of two problems - overhead wires or a disabled Amtrak. Today it's Amtrak. I took a 7:15 train to be sure I will be at my office for a video conference at 9. You would think this would not be a problem. But it is. Because the only thing you can count on with NJ Transit is agita.

Don't Touch Me with that Thing

The commute is a machine, and frankly, I think it zaps our individual consciousness at least for the period when we are actually in transit. There is an element of savagery and selfishness; for the most part, it is understood that this is an segment of society that - for the rush hour - does not consistently observe common courtesies or social standards for things like personal space. People RUN, SQUEEZE and ELBOW to get to a platform, an empty seat, the elevator down to the tracks. There are no standards for personal decorum. The standard is, "Get there first."

Case in point, some large person today propelled me off the train and into the queue for the escalator and right up to the concourse using the force of his beer gut. And he knew what he was doing because I looked over my shoulder to convey to him the enormity of the skeeve of it all. He had jutted out the belly, held his head back slightly and moved me along. There was nowhere to go and his size, combined with momentum would not allow me to dig in my heels and come to a stop. I had to go with it. And it was disgusting. He bullied me with blubber. And sure, I did feel violated because it was so deliberate and it was a highly disgusting and inappropriate way to motivate me. What the hell was he thinking? He had no modesty whatsoever and probably got a little satisfaction out of it. Don't touch me with that thing, ya horse's ass.

Clearly, that annoyed me but it got me off thinking that men who don't give up their seats to women on a crowded train are the cretins of the rail. I have never, ever seen a man do the chivalrous thing and offer his seat to a woman. These are largely 30-something men who have to know better. Granted there is a lot of diversity on that train, but you cannot tell me that the majority of mothers in this world do not make an effort to impart the concept of respect and courtesy to their sons. I'm going to make a point of inquiring of the next guy I see who lets a woman stand in the aisle and doesn't offer up his seat.

When do you become that person? I want to know.

Booyah

It's as if the commuting gods were welcoming me back to the train. Having missed the past two days of good material because of the blizzard, I returned to Jersey Ave, braced for a parking clusterfrick. But what I got was the best parking spot EVER. A coup of the highest order! This spot is generally the domain of of the most accomplished and experienced commuters. It calls for a celebration on the scale of a Manalapan bar mitzvah. For the uninitiated, this means I can pull right out of the spot onto the station egress. Nothing beats a fast get away from the station, particularly on a Friday. Awesome start to a commuting day which ended equally well...leaving the office at five and it was still light out. And even though the conductor just scolded us like children for causing a bottleneck between cars, nothing is going to ruin my high over what I anticipate will be the fastest departure from the lot ever.

Update: Speedy exit as predicted. However, not speedily enough to get ahead of traffic on Route 27. Home at my usual time. But wait? Was the carpet vacuumed by the 17 year old who stayed home all day? Er...no it wasn't. Oh, was the dishwasher emptied. Er...that would also be a no. And yes, I had a meltdown. So the momentary thrill of getting out of the parking lot fast was dashed effectively by the reality of life as a commuter. Those four hours spent chugging along cost. Gone are those extra hours (and the energy) to clean the floors and fold the laundry and get my nails done on my regular, semi-regular basis. Gone are the days when I could come home from work and make a comprehensive dinner that met most -- if not all -- of the dinner plate recommended food groups - meat, veggie, starch and salad. It takes tremendous effort to just get the meat and a baked potato onto a plate. Damn. I'm tired.

Double Frick!

The BlackBerry is out until Thursday and that is going to fudge up my attempts to post on my fledgling blog. Armenian Bettie Page at work insists that the new BlackBerry has to be ordered online and synced in-house and that takes days; the much more reasonable alternative of just walking down the street to the T-Mobile store and waiving my warranty to get a new BB (from its stock of nearly 1,000 BlackBerries just like mine) apparently constitutes either surrender of power on her part, or an assumption of power she chooses not to exercise. Either way, going to T-Mobile and simply asking them to replace my defective BB is not an option that will be available to me. Sigh.

Not that there was anything particularly interesting about the commute today. I was late, the train was late (you owe me a cocktail, Annemarie) and the doors were all fouled up on the 5:54 home-- blah, blah, blah. Oh - the ticket man said good morning and made eye contact this morning as he collected which is incredibly pleasant, particularly as I near the end of my Transit Check stash. Those tickets become increasingly dear to me as my supply dwindles and I am looking for any reason not to give them up. It makes me feel better to give it to someone who can put a little effort into his gig.

Expecting delicious tales of anxious people and overcrowded trains tomorrow.

Frick!

My BlackBerry died last night and that is going to constitute problems since that little device - paired with my iPod - is an essential component of my commute. It's already fouled me up as a major interview that was supposed to go off in Cairo at 6 AM this morning EST fell apart and I could not intervene. All the hustle to get online and try to communicate with my Cairo folks via prehistoric e-mail has set me way back.

I'll never make the 7:34.

Day Off

Nothing doing today, but I am gearing up to get an early train tomorrow. I remember our last significant snowstorm (more than a couple of inches, but not exactly a catastrophic event) prompted delays even days after the snow... I know I managed to clear my car and my driveway and make it down Route One to catch the train on time--how is it that that same snow was enough to interrupt a bloody train?

My friends at NJT tend to think that a punctuality is an option and that getting there "eventually" is acceptable to most employers. I'm one of only two out-of-state commuters in my Manhattan office (the other comes down from CT.) I don't like to have to continually text in my whereabouts and ETA when trains run late. Even though it's completely beyond my control, it makes me look bad. It adds another layer of stress, as if the cost and personal wear and tear of a commute are not enough...

Welcome to Commuted Sentence

Thanks for joining me on my daily commute.

Commuted Sentence is my homage to NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor line, and often, to the New Brunswick Parking Authority and its Jersey Avenue park and ride facility. I'll be posting commentary and observations on the people, scenery, and overheard conversations that make the commute the best or worst part of my day. You can also look forward to regular report cards on the personnel and equipment who can make or break my workweek efforts to get to and from my livelihood.

So, jump on with me. I've got a roomy three-seater all to myself (at least until we get to Metropark) and 62 minutes to kill...