What? Glaring at me?

The nerve of a woman today to glare and shake her head at me just because my purse (soft) accidentally bumped her right hand which was holding on to a vertical safety bar on the train. She must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed sinceI can't imagine anyone else being THAT upset just because someone's purse lightly brushed against their hands.

Just to clarify, my purse is light, clean, soft and small. It literally brushed against her hand for a split second because I was trying to scoot out of people's way as they were entering the train. The second I noticed, I mouthed "sorry!" but in return, she gave me a nasty dirty look and rolled her eyes, while shaking her head!!!!!

WHAT THE HECK???? I guess I'm not that surprised judging by her ultra-tight pulled back hair bun. I wished I hadn't been so polite to offer a "sorry". Of course I wasn't going to take her glaring and head-shaking without a reaction. I looked right back at her and raised an eyebrow to question her reaction. Who knows if she knew what I was doing...but it made me feel better at least.

Then I realized she was just an unhappy and unpleasant type of person. She got just as upset each time she saw an empty seat get taken. She also shook her head when a newbie BART passenger asked someone else if Montgomery is the 2nd or 3rd stop in SF.

Cheer up, lady. Don't let something so small get to you so much!

Pounding the doors and windows of train car #6 will not do you any good

My train was amazingly on time today despite the heavy rains. I barely made it to the platform in time but luckily I had comfortable shoes on today so I was able to sprint at good speed.

However, some people weren't so lucky. As the train doors were closing, I saw a few more people dash up the platform. One man, in particular, did not take his missing the train well at all. He was pissed off. He screamed some profanities, then proceeded to pound the door of my train (the 6th car I believe) heavily as we slowly left the platform. He pounded the doors at least 4 or 5 times.

After slamming the doors, he then started pounding the windows as he ran along (just about 12 feet along) with the train. It's as if he wanted to show all of us how pissed off he was and how inconceivable it was that we left him!

If he wanted to actually make a difference with his pounding, he should have ran up to the train operator and begged her to stop. I don't know if TOs are allowed to stop for passengers but I've seen that happen a few times.

A bad case of space invasion

I actually got a seat on BART this morning! However, I sat to the left of a man who definitely shops at Rochester Big & Tall, who was crossing his legs. His right leg was on his left knee, and because he's so tall, his right shoe kept on tapping on my leg.

At first, I didn't care about the accidental tap. Sure, I didn't like his shoe touching my jeans but I was able to forgive him since I assumed it was just a one time thing, and he'll quickly realize it and UN-CROSS his legs so that won't happen again.

He saw his crossed right foot run into my knee but he didn't do anything. As a result, his foot kept on tapping on my leg, over and over and over again, nonstop! His right leg, crossed, was completely encroaching my personal space! It's as if he was taking up 1.5 seats! How could he not know or not care that his dirty shoe was touching my clothes??? He must have felt the taps because I sure did! I wasn't about to move over, he's the one invading MY space!

A mean and long glare from me didn't propel him to move within his own seat. I was in a bad mood already (someone near me was wearing unbreathably strong cologne) so I snapped, I said in an obviously irritated tone, "Can you move your foot out of the way?"

"Oh, sorry about that, didn't know it was bothering you." he responded and finally un-crossed his legs.

RIGHT! I just LOVE to have someone's dirty shoe bump into my leg continuously on BART.

I snapped back, "It was." I then held my magazine up high and shifted my position in the opposite direction just to reiterate my discontent.

A cougar under BART tracks?

Did you guys read this today? I hope everyone, the animal and humans, come out unharmed from this situation.

Mountain lion spotted near BART tracks in Fremont

Chronicle Staff Report

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

(02-20) 13:05 PST FREMONT -- A mountain lion has been sighted under the BART tracks near Moury Avenue in Fremont, the agency said, and Animal Care and Control officers have been called to try to corral the cat, said BART spokesman Linton Johnson.

The sighting was reported at 12:46 p.m. on land near BART property, and the animal did not appear to be a danger to passengers, Johnson said.

No train delays have been reported in connection with the sighting.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/20/BAGBDO80H03.DTL

one precious seat

Last night's ride home was pretty miserable. It was one of those situations where those waiting on the platform squeezed themselves in one by one, until the last person is smashed against the door; where you have to breath with your mouth instead of your nose just to void smelling the sweat and other funky scents next to you.

