how Thursday went

Each morning and every evening, the bird clan does recon on travel arrangements.
With one car and one scooter between us (Oldest has his own car and a completely different schedule) the commute is carefully choreographed on a moment-to-moment basis.
Want a ride to the train - you'd better be ready at 7:15am.
Leaving town between 5:00 and 6:00pm? You ought to know which family member is on what train and if they have the car at the station.
It can be complicated and has been further complicated since the storm as where we once had five trains an hour to choose from, we now have one or two.

Here's how Thursday went.
K, bb and Youngest leave for town in the morning. Middle had spent the night in town with friends.
K asks bb if she has car keys (for the return trip) and she mumbles yes.
On the train, Youngest discovers he has forgotten his college ID (worn around the neck to attain access to all university buildings). He devises a plan for temporary ID.
bb takes the subway downtown, K takes the subway uptown, Youngest walks to school.

With post-hurricane train service still only working at 1/4 of the norm, people start coordinating earlier. The station is often shut down to deal with too many passengers and not enough trains.
That evening, Middle takes a position in a bar at the station (he's not stupid) and texts that he'll await bb and Youngest for departure at 5ish.

bb and Youngest make it into the station before closure (bb must leave work a little early). They rejoice at their luck. The 5:19 is in sight. But where is Middle? He's not answering texts. Has he gone ahead on the 4:48? No. He arrives. Sadly, though, he has lost his train ticket. As he is wearing one of his many jackets with many many pockets, bb and Youngest spend time patting him down. No ticket.
They board the train. Due to the enormous crowds and no space to walk in the trains, conductors have not been checking tickets. They've also done away with Peak Fares and Step Up Fares (for when you should have bought your ticket IN the station). They are hopeful. The ride home is uneventful save for the fact that a pen had exploded at the bar where Middle signed for his drinks and he, clearly, left his ticket somewhere. He is never asked for the missing ticket.

Upon reaching the Tuvalu station, bb fishes around in her bag for the keys to the Jeep. She doesn not have them. The children are kind. Obviously, she is an ass. They do not humiliate her further and the three of them walk home (without headphones! a triumph).

K is lucky enough to not only access the station but board the 5:48. He has his car keys. He'll be able to drive home instead of walking in the cold, snowy, dark.
His ticket? In his pocket...until it's time to show it to the conductor. But he's busy reading his book (Les Miserables) and puts the ticket on the small clip on the back of the seat in front of him.
And THAT is where it remains. Unpunched. K hops into the Jeep leaving the ticket on the train.

Two tickets, one ID, one set of car keys misplaced in 12 hours.
Check the planets. Something must be in retrograde.

Here's a little commuting video courtesy of Oldest.


Comments

Amy A. said…
Reading this gave me a stomache ache. I don't know why lost things bother me so much. Glad you are all home safe and sound.
Anonymous said…
I fret so much over PLANE tickets that I can't imagine making a daily event out of TRAIN tickets. But to have someone else trek me around, that is a fantasy. I wish I lived where I could bike/walk/subway to my every destination. I'd hang up the Momvan keys forever without any regret.
Anonymous said…
It seems sort of antiquated to have tickets. Actual paper tickets. Here we have this card that you beep against this scanner thing. It's pretty cool....if you have it with you that is. : )

jbhat
marian said…
http://www.ismercuryinretrograde.com/
blackbird said…
Oh, Marian, that IS PERFECT.
Scot said…
I just walked home from the hospital(I had to get an xray for a Dr's appointment on Monday) It was a nice enough walk. There's a Starbucks INSIDE the hospital so I had a nice $5 cup of coffee with me. The only problem was that in the 15/20 minute walk the temp dropped 6 degrees! Snow tonight and tomorrow! On the way home I stopped at the store for some bell peppers and lottery tickets. I always walk to work, its only 3 blocks away and several stores are close also. The thought of your daily commute gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Mercury! retrograde! That's it!
I went shopping today with NO cash and NO bank card. Then the apartment management said my car isn't registered at the office BUT I have a parking sticker right on my windshield!

Only 15 more days of retrograde.
Paola said…
A couple of weeks ago I joined Fabio who had a trail up north in an aread I had never visited. Long story short, we stopped for gas and he thought to put the Euro 50 where the CD goes.

Buh-bye Euro 50