I commute between an hour and an hour and a half each way to work. Sadly, the train to the left is not what I take to work. I’ve been doing it for 4 years now. I expect there will be many of these posts, probably too many to count at some point. But I’m going to start counting anyway, because I like sequential things.

The sleeping man who takes up multiple seats on a peak hour train. I’m thinking of one man in particular, and I started seeing him when I began taking the 7 whatever a.m. train. (Supposedly there is a train schedule. Sometimes trains are on time. But then there are months when trains are canceled left and right and they just kind of show up, and you just hope you’re there for it.) Anyway, this man is very tall. He is also very broad. And he falls asleep every morning. And when he falls asleep, he does this strange slump, slide thing, and takes up two seats. And because he usually sits in the set of seats at the front of the car that face each other, he ends up blocking one of those with his giant legs, effectively turning four seats into three for himself, and one for another very uncomfortable commuter. As time progresses and seasons change I also notice that he gets a nasty cold that seems to last all winter that makes him snore and choke a little while he naps, and also gives him an unstoppable runny nose. Commuting during cold and flu season means sometimes never taking your gloves off before you reach the office. And I see this man every morning for a good two years. And then I switch cars, or he switches cars, or maybe he takes a later train so he can SLEEP AT HOME for a little while longer, because I didn’t see him for a long time.

I didn’t notice that he wasn’t there lightly snoring every morning. I am oblivious most mornings, coffee mug, book and iPod juggling. But then this morning, there he was, taking up three seats at the front of the car. And I realized just how long I’ve been making this commute.