Everyone was hoping some people would get off at West Oakland, but only one passenger got off on my side of the train. Everyone surrounding that empty seat sort of looked at each other, no one wanted to be the "rude" one and claim the seat. The oldest of the passenger shook his head-- he didn't want to sit down. The other passengers nearby, three females, also hesitated. One female was overweight. I personally thought from afar the seat should have gone to her, but no one wanted to suggest that. 8 seconds must have past since the seat emptied, a long time considering most people usually claim an empty seat within 1 second.

Finally, one of the three women asked an elderly but healthy-looking woman about 8 feet away from her if she wanted to sit down. The elderly woman said "Sure, thank you." As she walked over towards the seat, we heard a frantic man yelling from the opposite side of the train.

The man yelled, "Excuse me, make way, watch out, coming through, watch it" as he literally PUSHED people out of the way to walk over to this one empty seat. He was soaked with sweat, his hair was wet and dripping with sweat, his jeans were more brown than blue, and his shoes looked like they've been soaked in mud. As he shoved people around in the crowded train, people tripped, dropped their computer bags, or lost their balance. Each step he took, he wiped off the sweat dripping on his face with his hands. As he got closer, he yelled and pointed, "I'm taking THAT seat right there!" as the elderly woman was about to sit down.

As the rest of us saw that, people were just disgusted by that man, both his actions and his appearance. As he sat down, he breathed loudly, "Ahh.....hurrrrr....ahhhh.....hurrrr......" and pulled up his drenched and dirty shirt to wipe down his face, revealing his upper body.

I wasn't as bothered by him taking the seat (hey, no one else wanted it bad enough), but more so his unkept appearance. Luckily, he got off at MacArthur, and so did half of the train. I was able to breath a little bit easier after that.

Train operator acting as Cupid and causing me unintentional awkwardness

Happy Valentine's Day! Lately, I've been riding a train with an operator who is always in a good mood it seems. I've written about her before...the one that used to sing songs to wish you a good day. She's tolerable most of the time, amusing occasionally, and annoying in some cases...but her perkiness really doesn't do any harm and can be refreshing at times.

Today, in addition to wishing everyone a happy Valentine's day, she went above and beyond her call of duty and announced this message at every other stop, "If you are single, just look around, introduce yourself, there are plenty of other single riders on the train who are looking for a Valentine to spend the evening with!"

I just happened to look up for a second after her announcement and accidentally made eye contact with a man. Oh god, I thought to myself, I hope he doesn't think I want to introduce myself to him! I am happily married, first of all, and secondly, he (sorry, I'm stereotyping here but he appears to be a developer/computer programmer with a long ponytail) is not my type at all!

As I was panicking inside, the man said, "Hello, I am RXXX."

Oh **it!!!!! What did the train operator get me into?? Everyone around me was looking to see if I'd respond. I didn't want to be rude and not reply...besides, maybe he is also happily married and thought I wanted to be introduced to him! Maybe he took my accidental eye contact with him as a sign? So, who am I to be rude?

I responded, "Hello, good morning," smiled, and looked back down to read my magazine. I wished I had my iPod on so I could pretend I didn't hear the TO's announcement. I held my magazine a little higher than usual hoping that he will just see my wedding band.

I was embarrassed, and I'm sure he wasn't comfortable either, especially with everyone else around us looking or listening. I was hoping he would get off at Downtown Oakland but of course not....he got off at Montgomery.

I smiled and nodded as he got up.

I wonder if the train operator caused anyone else unintentional awkwardness?? What an experience to remember!

A commute experience like a Seinfeld episode

I am a huge Seinfeld fan. I can still laugh at reruns that I've seen at least 5 times throughout my life. Many of you might not know what the heck I'm talking about, but being stuck in a bad BART delay today really reminds me of the episode titled "The Subway" where Elaine was stuck in an overcrowded subway train that stopped service and went out of power on her way to a wedding. I relate well to that episode.

