I have my morning routine down to a science. I know exactly how long I can delay the inevitable of walking out the door and making may way towards the train station, only to find myself walking onto the platform just as the train is pulling up to take me away to work. I have perfected this practice over the course of the past 5 years. I am brilliantly punctual every day, all the while maximizing my mornings at home.
Or at least this was the case up until about a week ago....
There is some serious construction going on in one of the houses on the street surrounding the train station. The same street so many commuters park our cars on before walking to the train platform. Easy fix you say? I say not. Yes, I realize I will now have to account for extra time in the morning, but I want to sleep those extra 10 minutes, dammit!
This construction is completely messing up my routine, but what makes it even worse is that it seems to be taking place sporadically throughout the week! Just enough to leave us with no means of determining the daily schedule or peak times for lack of parking available on any given day. Quite frustrating...
I would normally welcome the extra 20-25 minutes and simply walk to the train; however, it has been 100 + degrees these past few weeks - and humid as all hell to go along with it. If it were acceptable to show up to work a sweaty mess, so be it. Since it is not, I will continue to drive and subject myself to this nonsense.
Which brings us to today, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. Not off to the greatest start to begin with - woke up with a migraine, decided to take the latest train option I have available to still get me to work before 9am, showered and got ready quickly (under the influence of Imitrex, which is a cross between being so drunk you are having an out of body experience or what it must feel like to be a ghost and actually be out of body). Still, I managed to get myself out the door just in time to catch the train.
Why was I not accounting for the construction and leaving a bit earlier, you may be asking yourself? Simple - there has been no construction whatsoever so far this week. In fact, I was under the impression that the work was now completed and we were free to revert back to the scientific routine of our mornings. However, much to my surprise, the construction team had decided to grace us with their presence on this hot, steamy hump day.
I drive around - QUICKLY - on the hunt for the best parking spot possible. Of course, this is a lost cause as such things do not exist on this particular morning. I finally find a spot at approx. 8:37am. Perfect! Except for the fact that the trains scheduled arrival time is 8:43am. F! I get parked and take off in an all out sprint for a solid quarter of a mile, probably more, running up to the platform before the train is even close to pulling up.
PHEW! In a brief moment of relief, I consider the fact that I may have been a great Olympic runner, but this thought is quickly dismissed when I discover I am drenched in sweat. DRENCHED! It is so disgusting that I almost wish I would not have even bothered showering this morning, let alone putting on make-up - a task I always feel is a mistake in this heat anyway.
I practically run to the front of the line and onto the train when it pulls up. The cold, wonderful feeling of air conditioning so graciously welcomes me aboard. At first, it is glorious! Until I sit down and come to the realization that because my back is completely covered in sweat, I cannot actually lean back to sit in my seat like a normal human being. My leather seat. Ugh!
It is in this moment that I consider this could quite possibly be one of my most hated feelings in the world. Right behind the feeling of socks that are pulled to tight and suffocating your toes.....or the greasy feeling of lotion that does not absorb into your skin....or the feeling you get when you are caught in the rain, wearing jeans that drag the ground, as the water slowly make its way up your pant leg. That, I decide, is actually the most hated feeling in the world!
Eventually, and on time, the train dropped me off at my stop. I had pretty much cooled down entirely and felt somewhat normal again. And now? Well, I am back to watching the clock as it nears the end of the day, contemplating whether or not I will be able to race to the platform in time to catch the 5:43pm train home, or if 6:19pm will be more feasible....
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