Monday 28 April 2014

Trains, Mobiles and the Not So Bright

As I may have mentioned already, for at least 3 days of the week I get the train to work and have done for the last 2 years. An hour journey to work does not fill me with joy (my previous commute was 5 minutes) but needs must and I counteract the misery by having a my ear phones in, reading, tapping out the occasional blog post and generally looking unsociable. If your really lucky, occasionally I'll have a little sleep.

Now the line I travel on is not inhabited by the newest of trains. They're loud, rickety and old. Air conditioning is unheard of and the heating harks back to a bygone age. I don't know how the heating is controlled but I'm pretty sure it only has 2 settings - on and off. You'd think this would correspond to the weather outside but I generally find that this is not the case. If it's zero degrees outside, heating is off. Today it's 10 degrees celsius outside,  heating is on full blast. I'm known for being warm blooded but I know that I'm not the only one feeling the heat this morning because half the windows are open.

So to recap, the train is old, loud and hot so the windows are open to try and get some air in which in turn makes things louder.

So why oh why would you try and have a phone conversation with someone?? My stop is the beginning of the line so I'm lucky enough to have my pick of seats in the morning, so I took a pew today,  ear phones in, Kindle at the ready.

Now because I'm nice, I have my music at a level where I can hear it but the rest of the carriage can't. This means I can still hear the noise of the train but it's no massive hardship and I try not piss people off intentionally.

But then it begins....

"HELLO? HI! YEAH JUST ON MY WAY TO WORK SO I THOUGHT I'D RING FOR A CHAT"

Well that's annoying, I can hear the train and you above my music because you are actually shouting into your phone. Maybe you'll get off at the first stop.

"HI YAR. JUST SEEN THE FIGURES, YEAH, YEAH. JUST ON THE TRAIN. THOUGHT I'D GET ON THE PHONE AND SHOW EVERYONE HOW IMPORTANT I AM"

(I may made that last bit up but you get the picture.)

Oh for fucks sake we've only just left the station and now there's two of you at it!

"MATE! YES MATE, ON MY WAY DAAAN LONDON INNIT"

Seriously? 3 of you? In the same bloody carriage? Come on!

I don't get it, why do you think sitting on a train shouting at your phone is socially acceptable? Some of us (me) don't need all that noise first thing in the morning! Oh and you're really not that important.

I give in, I'm off to the next carriage.

If you saw a stroppy looking woman stomping down the train today with a face like thunder it may have been me. I promise I'm friendlier on the way home!

Thanks for reading.
Lard
x

2 comments:

  1. Hear hear! It's the same everywhere these days including restaurants! On a train there isn't much hope of escape though is there?! I think these people lack self awareness and think their whole life is super exciting and we all want to share in it!
    http://thirtysomethingoap.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. Only just spotted this comment! It's a flipping rare occasion that they have anything interesting to say. My rule is that if I can hear you above my ear phones, you're too loud!

    ReplyDelete