Today: All aboard.

I took the T to work this morning.  When taking public transportation, I try to avoid appearing human, as I seemingly always get talked at by someone.  I think I must look approachable, which is generally not a bad thing, but it has landed me in more than one awkward conversation.

Like that one about how the government is sending us signals via the Metro, a free daily paper distributed in T stations.  I felt it best to nod agreeably.  And to get off the train three stops early.

Anyway, so I pretend to be a robot and that’s worked quite well.  Except that robots don’t laugh out loud at intercom announcements.  I was transitioning from Red to Orange Lines with Roy G. Biv, when I heard this announcement:

The next Red Line train to Ashmont will be the high capacity train, Big Red.

I sort of laugh/cough/snorted because I immediately thought of Big Red from Bring It On tumbling down the train tracks.  That didn’t seem plausible, so instead I wished I had some cinnamon gum so I could kiss  a little longer.  Longer with Big Red. But it was neither a bossy cheerleader nor a stick of gum.  Big Red is a modified 1800’s streetcar with no seats, allowing more people than usual to fall on top of one another on the way to work.

Our friends at wikipedia say that Big Red’s been running for over a year.  Clearly I don’t care about the environment and drive to work most days.  And also, I don’t pay nearly enough attention to the news.

Taking public transportation to work is awesome.  It’s cute.  It’s popular to boot.  And yes, I did just write about the T, a cheerleading movie, and chewing gum.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Help for Haiti (resources and events)
• We don’t have room for a garden, but aren’t these seed packets cute?
• Wonder why reality televised Bostonians make our city look so… awkward.
• Check the mail; Jessica and I are doing a cross-border exchange like the one Jaime set up in the fall
• 10 pts. to anyone who got the Short Circuit reference in today’s paper beer

How do you get from here to there?  Any suggestions for avoiding unwelcome chit chat?