Her thought process during the momentary service stop/power outage mirrors what I say to myself inside whenever I am stuck in a BART situation where I have no clue when the train will start moving again. However, with BART, half of the time, a train operator will make an audible update announcement to let us know what is causing the delay, but half of the time, we can't hear the announcement, or there is no announcement altogether, causing most of us to feel anxious, annoyed, impatient, and for some, nervous or angry. When the angry passengers start cussing aloud in a motionless and CO2 filled train, the situation worsens threefold! No one likes to be stuck inside a crowded train, but those people should try to keep their feelings to themselves, like the rest of us.

The episode also involves Jerry sitting across from a naked man: his thought process reflecting mine whenever I see a freakish character on BART, although I've yet to run into someone naked. I have, however, seen a mentally-handicapped woman wearing a beat-up sweatshirt with only pantyhose. I couldn't tell whether she knew what she was doing on BART (it seemed like she was alert although why would anyone alert wear only pantyhose with a hole-filled sweatshirt), but her revealing outfit certainly drew a lot of stares.

If you ever watch that episode (it was on last night on KTVU), you'll know what I'm talking about and how well it describes my feelings during a severe BART delay.

People who pry the train doors open just to get on!

We've all seen this! People who are running up or down the escalator as the train door is closing but they refuse to wait for the next train so they decide to risk getting bruises on their arms and legs to stick their arms/legs to pry open the doors! Generally when that happens, the doors get stuck, the train operator has to re-open and re-close several times before the train gets going again.

I guess many passengers were running late this morning since at every other stop on the way to SF, someone forced the door open as it shuts. One person even had the audacity to reach between the closing doors with less than 2 inches to spare, pulled it open, stuffed his arms in, and finally twisting his body through. He walked in looking smug, as if he's beaten the system. Unfortunately, this caused a 20 second delay in our departure.

One by one, they pry open the shutting train doors. With each "intruder", the train doors take some additional time to "normalize". After seeing 5 different people pry the doors open, it got a little old!

People who are approaching as the door shuts should just let it shut!! You've missed the train so just get in line, read your newspaper/book, and wait for the next one!!!

What do you do in that situation?

I'm sure all of us have been in this situation before. The train is uncomfortably packed. Almost every square inch of standing room has been taken. You can hardly see the carpet on the train floors anymore because of the excess number of feet. You are breathing into the person in front of you, while feeling the breath of the person in back of you right on your neck or head. Every little movement by the train causes everyone to swing left to right....any sudden movement causes you to trip over, falling into the person in front of you. It is so crowded that you can actually physically feel the lack of oxygen and the excess of CO2.

When there are THAT many people on a train, the train operator usually yells repeatedly, "There is a Pittsburg/Baypoint train just 3 minutes behind this train with plenty of room....there is a Pittsburg/Baypoint train just 3 minutes behind me with plenty of room!"

Do you actually get off the train to get out of the overcrowded train for a little more space? Do you ever see people getting off to take the next train?

For me, that's a no to both questions. I always just feel that I can endure the uncomfortable conditions in order to be home just 3 minutes earlier. I also have never seen anyone actually get off in order to ride in a more spacious train (or it's too crowded that I don't get a full view of who's in and out). Not only do I not see people get off, I actually see people lining up still trying to squeeze into the train somehow, making it unbearably crowded.

Do people get off? Do you get off? Have you witnessed an instance where that very announcement by the TO actually discourages passengers in line from getting in, while encouraging those inside to get out? Maybe people with suitcases?

Just wondering. I was in that situation today and did not get off, nor did I see others get off.

BART to San Jose

I go into San Jose once a week for work reasons. While sometimes it's a good break from BART, most of the time, I am sitting in horrendous traffic, moving at less than 25 mph, and hoping that I am on a train instead, reading a magazine or typing emails. Would I take BART to San Jose? Probably so if the total travel time is less than 75 minutes each way. Regardless, it would be wonderful to have that option.

Here's the latest on the project, as of 2/2, reported by Rachel Gordon of SF Chronicle:

The California Transportation Commission allocated $364 million Thursday to continue engineering, design work and other planning for the South Bay BART project.

The $4.7 billion project would extend BART into San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara, but it has not been fully funded. Backers hope to secure a mix of state, federal and regional money for it.

