August 31, 2010 A train at 145th Street

Wow! I got the A Express. I managed to get up early this morning and get to the station by 7 am...had my metro card in hand and zipped right through the turnstile...and there's an express barreling onto the platform. I've got some papers to grade that I've got to return so I'll be able to get a seat, get some work done on the train, and then get to work in time to make those copies that I need to make.

The doors open, and I find surprisingly a single seat available squeezed in the middle between 2 other fat people...I'll sit on the edge. This way I'll be able to grade some papers.

At 125th Street another seat opens up and I managed to relocate and sit back so that I better manage all the paperwork. Ok. We're rolling and I'm going to be able to get organized before class....

The Express train slows down between 125th and 59th Street....ok that means I can get more papers graded.

at 59th a gaggle of new geese pile onto the car after a somewhat orderly exodus of the daily commuters. There are a lot of people at 7:25 in the morning...what? it's 7:25...but what happened to that extra 15 minutes I scheduled into my commute?

Ok, ok, ok...get back to work...the train zips relatively uneventfully from one stop to another until we get to 14th Steet.

Delay. The doors don't close. Delay. The PA comes on, "There is a slight delay due to a mechanical difficulty with the doors in the front of the train. We'll be moving shortly." We wait and I try to grade papers. 5 minutes later, we get the same neutralized announcement. People begin to look at their watches and squirm a little. another 3-4 minutes, and another announcement, "Due to mechanical problems, we are taking this train out of service."

A mass of people move quickly out of the train and onto the platform, knowing full well that the more quickly we move, the more quickly this train will leave. The platform is sweltering. We are drenched, and the clock is ticking.

An E local comes grinding into the station. We jump on the already packed train, cramped together with the other sardines basting in sweat, and all types of oily and otherwise bodily liquids...at least it's air conditioned.

The train stops at West 4th, then at Spring, and finally at Canal. It's 7:50. My class starts at 8:00. What happened to that extra time to get my copies and get to the room?

Another memorable beginning.