Route Change

I think the mediocrity and repetitiveness of commuting in this city causes me to do strange things in an effort to break the routine, even in a small and meaningless way. Sometimes I walk down a different street or stop at a different place for coffee since I loathe the thought that everyday starts exactly the same as the day before it. This morning, as it is St. Patrick's day and midtown will therefore will be taken over by thousands of drunken bridge and tunnel people under the age of thirty I decided it was best to avoid the east side at all costs. So I took my extra long commute route: the crosstown bus to the downtown B train, which stops about fifty yards from my office building. I used this method a lot during the bitter cold days of Jan and Feb when I wanted to avoid the two mile walk in single digit temps. But I digress.

It felt nice to get a seat on the bus and be able to squeeze in a few chapters of my new book before getting to work. Already this day felt different. The bus provided a quiet and calm environment, one where I didn't even feel the need to plug into my iPod.

When I got to the subway station I learned that there was an "earlier incident" on the B train so it was running behind schedule, which for the B train means it is running every forty minutes instead of its usual twenty minutes. When it finally came and I got on, I was completely annoyed that the alteration to my commute was now causing me to be really late for work, not just the usual 10-15 minutes late I am everyday. I was still iPod-less and was able to get a seat; this day was definitely feeling different. Right then, right as I was thinking all of this, the conductor came on and announced to please use all available doors. It was then that I realized something which quickly deflated my spirit. I realized that this is the same conductor as the last several times I rode the B train. The reason I know this is because for one she's a woman (and there are very few woman conductors employed by the MTA) and for two, she calls 81st Street the Natural Museum of History instead of 81st Street. I always thought this was interesting and worth noting.

Today I just found it mundane. Per usual.