Please keep the homeless out of BART trains

The title is blunt but I really did not know how to soften it. I really do not like it when I see/encounter homeless people on BART, whether they are using BART as shelter/bed or asking passengers for money.

Why don't I like it? I think we, as passengers, pay a good amount of money to get to our destinations by BART. We don't expect BART to be spotless, with great service, or luxurious (we really just expect BART to be on-time, safe and not filthy), but most of us really do not want to be bothered or threatened by unauthorized people like the homeless.

I'm not heartless. I recognize that homelessness is a huge problem in SF and I wholeheartedly support some of the initiatives like SF Homeless Connect. But I don't want the homeless seeking help/shelter on a BART trian, or even a BART station!

Why not the homeless? Because 99.99% of the time, they smell like alcohol, urine, defecation, trash or sweat...or all of the above. The majority of them that I've encountered on BART are mentally unstable. Today, one homeless man somehow snuck onboard and was aggressively asking people seated in my area for "some help". He didn't take no for an answer. If you ignored him, he kept on asking you until you look at him. If you said no, he doesn't leave either and starts to question if you have pennies, nickels, dimes..etc. Even as you say no or you don't have change, he continues to shake the cup in front of your face. Worst of all, he smelled terrible!!! The fact that he stood next to you and refuses to leave only meant that we had to endure his smell for a long long time. It was bad....I had to breath with my mouth and even then, I was afraid of what type of taste his scent would leave in my mouth. It was an extremely heavy odor.

I used to give money to homeless in the station, on the train or on the street. But I'll tell you what changed me! I had volunteered in two SF Homeless Connect days in the past. What is so disheartening is that the homeless attendees don't go to the job or self-help stations, instead, they just want to rush to the freebies line where they can get donated packages of items from snacks, socks, shoes...etc. I understand they need those items, but there are so many resources there for them to actually get out of the condition that they are in PERMANENTLY! Most, I observed, did not even stop by the job or self-help lines. While I still believe in the Homeless Connect Days, I learned that most homeless people don't want to help themselves long-term. In fact, one good example is the same homeless man sitting in front of 8th/Market Starbucks....it's been over 2 years and he still asks everyone coming out of Starbucks for change.

What is BART doing to help keep homeless people out of the trains? I can understand that keeping them out of the stations is nearly impossible to do, but what about the trains? How do they sneak through the ticket gates? Why can't train operators see them on video and ask a police officer to kindly remove them? Maybe they do that already but some still slip through.

Increasing # of SFO-bound riders. Good?

This is a good and bad thing. I've noticed that there are more and more SFO-bound passengers on BART. I don't blame them: I take BART to SFO too, but, during commute hours, this is really becoming a big problem.

Why? Because airport-bound passengers come with suitcases! Business travelers have one, that's tolerable. Young backpackers have one, that's fine. But families and older travelers, my goodness, I counted 7 pieces of luggage today for one older couple. On my train this morning, there were at least 8 airport bound passengers within the same train car, and about at least 15 pieces of luggage total. That's a LOT of room to take up in an already crowded commuter train!

Even worse, some airport-bound passengers don't know the basic BART etiquette. For example, some take up two seats (one for luggage), others completely block the aisle.

I proposed overhead racks in my blog post last week, but I've noticed since then that BART trains are probably too low for overhead racks (and in our lawsuit-happy society, I can see someone getting hurt and suing BART, not good). I looked around carefully today and noticed that if BART can raise the seats just a little bit, people can slide their suitcases under. Actually, as the seats are now, there IS enough room for a small to normal-sized roller suitcase. I'm going to try that in my next trip.

All I'm saying is, something needs to be done as SFO train becomes increasingly popular. Can we make airport-bound passengers all take car #1 and install racks or raise seats there? Probably not a viable option. Today was just especially frustrating because the couple did not seem to care that their SEVEN bags were taking up standing room, a corner seat, another passenger's leg room...etc.

I always scoot my bags immediately in front of me, taking up my own leg room, smashing my legs. But that's just me! I don't want to act like someone that typically annoys me on BART!

