Friggin' CTA

So Colie and I are thinking about where we want to live. We love our current location, and the apartment’s awesome – leasing company notwithstanding: it’s run by a combination of Satan & the 3 Stooges.

Since Colie takes the Metra and I take the CTA, it works perfect for me and works for Colie. I’m 2 minutes from a Brown Line stop that takes me 4 blocks from my office. Colie can take the Brown Line North a few stops then walk a block to the Metra. Here’s the kicker though, my office is located in the building connected to the Metra station downtown – so it would be quicker for me to actually take the Metra to work than the L with only a small additional cost. So we’ve talked about moving more north to Ravenswood-area eventually because it would really be easier for both of us to commute to our jobs.

One thing that is a definite PLUS for me to actually move is no longer having to deal with people on the L. It’s almost a daily occurrence that someone commits one of the Top 10 things I hate people do on the CTA:

• Entering a car, and then standing against the door – move in
• People w/ giant backpacks – take them off your back before you plow over 3 more little old ladies every time you turn around
  
• Let people exit the train before others board – physics won’t allow you two to pass through one another
• Turn your music down – if you have headphones on, and I can hear the lyrics, it’s too damn loud
• Turn off the phone – a simple “Hey I’m on the L” is fine, hell a 2 minute or less conversation is okay, but I do not need to know your entire line-up for Fantasy Baseball from your keeper league that you and “Big D” are commissioners in
• Please don’t sing – this combines #4 and #5, I heard the majority of Act I of Phantom of the Opera last week, and it wasn’t sung by Kristin Chenoweth
• Eating things on the L that by definition, will create trash – ex: sunflower seeds, pistachios, bananas
• Take your stuff off the seat – I literally saw this take place the other day. Lady asks “man” to move his backpack, man says, “No” and proceeds to look out the window
• People who think personal hygiene’s a passing fad – please brush your teeth in the morning and apply deodorant, that’s it! Nothing revolutionary is needed
• People who want to talk about the book I’m reading – I don’t mind a “How is that?” or “Are you liking that?” I’m talking about the “You’re reading ‘Brave New World? Oh man, that book sucked – why are you reading it? Didn’t you read it in High School?” Yes, this happened.