Monday, August 07, 2006

Rough start to my morning

Mondays are always tough, but today it was more difficult than usual for me to get out of bed. I pounded the snooze button more times than I could keep track of during my sleepy state and suddenly, it was very late! I had just a few minutes to get ready, drive, park and get on the train. I jammed my usual 20 minute routine (darn good for a female) into half the amount of time and rushed to the BART station.

As soon as I got there, my neck started feeling uncomfortable. It seemed like my collar is unusually high and making my neck a little tight and itchy. I looked down, and realized that I wore my long-sleeve top backwards! I was trying to convince myself that I could get away with it because by then, I didn't have a place to swap back to front. It was pretty obvious that the shirt was on backwards with the fabric jammed and gathered at the neck, the label printed right there, and the stitching of the label tag clearly visible right under my eyes.

As I got up to the platform, I saw that the train was 9 minutes late. Well, I figured if I'm going to miss my shuttle pick-up anyways, I might as well take a chance, go to the BART station restroom and make my outfit a little more comfortable, during this extra wait time that BART has given me.

I don't like public restrooms but I do use them when necessary. The only other BART restroom I've tried was Lafayette and it was quite clean for a public restroom, a B+ in my rating system. I thought Lafayette and Orinda are pretty similar cities, I'm sure the Orinda restroom is just as clean. So, I took a chance and walked in. Oh boy....I found puddles of bright yellow urine splattered everywhere and the room smelled like smoke and pee. I guess since no one follows the "No Food or Drinks" sign BART posts, why would people follow the "No Smoking" sign! Horrible combination of odors. Unlike the Lafayette public restroom, the Orinda one warrants a D+ at best in my rating system.

Thank goodness I didn't have to use the facilities, I just needed a place to fix my shirt. I had a large computer bag filled with folders and a purse. I had no space anywhere to place the bags down! The sink had ashes all over, and there was no way I would let my bags touch the ground! So with no place to settle my bags, it took me awhile to get my shirt to the ride side while holding 2 bags (1 heavy!). During this juggling of shirt and bags, I stepped into a puddle of urine. I had a pair of superflat sandals that gave me only 1/2 a centimeter of protection between the ground and my feet. I had to wipe off the ashes on the sink so I could wash my feet, and then, I poured the rest of my Purell onto them. Thank goodness, I had the foresight to roll up my jeans before I walked in, a trick I learned because of my experiences at the Civic Center Station.

Well, I did it and I made it onto the train in time. I guess Orinda doesn't keep up as well as Lafayette station. I don't even want to imagine what the Civic Center station restroom is like and hopefully I will never have to find out!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Civic Center is an underground station, so the restroom is closed.

Before they closed them, You would have to move the crack pipe to set your bag on the counter.

Now they use the elevator..

JM

bartmusings said...

Haha, JM, that is pretty funny.

Rafael- That sounds like a pretty miserable trip!

Anonymous said...

bart management should have to ride the crowded rush hour trains, use the filthy facilities, walk through clouds of cigarette smoke at station entrances where no smoking signs are ignored, wait for elevators that are slower than one could imagine, try to read station signs at night when there is no lighting for them, and so on, and, yes, pay excessive prices for the privilege. maybe then something would get changed.