Whaa Wednesday Edition 1

As promised, I will dedicate most Wednesday posts to sharing complaints about my daily experiences. I realize it takes a step away from the beauty product spin, but let's see how it goes for a few weeks and take it from there.

I know complaining can be annoying- that's why I will keep it to just one day- but there is something cathartic about vetting your frustrations and having the whole world (or at least all 16 of you) hear me out. So with that said, here is your first official "Whaa" post.

Commuting from Jersey City provides me with the distinct privilege to ride on, not one, but TWO trains in the morning (jealous much?)! There is a secret pact among us "bridge and tunnelers" - an agreed upon terms that you must initial before earning your PATH Smartcard. It's a code of commiseration that says, "I will abide by these rules and resist the temptation to rest my bag on empty seats when people are standing. I will not lean up against a pole denying all other passengers from a secure hold and despite my size, I will not take up two seats because I, like the rest of the 245,999 people on the train only paid $1.75 for this seat....so on and so forth...so help me God."

For the vast majority of the 246,000 of us who ride the PATH daily, we all agree on these terms. We empathize when another passenger turns to us and says, "ugh, another crowded commute, mind if I just loop my arm through yours for some support- better yet, let me just lean on you- can't seem to find any pole space?".

Yes, there is a sense of solidarity among us all that encourages newspaper sharing, good hygiene, breath mints, and an offered cough drop from time to time (this actually happened, and despite that saying "never take candy from a stranger", I figured my PATH-mate could do me no harm. Additionally, I felt compelled to accept as I coughed incessantly from Christopher to 33rd St with 492,000 eyeballs questioning whether I had the Swine).

Despite these peaceful terms, every now and again a person will do something that is just reckless- disrupting our agreed upon order.

You know who I am talking about...that person who comes onto the train with a backpack large enough to fit the contents of an Upper West Side, fully furnish, studio apartment.

At first, I give them the benefit of the doubt- "He's going to take it off, I have faith" I will tell myself as I glare at the overstuffed LLBean monogrammed bag. But as each person piles in and awkwardly maneuvers themselves around this individual (perhaps bumping into his bag a little harder than necessary to prove the point), it becomes clear that he honestly does not see the error of his ways!

And when this happens, I can't help but get excited about the onslaught of comments that will soon be flung in his direction. The PATH-people, when in their pack mentality, have an uncanny ability to criticize.

So, the lesson here folks is...when riding on crowded trains, just take your backpack off and rest it on the floor. If you decide to keep your backpack on, just make sure I am close enough to hear everyone make fun of you.

I needed to add this link as I find it absurdly hilarious that one could possibly extend so much effort as to create an extensive wikipedia post on...the back pack.

But then again, I guess the same could be said about my blog.

Do you take public transportation and have any grievances? Share your comments below and take my poll!