# What a day!



## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

My passport was supposed to be ready this afternoon at the consulate downtown. As the weather was nice and I need the exercise, I decided to take my bike on the train and ride the mile and a half from the station to the consulate and back. But when I arrived at the consulate, it was closed for some holiday that apparently wasn’t planned last Thursday when I dropped my passport off. 

Alright. A wasted afternoon. I turned around and again put my life and limb in jeopardy battling obnoxious taxi drivers for right of way. I got back to the station just in time to catch a train back home, but they wouldn’t let me take my bike on the train. It’s only allowed during off-hours, which an insufferably pretentious conductor told me I would have known if I had read the schedule. Do I look like the type who sits around reading train schedules? I get the departure time off of Google maps or go to the station and hope I won’t need to wait very long for a train. People plan vacations, not train rides downtown. 

I didn’t want to wait four hours for the next train that allowed passengers to bring their bikes onboard, so I decided to ride home. It was a pleasant day and I needed the exercise. It’s only seventeen miles, or so I thought. That’s as the crow flies. By the bike path, it’s nearly twenty, and that’s on top of the five miles I had already ridden today. 

Fortunately I’m in superb physical condition and the ride didn’t even wind me. My old knee injury isn’t bothering me at all. In fact, I’m seriously considering taking the bike to the video store to get a copy of the new Nicholas Cage movie. It’s only five miles round trip. 

But first I have to find the energy to get out of this chair.


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2010)

I've lapped up pretty much all of Paul Theroux's books at one time or another, so I can actually see the attraction in poring over train schedules. But there are trains, and trains ...


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## KhwaamLap (Feb 29, 2008)

ginocox said:


> My passport was supposed to be ready this afternoon at the consulate downtown. As the weather was nice and I need the exercise, I decided to take my bike on the train and ride the mile and a half from the station to the consulate and back. But when I arrived at the consulate, it was closed for some holiday that apparently wasn’t planned last Thursday when I dropped my passport off.
> 
> Alright. A wasted afternoon. I turned around and again put my life and limb in jeopardy battling obnoxious taxi drivers for right of way. I got back to the station just in time to catch a train back home, but they wouldn’t let me take my bike on the train. It’s only allowed during off-hours, which an insufferably pretentious conductor told me I would have known if I had read the schedule. Do I look like the type who sits around reading train schedules? I get the departure time off of Google maps or go to the station and hope I won’t need to wait very long for a train. People plan vacations, not train rides downtown.
> 
> ...


I think I would have asked him if the train schedules re kept near the customer service training manual or has he never seen one of those. Cheeky badger.


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## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

*Yin and Yang*

On the bright side, I saved myself a $3.50 train fare. 

And I enjoyed another opportunity to visit downtown when I picked up my passport this afternoon. 

But then, when I got home, I snarfed down a $3.99 pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, so I think I’m out 49¢ on the deal, not to mention the $7.00 in train fares today.


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