The holidays have arrived, so naturally anxiety and stress are higher than normal. Even above good tidings.
Everything at work just feels like its tighter because myself, teammates, clients, and more are on tighter schedules because time-off is becoming a standard for all over the next few weeks.
Considering this work week is only a 3.5 day sprint for me, I must reference Kingdom Hearts:
So I’m running around trying to get a bunch of shit done while also trying to take some time to enjoy the moments I’m getting with friends. However, no good time ever came unearned.
So, I’m heading into work this morning on Chicago’s famous “L” trains. Since the 1893 World’s Fair, these trains have been how millions of Chicagoans commute to work, home, or the airport on a daily basis.
It’s no different for me. Except this morning, I truly felt like the CTA and the transportation gods were pulling a fast one on me.
So I got on my usual train this morning on my in-office days. It’s an easy three-stop trip before I transfer to another line. It normally only takes me about 25-30 minutes to commute to work, with an expected couple minutes of delays every so often. It’s not unlike CTA lines to run behind, but this morning felt different.
As I waited for my usual transfer, there was a delay in my train. It was only a few minutes so instead of crossing the tracks on the overhead bridge, I decided to stick on the normal side.
I waited longer and longer. I watched as the line that I should’ve transferred to had three trains come and go before my normal transfer came. I also noticed that two runs of my morning trains also passed by, meaning, I could’ve gotten an extra half hour of sleep.
But I didn’t want an extra half hour of sleep, I needed to be up and at ’em this week with all of the shit flying around.
So my normal transfer line came up as “Due” on both the Ventra app and the platform TVs that display the train schedule. Then it disappeared after a few minutes, saying then that the next line coming for that train wasn’t for another 20 minutes.
So it was at that point I walked over the skybridge and decided to take the other line. It would take more stops around the Loop but at that point, I had already lost 20 minutes.
As life would have it, as soon as I got over to the other side, my normal transfer line came to the other platform I just waited 20 minutes on.
*cue Curb Your Enthusiasm music*
While this felt like a Larry David moment for sure, it was exactly like that episode of Spongebob where he’s down in Rock Bottom and can’t catch a bus to Bikini Bottom. Every time he turns his head, a bus comes and goes.
I don’t need this right now. I didn’t need it CTA. The worst part too was the line I ended up having to take was also running 5 minutes behind, so my whole day was messed up before 8AM.
Beginning your day like this is an unnecessary irritant that just got to me this morning. It was also cold, not too cold, but cold enough where if you spend about 25 unnecessary minutes waiting for your usual train, it’ll get you the sniffles.
Here’s to hoping I survive the holiday season without another morning like this.
And yeah, I guess it could be worse. At least I didn’t rip my pants:
You’ll be the first to know if my pants rip on an L train any time soon.
I hope your holiday season doesn’t get bogged down by ripped pants or oddly timed train schedules!
~DS
The Danny Diaries 