I feel sleepy

David Ann and I have continued on our extended vacation by taking the Eurostar train from London to Paris on Saturday. It was one helluva commute. Unlike the Amtrak, you are assigned a seat from the time of your booking on the Eurostar. Well, they must have known we were a bit chubby as we were seated directly across the table from the two other chubbiest people in our car. One of them - plaid shirt guy - was sitting across from David. I got to see his bellybutton most of the ride as it was hanging out of his shirt. 12-point buck sweatshirt guy was sitting across from me and so thoughtfully stuck his legs all the way out underneath the seat leaving me no leg room, thanks!

After the train got moving, which it does very fast - 2.5 hour trip from London to Paris - both of these guys went to sleep. Well, thanks to 12-point buck sweatshirt guy I am now very acquainted with the lack of dental hygiene and services available in the UK. Dude, really, brush your teeth! Oh, and stop snoring. It was just annoying, especially since I couldn't poke you in the ribs and tell you to turn over.

About 15 minutes out of Paris we stopped. Yes, the train just stopped. Something was in front of us and we couldn't go any further delaying our arrival by about 20 minutes. 20 extra glorious minutes with chubby and chubbier! Yeah!

This one's for you, Missy

Sorry I wasn't fast enough to get a picture, but on the way to the train station yesterday (more about the train ride later...) we passed a hair salon that I am sure you will hold near and dear to your heart: HypeHair. Here's their website so you can take a look at their Hype Hair: www.hypehair.co.uk

Jam ON!

David Ann and I are vacationing in London this week and have been experiencing the joys of a new public transportation system. While in the UK we have been enjoying our gracious hosts, Trish and Jean-Luc, neither of which enjoy using public transportation, in any city! Trish has just been introduced to MMC and inquired the other day - after taking public tranport - as to why didn't I write about people listening to music too loudly and being their own private dancer while on the subway/tube. Admittedly there are often people on the NYC MTA who ride with earphones in and the music up so loud I can often hear it many (many) feet away. The riders of the London Underground are no different - they listen to music loudly through headphones, unaware that many people around them really don't want to share in their music. Turn it down...hearing aids are not going to allow you to put ear buds in your ears later in life.

Heat wave!

This morning at 6:30a the outside temperature was 52-degrees. Yes, December 12 and the temperature was 52. One man on the F-train was really taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temps going shirtless. Now, don't think that he was sitting there in all his glory commuting into Manhattan, oh no...he decided to accessorize his hairy arms and back with a vest, I am guessing fleece, unzipped about half-way down his chest. As I noticed him, many questions ran through my head - Did he dress that way on purpose? Did he get on the train, then get hot and decide to take off his shirt but leave the vest on? What kind of job does one have where the vest-only is considered appropriate dress?

I really need to be better about bringing reading materials on the train...

Catching some zzzz's

Yesterday morning I selected a seat next to a woman snoozing on the way into Manhattan. This part is nothing unusual, lots of people snooze - myself included - on the way to and fro. However, this woman was beyond just taking a commuting nap, she was full-on snoring. Snoring loud enough that had she been David Ann, I would have punched her in the ribs and told her to roll over!

After an earlier incident...

These are the words no commuter ever wants to hear. It means there's some sort of issue and your commute is - most likely - going to be long and painful. After waiting, waiting, waiting for an F-train tonight with no success and hearing it would be at least 8 minutes until the next train through 42nd Street, I decided to take the express train to Brooklyn and make a change from there. Well, as luck would have it, the next express train was a D-train, so I was off to Brooklyn knowing that I would need to transfer to the bus to complete my journey. 90 minutes later I made it home. Some days I really miss commuting by myself in a car.

Nail Clippers

Seems as though a few of my friends have now also taken on the No Public Nail Clipping advocacy as well. Check out my friend Darla's blog,http://tomestomes.blogspot.com/, she's had a couple of incidents lately and was party to the last NYC MTA nail clipper experience with me!

Yes, that's me you're sitting on

To the woman who decided my knee would be the best place to sit on the ride home tonight - thanks, it was a pleasure to support you on my bent knee and ankle. At minimum, could you have at least recognized that my knee was there and lifted up your bum a bit so I could move.