When I am taking the train to anywhere in Calgary, it's always an adventure.
There are times when it's silent, everyone is sitting quiet with their headphones on, plugged in to their electronic devices to get a little privacy before or after a long workday. Then there are days when it's bustling, cramped and noisy, and then on occasion, very rarely, something happens and we all laugh.
One morning, the car I'm riding in is not overly full but every seat on the train is taken at my stop. The next stop, a kid gets on. He's maybe about 18 or 19 years old. Typical snowboarder wear, skate shoes and a hoodie. He has his IPod turned up so loud we can all hear the beat at the other end of the car. (definitely wasn't expecting Beyonce to be blaring from that boy's headphones, he looked more like a GreenDay kinda guy). He looks around very briefly, and stands beside the door.
So the train jerks and groans to a start and we're all enjoying the sounds of Beyonce as we're rocking along and all of a sudden, a big tough male voice starts screaming obscenities. We can all hear it, but no one's lips are moving and then the voice repeats the same sentence over again after a brief pause. The woman (who's ear is just beside the pocket of this Beyonce listening kid's hoodie) yanks on the kids sweater and tells him his pocket needs a bath cause it has a dirty mouth. This kid is so absorbed in his Beyonce song, his eyes are closed and he's mouthing the words, having his own private little concert... in his head, he's not hearing her. After one more ring, she finally gets his attention and his face turns red as he's fumbling to get the phone out of his pocket ... before it rips into the potty mouth rant one more time. He grabs the phone and accidentally hits the volume button so now it's even louder. By this time we've all clued in on where the noise is coming from and we're all a little embarrassed for the kid and also a little amused. (At least those of us with a sense of humor were amused...) By the time he had finally answered it, we were all laughing out loud, and the poor kid of course can not sit down and try to be anonymous or anything , so he does the next best thing. Tells everyone on the train it's his Mom calling, so everyone please say hi to his Mom. Full train load of people saying hi to his Mom, in some small PEI town. After he was off the phone he told us she'd never been off the island and now she loves Calgary because everyone is so friendly to her little boy, and she thinks he must be safe in such a big city. I'm guessing he changes that phone ringer before he heads home to the Island for a visit.
So, as much as I like to poke fun at Calgary Transit for the poor planning and lack of consistent schedule, it's not all bad.
Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole
There are times when it's silent, everyone is sitting quiet with their headphones on, plugged in to their electronic devices to get a little privacy before or after a long workday. Then there are days when it's bustling, cramped and noisy, and then on occasion, very rarely, something happens and we all laugh.
One morning, the car I'm riding in is not overly full but every seat on the train is taken at my stop. The next stop, a kid gets on. He's maybe about 18 or 19 years old. Typical snowboarder wear, skate shoes and a hoodie. He has his IPod turned up so loud we can all hear the beat at the other end of the car. (definitely wasn't expecting Beyonce to be blaring from that boy's headphones, he looked more like a GreenDay kinda guy). He looks around very briefly, and stands beside the door.
So the train jerks and groans to a start and we're all enjoying the sounds of Beyonce as we're rocking along and all of a sudden, a big tough male voice starts screaming obscenities. We can all hear it, but no one's lips are moving and then the voice repeats the same sentence over again after a brief pause. The woman (who's ear is just beside the pocket of this Beyonce listening kid's hoodie) yanks on the kids sweater and tells him his pocket needs a bath cause it has a dirty mouth. This kid is so absorbed in his Beyonce song, his eyes are closed and he's mouthing the words, having his own private little concert... in his head, he's not hearing her. After one more ring, she finally gets his attention and his face turns red as he's fumbling to get the phone out of his pocket ... before it rips into the potty mouth rant one more time. He grabs the phone and accidentally hits the volume button so now it's even louder. By this time we've all clued in on where the noise is coming from and we're all a little embarrassed for the kid and also a little amused. (At least those of us with a sense of humor were amused...) By the time he had finally answered it, we were all laughing out loud, and the poor kid of course can not sit down and try to be anonymous or anything , so he does the next best thing. Tells everyone on the train it's his Mom calling, so everyone please say hi to his Mom. Full train load of people saying hi to his Mom, in some small PEI town. After he was off the phone he told us she'd never been off the island and now she loves Calgary because everyone is so friendly to her little boy, and she thinks he must be safe in such a big city. I'm guessing he changes that phone ringer before he heads home to the Island for a visit.
So, as much as I like to poke fun at Calgary Transit for the poor planning and lack of consistent schedule, it's not all bad.
Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole
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