Subway Serenade

Ugh.

I was tired when I woke up this morning. I didn't want to get out of bed, yet I somehow managed to drag myself into the shower and get ready for another day at work. Breakfast was ok, just some cold cereal (out of Cookie Crisp so I had to settle for Fruit Loops). My wife and I made our lunches as we mentally prepared for work.

Usually, I look forward to my train ride since its a great place to read. However, today that enthusiasm was gone because I'm still waiting for my new batch of books to arrive from Amazon. So, I was a bit miffed that I would be spending another morning on the train playing Solitaire on my PDA.

I didn't especially hurry until I got to the the Metro station. Once within view of the platform, I could see that a train was just about ready to shut its doors (don't ask how, I just know these things). So, deciding it was better to rush rather than wait another 5 minutes in the cold, I bolted down the escalator and made for the car. Note this as my first mistake of the day (impatience will get you every time) because there, in my train, was the gentleman would would serenade me (and his other fellow passengers) for the next 20 minutes.

I only saw his back, as the train was a bit more crowded than usual. But what my eyes couldn't tell me, my ears could. This guy was crazy. An old-fashioned looney-tune with a side of nutjob. A real winner. He sang some repetitive tune only familiar to he and his other 12 personalities. I'm guessing it was probably religious in nature because I heard the word "sin" every so often (although you never heard this one in Sunday School, trust me). But what made it perfect was the fact that he sang it at the top of his lungs.

My mp3 player couldn't play loud enough to cover up his hoarse rendition of "You're a sinner!" or whatever else it was he belted. All I know is that I was miserable. I had nothing to read but my own church magazine. However, hearing his accompaniment took any desire to read religious material out of my heart. I couldn't even concentrate enough to play solitaire. It sucked.

So, next time you find yourself in a similar situation being assualted through auditory terrorism, ask yourself whether it was worth it when you ran to catch your train. Or if instead, next time you'll do what I plan on doing when I'm feeling lethargic - just stay home.