A dare too dangerous

What I saw at the Civic Center station was disturbing. A group of kids, no more than 15 or 16 years old, made up of both males and femals were waiting for a Richmond bound trian. There were not lining up like the rest of the passengers, instead, they were standing in the yellow area, too close to the tracks.

The kids were daring each other to stand as closely to the end of the yellow area as possible without falling into the tracks! One by one, they lined their toes to the edge. One boy got so close that he lost his balance. Another even gone so far to pretend to dip one foot into the pit while balancing with the other on the very tip of the yellow painted line. Each attempt was met with laughter and more dares!

Granted, if they had fallen into the tracks, they probably would just have some bruises and minor cuts since the pit is not that deep. However, what if a train comes by and they struggle to get back up?

It was so sad to see how little respect these kids had for their lives and rules, especially their own safety!

One by one, they went farther and farther. I was really relieved that no one got hurt. There weren't any BART station agents there to stop them, but then again, these kids really should know better....or not these days.

EZ-Rider Card

Courtesy of "ConcordCommuter", I thought I'd post this comment thread as a topic since it might be useful information for some. I've seen people with their slick and fast cards at the ticket gates. I get commuter checks monthly from my employer....I pretty much save them until I'm out of tickets, then I go to Safeway or wherever to buy a big stack of tickets until I run out again.

It would be GREAT if I could get a EZ-Rider card so I won't need to worry about demagnetizing my BART tickets because I've accidentally placed it too close to wallet, or wasting time going to Safeway or Long's when they've run out of high-value tickets to sell, or lining up at one of the FEW BART commuter stores! But, apparently, EZ-Rider cards don't work with commuter checks. Bummer.

ConcordCommuter said...

You should sign up for BART's EZ-Rider card. No longer do you have to wait for a ticket to spit back up out of the machine. It actually speeds up the process of going through the fare gates. Even better still, no need to keep buying new tickets and hoping that you aren't delayed at the machine and miss your train. I've been using it for a few months now, and it is excellent.

12:45 PM

bartmusings said...

Do you know if EZ Rider cards can be "charged" by commuter checks?

I really need to start looking into that!

1:09 PM

ConcordCommuter said...

They don't take commuter checks yet. Not sure if they ever will... Doesn't affect me so much, as my employer reimburses me directly, I just show them a copy of my credit card statement with the EZ-Rider charges.

I have a stack of commuter checks from elsewhere that I need to redeem. I'm hoping if I hold out long enough (but not past the expiry), I can apply them to my EZ-Rider balance.

Linton, if you are reading this, please let them know: We'd like to be able to apply Commuter Checks to our EZ-Rider blances. Thank you. :-)

I've lost my BART wits after vacation!

Sort of embarrassing to share this experience but since I make fun of others, it is only fair that I make fun of myself!!

After a 2-week commute hiatus, I seem to have lost my quick moves and passenger efficiency. This morning, I actually tried to walk through the ticket gates without pulling my ticket out first! The man behind me even made a "tsk" sound after I cluelessly wondered why I can't walk through. Took me 2 seconds (too long to wait for a daily BART commuter) to realize that I needed to pull out my ticket first. How embarrassing...I've become someone I usually get annoyed at.

Then, an even more clueless thing happened. Usually, I know exactly when Civic Center station is up. I know by heart that it is 4 and a half minutes from Embaradero, and 40 seconds from Powell. This morning, I somehow "lost count" and got up to stand by the door AFTER Civic Center. I was all ready to dash out the door...but I started to realize the train is still moving and not stopping after 40 seconds, 1 minute, 1.5 minutes.

Whoa, I thought, did I actually miss the stop?? Sadly, I did. I ended up at 16th street and had to wait for the next downtown bound train (4 minutes away) and missed my company shuttle.

I have no one to blame but myself. What happened to me? Pretty funny actually. I usually am quite proud of my BART wits and quickness, but it appears that I need a couple days to get it back after a 2 week break.

Thoughts from riding transit systems in Italy

Happy to be back at home after living in hotels the past 2 weeks. Again, barting to and back from SFO proved to be nearly effortless and more econonimcal than parking in long-term lots! I highly recommend it.

After seeing 6 cities in Italy and getting around by local transit systems and cross-cities by Trenitalia, I have made some interesting observations!

