I have never been so uncomfortable in my life
So from Tuesday this week to Friday, I'm travelling down to Sutton (south of London but still kinda part of London) to take a two design courses, one on Quark Xpress 6.5 and one on Adobe InDesign CS2. This means that instead of my usual refreshing walk to work, I have to walk to Tottenham Court Road station, then get the Tube to Victoria, then get the train to Sutton, then walk to the building that my training course is in.
Since I haven't had to take the Tube during rush hour in ages, I'd forgotton how awful it truely is.
I was coming back from Sutton yesterday in a fantastic mood. My trainer is/was (I finished up the Quark course today, and she's my trainer for InDesign till Friday as well) great, it was just me in the first course so we basically sat around and chatted about veg boxes and sustainability and BookCrossing all day, and I was going to get home earlier than I usually do. I got the fast train back to London (25 minutes, as opposed to the 50 minute slow train), and hit Victoria at around 5.
Then I entered Hell.
I queued to get on the train at Victoria station with the 5 billion other people that needed to catch THATTRAINRIGHTNOW, and although I was sort of bent over because of the doors I was okay and on the train. At the last second, this guy shoves his way onto my carriage and I'm suddenly in one of the most uncomfortable positions of my life. I'm being shoved into the older gentleman (who looked very dapper in his suit and yellow tie) behind me, and due to how crowded the train was....well, every danced with someone in a club and your ass is grinding into their crotch? Yeah, kinda like that. And the guy in front of me is doing the same thing to me. So I'm kinda in that guy sandwich, with two complete strangers, and none of us can move because there's no where to move too. The guy behind me is trying to do some sort of weird contortionist thing around the plastic that his back is against, and I can feel the guy in front of me trying to shove the person in front of him forward with his umbrella. I just stood there thinking "Wow. This is embarassing." and turning red. We all kept mumbling sorry in a vague sort of way, because that's what Britons do when they're embarassed, and trying to shuffle in any direction, any direction at all.
Isn't public transport marvelous?
Since I haven't had to take the Tube during rush hour in ages, I'd forgotton how awful it truely is.
I was coming back from Sutton yesterday in a fantastic mood. My trainer is/was (I finished up the Quark course today, and she's my trainer for InDesign till Friday as well) great, it was just me in the first course so we basically sat around and chatted about veg boxes and sustainability and BookCrossing all day, and I was going to get home earlier than I usually do. I got the fast train back to London (25 minutes, as opposed to the 50 minute slow train), and hit Victoria at around 5.
Then I entered Hell.
I queued to get on the train at Victoria station with the 5 billion other people that needed to catch THATTRAINRIGHTNOW, and although I was sort of bent over because of the doors I was okay and on the train. At the last second, this guy shoves his way onto my carriage and I'm suddenly in one of the most uncomfortable positions of my life. I'm being shoved into the older gentleman (who looked very dapper in his suit and yellow tie) behind me, and due to how crowded the train was....well, every danced with someone in a club and your ass is grinding into their crotch? Yeah, kinda like that. And the guy in front of me is doing the same thing to me. So I'm kinda in that guy sandwich, with two complete strangers, and none of us can move because there's no where to move too. The guy behind me is trying to do some sort of weird contortionist thing around the plastic that his back is against, and I can feel the guy in front of me trying to shove the person in front of him forward with his umbrella. I just stood there thinking "Wow. This is embarassing." and turning red. We all kept mumbling sorry in a vague sort of way, because that's what Britons do when they're embarassed, and trying to shuffle in any direction, any direction at all.
Isn't public transport marvelous?
posted by Auglaise at 7:52 PM
2 Comments:
Fun, fun. I admit, this is part of what keeps me from looking for jobs in London, since I'd have to commute from Oxford.
Are you working for someone environmental? You mentioned the sustainability stuff...just curious!
When in London do as I do
Find yourself a friendly haiku
Go to sleep for 10 or 15 years
For various reasons, I'm off work until the 28th, mind if I come visit you guys?
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