The minor joys of wage-slavery: commuting is fun.

Five things I enjoy about the trip to and from work everyday:

1. People watching: there are always interesting looking people on the train; or people with animated faces, conducting conversations I can’t hear.

2. Doing the minderella thing and listening to CDs and pretending you’re in a film clip (or, more likely given my penchant for jazz or soundtracks, a film).

3. The fact that I can read on public transport without ever feeling sick. Greatly increases my chance to read novels/dull work stuff.

4. My train station is literally right beneath my workplace, so I can get from my front door to my desk in about half an hour. I can normally get a seat, too.

5. Weird-out “recognition” moments: when you are convinced you’ve seen an ex-girlfriend or long lost friend on public transport, only to realise its someone with the same body shape, or similar hair, or the same taste in clothes (or all of the above). Strangely pleasurable and often triggers neglected memories. Particularly if the person you’re thinking of lives far away.

Things that peeve me about commuting:

1. Loud imbeciles. I should be more tolerant of slack-jawed jackanapes whose parents may well be cousins, but I don’t have it in me not to find the braying of idiots irritating. This especially includes backpacker drunkards.

2. The way people will read their free copy of MX (a mini-paper targeting commuters in major cities for those who’ve not seen it), then will throw it in the bin at the station when they get out. We have recycling bins people! Also, if you finish with it at your departure, put it back in pile for someone else!

3. Days when I have to stand. Much harder to turn pages while clinging to a pole. Still, often better for eavesdropping on the conversations of strangers.

4. Failing to recognise friends (current or long-lost), especially if they sit down beside me and have been staring at the side of my face for minutes before I look up. Damn lack of peripheral vision.


Thoughts? Put 'em here.