1) I loved that the Milan metro tells you inside AND outside the ticket gates exactly how many more minutes until the next train is arriving.
2) I loved that the Milan metro has large TV screens with news updates and of course, commercials, to keep you entertained.
3) I loved that the Milan metro trains come every 5 minutes (even though it's a huge system covering a huge mass of area and nearby surburbs) so you don't have to pull a muscle trying to run up the stairs to catch your train.
4) I loved how easy it was for a first-time visitor to go cross-country on Trenitalia, but I did NOT like how nasty the station and train restrooms were. Every stall was flooded with urine and other things. I need to disinfect my shoes or just throw them away!
5) I loved the small electronic buses in Florence! Very eco friendly and does not take up two lanes on the roads or block lanes like our buses do.
6) I loved how all the trains and buses, no matter which city, was on time!! Right on schedule...no delays at all.
7) I didn't like that the buses in Italy did not have many seats but in many way, that just made everyone equal...we all stand! No need to squabble over seats!
8) The trains were not necessarily cleaner than BART. Some were spotless, but others had just as many stains, old gum, trash..etc.
9) I did not like the shady vendors lining up inside and all around the outside of the stations to force their illegal products on me! I definitely felt a lot safer walking around homeless folks in BART stations (well, sometimes) than aggressive vendors and beggars.
10) I found the transit fares to be MUCH cheaper than BART!!!!! Why must I pay nearly $8 a day roundtrip here but only $2 euros roundtrip (anywhere within the system)??

and last but not least....

11) BART needs to install overhead racks to save standing room! People with big briefcases, laptop bags, shopping bags, suitcases can then toss their items on top so they don't take up too much space, and so that they can actually free their arms!

But BART rocks...despite my little complaints here and there (although many are about the civic center station specifically), I don't know what I'd do without it!

International experience

On vacation in Italy the past week and rest of this week....so far, the trains I have been on have been very clean, much cleaner than BART. However, the condition of the stations are much worse than Civic Center...same scent, similar populace, but filled with graffitis.

More to share next week! Ciao!

The speedy train

I love it when this happens....when the train operator actually has the go-ahead to hussle to make up time! My morning train arrived 6 minutes late today. I thought, oh great, I am going to miss the company shuttle again and be late to my meeting.

I processed all the negative thoughts quickly to put it all behind me. By the time we arrived at Embarcadero, I looked at my watch! Wow, we are actually earlier than an ontime arrival. By the time we reached Civic Center, I had so much extra time that I had to stand on the right side of the escalators as they moved up, just to pass time!

I don't know how this train operator was able to make up time like this! But we somehow made up the 6 minutes lost and 2 additional!

Good job!

Skunk and dime-sized nostrils in my evening ride home

The ride home tonight was miserable. As if the evening trains don't smell musky enough already, the moment I walked into the train, I was welcomed by a very heavy scent of skunk spray. Instantly, everyone looked around for something that resembled a skunk, or what's left of it. No sign of a dead animal or parts of it on anyone's shoes. The scent was uncomfortably thick. I tried to go to the opposite end of the car, but the odor remained. In the absence of a clear evidence of skunk spray or residues, I instinctively avoided stepping or sitting on any sort of dark stain. But of course, on BART, there are dark stains everywhere on the seats and carpet, causing me to awkwardly tip-toe down the aisle to sit down on a seat that appeared less dirty.

The scent bothered me for about 2 stops, but soon enough, I became part of the scent. I felt it on my hair, my clothes, my skin. To make matters worse, the train got extremely crowded. I was dying for fresh air. But instead of fresh air, I got the breath from the man standing next to my seat. His breathing, in and out, in and out, caused the pages of my book to flip. I looked up at him to give him a hint that I did not enjoy his heavy breath. Instead, however, I got a way-too-close view of his huge, round, hairy, dime-sized nostrils. YUCK! After that, I feared that particles will be coming out of his nose with his breath.

Finally, I arrived at my stop. I dashed out quickly for some fresh air. I can't tell whether the skunk odor has penetrated my clothing, but I'm washing them anyways!

It's Wednesday, not Thursday!

There were delays today, but luckily, it didn't affect my route yet! Again, I luckily arrived on time.

