Plodding towards February
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 08:50 pmAfter yesterday's extreme cold warning, when I was easily able to cab it from the subway station to work, we had two inches of winter slop followed by sloppy rain, and not a cab to be seen. So I chanced the subway, and stood while three trains went past crammed to the doors. At last one came along that had room to fit myself in, and so two stations later I got to Spadina. Where, for a wonder, the lineup for the streetcar did not go three times around itself and back down the stairs. There was no lineup at all. So you win some and lose some: but I was told by those who transit regularly to avoid 9 o'clock trains if at all possible. (Doesn't help that the n-s line is still experiencing quarter hour delays because of faulty signals, reacting to both the cold and the slop. Lord knows what ails the e-w, because they were coming every two minutes at that point, which is clearly still not enough.)
And then I got on a crowded 5:45 Spadina car up to the station, to find the platform black with bodies again. But this time there was a police presence. (The police walk through crowds single file, with a hand on the shoulder of the cop in front of them. Works.) Cop came back telling us to stand away from the elevator, and was followed by medics with an older white guy on a gurney, head bandaged and blood down his face, evidently the victim of a fall; and a short Indian woman who appeared distressed but had no obvious injuries. They whisked away; cops and medics blocked the platform still talking about who knows what. Three trains passed, backed to the doors, but I was moving down the platform away from the stairs and escalators. The third train was, by Tokyo standards, only a bit full, so I said 'Room for one more?' to the guys by the door, and stepped on, no problem. And got off at the next stop so I could have sushi and vodka Sprite. I wish the eateries near work weren't all pubs with beer and wine; I mean, they may have vodka too, but it's served with pub food, boo hiss.
Tomorrow I don't have to be up till 9:30, thank god, though they're still calling for more snow after today's rain cleaned the streets off. The sidewalks are all icy patches because of people, like me, who didn't shovel the slop this morning.
( Meme )
And then I got on a crowded 5:45 Spadina car up to the station, to find the platform black with bodies again. But this time there was a police presence. (The police walk through crowds single file, with a hand on the shoulder of the cop in front of them. Works.) Cop came back telling us to stand away from the elevator, and was followed by medics with an older white guy on a gurney, head bandaged and blood down his face, evidently the victim of a fall; and a short Indian woman who appeared distressed but had no obvious injuries. They whisked away; cops and medics blocked the platform still talking about who knows what. Three trains passed, backed to the doors, but I was moving down the platform away from the stairs and escalators. The third train was, by Tokyo standards, only a bit full, so I said 'Room for one more?' to the guys by the door, and stepped on, no problem. And got off at the next stop so I could have sushi and vodka Sprite. I wish the eateries near work weren't all pubs with beer and wine; I mean, they may have vodka too, but it's served with pub food, boo hiss.
Tomorrow I don't have to be up till 9:30, thank god, though they're still calling for more snow after today's rain cleaned the streets off. The sidewalks are all icy patches because of people, like me, who didn't shovel the slop this morning.
( Meme )
