1 Year Of Commuting Down, A Bunch More To Go.
This article is all about the struggles of commuting that those of us face daily to and from work.
1 Year Of Commuting Down.
Throughout my first full year of commuting on the LIRR, I have come to the realization that commuting is probably the worst, uncontrollable thing that a recent graduate has to undergo while working their first job in the city. Besides the $3,000+ spent this year to commute to and from work (I know it doesn’t seem like that much but with the low starting salary most of us have to deal with, it’s that bad) I found that what’s worse than the money spent- are the people you are forced to deal with everyday.
In the beginning of my daily commute, I was too much of a wimp to ask people if I could “sit there” in that empty seat next to them or if they could slide over so I can sit down. Now, a year later, you will never catch me standing on a ride into or out of the city no matter how packed it is. Standing isn’t an option when it’s 8 am and you’re tired as hell and it most definitely isn’t an option when you’ve had the longest work day and are pretty much fed up with everyone.
I beg of you, please move that god damn suitcase off the seat because I will either sit on it or push it off. Don’t be rude. Be welcoming to your fellow commuters, we’re just as miserable as you are while traveling to and from work.
You might also come across those commuters who pretend to be sleeping, while they sit in the isle seat with an empty window seat next to them, but guess what, that’s not stopping me from asking you if I can “squeeze in there” to sit next to you. You may even get poked if you continue to pretend to sleep even after I know you’ve heard me ask very nicely to let me scooch on into that empty seat.
It’s not difficult, if you want to sleep you can move into the window seat so someone actually feels comfortable enough to not wake you, and quietly sit down next to you because chances are they are tired too!
Lower the f!#%ing music.
Nobody wants to hear someone else’s music blasting at the highest volume possible. Especially if they are not interested in that genre of music. I also don’t want to hear you rap or sing to the music your listening to because you’re tone deaf and you’re getting all the lyrics wrong.
For those people who think talking on the phone is okay while commuting, you will receive the death stare and probably get pushed over the platform when you get off the train, not only by me, but by everyone else on the train. It is so rude when you’re trying to catch a few more zzz’s on the way to work and someone is chatting about “Billy’s ex girlfriend who totally humiliated herself during last Christmas dinner by wearing that slutty ass dress and 6 inch heels” but let me tell you- NOBODY CARES and nobody wants to listen to your drama on their daily, already terrible, LIRR commute. It’s called texting.
Please let me off the train before you all jump on like wild banshees. This is my stop, I need to safely exit the train, and I simply cannot do so without you stepping to the side. I swear, every morning it’s a herd of wild animals when the train arrives at the platform and the second the doors open, everyone turns into monsters.
Here’s a big one. The chances of me and you chatting on the way to work are slim to none. The chances of us chatting on the way home are even more non-existent. I love to talk, anyone can tell you that but I really don’t want to be bothered at the crack of dawn to hear you pretend that you care what I am up to. I just want to get to work and I don’t need you wasting those precious extra minutes I have to close my eyes on meaningless chatter that I could do without. I see you, I wave to you, I probably love you, but right now, you’re the last person I want to talk to. I’ll text you later.
If you’re employed, and this is your first job out of school, you’re probably getting paid peanuts. (Aka no money). We all work our way up its fine, and most of us will start off with a low salary. But the first day of every month will absolutely become the worst days of our young, commuting lives very quickly. This is due to the monthly LIRR pass purchase. It does save you money in the long run, and sometimes they are pretty colors, but it’s so damn expensive and if you lose that- you will want to kill yourself.
Conductors and LIRR employees, cut us some slack. Be a little more caring and less rude to those of us who do lose our monthly’s and need to file for a lost pass instead of hitting us with an $18 one way ticket to work to start off our day terribly. Also, if I buy a monthly for December – and it’s November 29th, why in the hell are you writing me a ticket? You see me everyday- you know I just bought an early monthly because I just lost my November pass, let me live.
After commuting for a year, I figured i’d take the time to write down everything that really bothers me, just to make ONE commute home feel like 5 minutes. Well, it worked. After dealing with the loud annoying children, being late to work because the LIRR blows, dealing with the chatty cathy’s on the train and wasting two hours of my day getting back and forth to work, I can say that I’ve really grown up and have a ton of respect for the adults who have been doing this for 30+ years. Oh, and the reason I decided to rant about my daily commute was because this morning some lady seriously attempted to pretend to sleep so she wouldn’t have to move, cause clearly she didn’t want to sit with anyone, but that didn’t stop me from climbing over her legs into that comfy, window seat with my big, fat bag and puffy winter coat…take that ;)
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