The train operator today announced welcomed passengers onto the train every three stations and loudly announced, "Welcome aboard on this lovely Thursday of the new year". It really was no big deal and no one seemed visibly annoyed. Most of us just looked up for a second and made a face and returned to our newspapers, books, or blackberries. But since it was early morning, and I was tired, therefore irritable, each time she mistakenly announced Thursday, it bugged me. It's not that hard to get your days straight. And....if you're not sure, don't announce it since the rest of us know very well what day it is.

Well, like I said, not a huge deal, just a tad bit irritating after 3 times.

I wished it was Thursday...closer to the weekend.

A good start to the new year with BART, maybe?

With the new increased tolls on the bridges and the first day of work after the holidays, I anticipated today's BART ride to SF to be a horrendously crowded and delayed. I thought I would have at ton of new complaints to But instead, it was ridiculously ontime..the second the arrival time flashed on the clock, the train arrived! Not only that, I got a seat!

It's probably because there are still folks on vacation and I know some companies gave today off too. But still, it's nice to have SOMETHING go my way today.

Hope that in 2007, BART trains will have a higher ontime arrival percentage, no more fare and parking fee hikes, and new plastic flooring. Actually, just the first two will please me enough.

happy new year!

Going to take BART out to the city tonight, instead of driving. Much safer, quicker and cheaper on one of the busiest and dangerous night driving across the Bay Bridge.

Thanks for being part of my daily commute in 2006. Happy new year, everyone!

Ugh....back to work on Tuesday!

Done with work for the year, but not done with BART!

Tomorrow is our last day of work since the company shuts down the week between Xmas and New Year's Day. I'll be working from home tomorrow and have had my last BART ride to work of the year!

Thanks for hearing me vent about (and sometimes compliment) BART all year and thanks for all the comments, whether you are agreeing, disagreeing, or just writing me to tell me that I'm ridiulous :)

I'll likely have one more BART ride before the year is over....that is riding to Emerald Bowl (ATT Park) on 12/27 to watch my UCLA Bruins play against Florida St. Seminoles in a meaningless bowl game. I'll see if I encounter anything worth writing about there, like if some Florida native is holding up the BART doors for his/her family and delaying everyone's trip!

In case I don't write again before the new year (although it's likely I will since I am not leaving for vacation or anything)-- Happy holidays, everyone!!

BART tickets? Not the worst gift!

I overheard someone say that the worst gift they've ever received for Xmas (secret santa) was a stash of BART tickets. I don't think it's that bad! I mean, you will always have a use for them, if not now...then later in life! Or, you can always sell them for a lower price? That's not a bad gift at all! Not the most exciting gift for sure, but very very practical!

You know what the worst is I've ever received? Actually, it wasn't just for me. It was for my husband and me together, which actually makes it WORSE! It was an extended family secret santa exchange. Keep that fact in mind because that's what also made this so terrible- you are giving a gift in front of all your relatives to another family member!! Pride and reputation is involved here.

Anyhow, we received a fake gold plated set of manicure set (gold clippers, gold tweezers...etc) with a dusty and yellowed plastic film over the instruments, inside a rubbery smelling fake leather zip-up pouch. The worst part was...inside one of the nail clippers was a nail clipping!!!

I don't know how this particular relative found (or dug up) this old manicure set from the 70s (judging by the yellowed plastic covering) but this was either an "innocent" re-gift, or a complete act of cheapness.

So, BART tickets for Xmas? I'll take that anytime over old gold nail clippers!

Carpet vs. plastic floors?

I've been wanting to discuss this topic for quite a few weeks now. BART announced that it plans to replace dirty train carpet with plastic, easy to clean floors? Good idea? I definitely think so!!

The carpet is so dirty that I really can't picture in my head what the color was like when it was new? Something blue-greenish I think? We often see gum, blood, coffee stains, fruit roll-up chunks, pen stains all over the carpet...plastice floors will be a welcomed change!

Of course, there will still be inconsiderate people who prefers to throw their gum on the plastic floors (they just need to be fined!), but this decision is already a huge step forward!

Read the article about BART flooring here.

5 more work days until time off!

