Things Eleanor Jorden didn’t prepare you for
Yesterday, I was waiting for the 7 to take me over to Times Square so I could meet my buddy for lunch (he later referred to me as a “terrific guy,” which I am willing myself to believe was not a calculated attempt to grease our work relationship. Just kidding, K!). There were electronic clocks installed above the platform, which I don’t think were there last year. And then the 2/3 has new cars with electronic displays that are either modeled after the newest Japanese train cars or just made by the same manufacturers. Very nice, though those were there last year (but still a big change, as I remember explaining to my reared-in-Kanto boyfriend, who assumed that train cars in developed countries just sort of all were like that). So anyway, I was thinking yesterday, with Tokyo smugness, Finally, New York! Trains like a real city!
But then, there’s a
backside flip-side to Tokyo’s well-used trains that makes me glad I sometimes get a break from the place. Man alive. I thought the occasional reverse-peristalsis brought on by drunken motion-sickness was bad enough. Actually, it was bad enough, if Lee’s experience is an indication of what sort of physiological soul-cry the salary-man/OL set can come up with when blowing chunks just doesn’t convey enough angst.
Just five more days, and I’m back!
2 December 13:37 EST
Jeebus H. Hisself on a pogo stick! I would have taken pictures though.
The best horrible thing I ever saw was on the train to Tama. Newlyweds sitting in the car across the aisle from us, and the guy sneezes. He then proceeds to raise his hand (already holding his wife’s) and wipe his nose – on the sleeve of her very nice sweater. My wife still mentions the look of disgust on that girl’s face as a comparison whenever she sees someone react to a horrible situation. It wasn’t just the fact that she was out for the day with this creep, it was that she was stuck with him for the duration. Although I wouldn’t place bets on a long and happy marriage, there.
Ewww. I hope she meted out the obvious punishment.
Nope. No punishment. She just sat there. Myabe the marriage will be long, but at least one of the partners will be very unhappy. That right there was a sodai gomi in his infancy.