These 5 days before the holidays are the best in terms of commuting to work. For those of us who still have to work these 5 days leading into the holidays, at least we get to enjoy lighter traffic, open seats on BART, more parking spaces at the stations and just fewer people in our way in general.

I also tend to be in an extra good mood during the week before Xmas; a lot more tolerant, a lot more sociable and a lot more considerate on BART :) Who knows, maybe I'll only have good things to write about next week on BART musings.

Hope you all are almost done with your holiday shopping! I'm only about 50% done and running out of ideas!!!

Smooth sailing today except...

Today's ride was actually enjoyable. No mishaps and early arrival. Best combination.

However, as soon as I took two steps out of the train upon my arrival, I heard a loud and vulgar sound. It was the sound of a man hurling and puking into the train tracks. After round one, he loudly cleaned out his stomach and throat yet again to let out another colorful pile onto the tracks. Juding by the volume, it seemed like he was in a lot of pain. But, after puking twice into the tracks, he grabbed his bag and walked on.

The sound is clearly engrained in my head still. At least 50 people heard and saw him. I bet I know what they're thinking of as they walked to work this morning.

Rainy days are always bad days on BART

I can't even begin to discuss how many things went wrong today. I prepare myself for a bad BART ride everytime I see rain but today was beyond expectations. First, the estimated 5-7 minutes delay was actually more like 15-17 minutes. Of course, when the trains are THAT delayed, each train is packed to beyond maximum capacity. Wet umbrellas were sticking to me. There were passengers with luggage trying to squeeze on, but have no clue that they just landed their luggage on top of someone's foot. There are passengers who refuse to step out of the train for a moment to let other passengers get off at a stop. Then there are waiting passengers who insist on squeezing onto the train when there is evidently no room left.

I stood between two tourists with horrendously bad breath. They were probably just 4 inches away from my face. They kept on talking and talking. I wished I still had my cold so I didn't have to smell them anymore. Don't they smell each others' breath?? How could they stand it?
I turned my neck unnaturally to the left to try to get away from their breath.....now I have a neck sore.

But this was not all. The delay caused me to miss two company shuttle pick-ups. I was about 7 minutes from the next pick-up so I thought I could treat myself to a hot cup of coffee at Starbucks. Usually, 3-5 minutes is enough time to get some coffee. But today, an idiotic cashier was working the lines...she was not only slow but messed up on people's orders. Then, they ran out of coffee! The cashier DIDN'T KNOW how to make a new fresh pot....and held up the line for about 3 minutes.

Finally, I looked out the STarbucks window and saw my shuttle pass by me. I thought I could still make it if I got my coffee right then! But of course...I didn't get it until 2 minutes later, and missed the shuttle.

Horrible start to the day.

Sometimes we just need a reminder

This morning, instead of taking BART to SF, I felt the urge to drive and deal with the traffic. I got a hot cup of eggnog latte and was ready to face whatever condition of traffic on the Bay Bridge. For some reason, I didn't mind the traffic today. I am still a little under the weather and just preferred to sit still in my own car than dealing with people on BART.

Not only that, I just felt like thinking in silence today. A former co-worker of mine (James Kim) was found dead after 11 days missing in Oregon and although we had not spoken in nearly 3 years, his ordeal brought out a series of emotions in me, as it did to everyone. From shock, worry, optimism, sadness, to self-reflection, I was reminded again how vulnerable life is and how often we wrongly prioritize things in life.

Instead of focusing on the Bay Bridge traffic today, I decided to look around, enjoy the gorgeous Bay view and weather. It was like rediscovering just how beautiful the Bay Area is. I even had an appreciation for the progress on the new bridge construction as I examined the beams, rods, and new concrete. Of course I know this positivity will last forever (or past this week), but at least for today, I will not let little things like traffic delays or no parking irritate me.

I really have a great life and am truly lucky.

Attack of the birds

BART was 6 minutes late today and caused me to miss my shuttle pick-up. I had the wonderful opportunity to "sightsee" in the lovely Civic Center BART vicinity today.

First thing I saw was a homeless man peeing in the corner. Apparently he missed, peed on part of his sweats, and was cussing and screaming into the sky.

Second thing I saw was frightening. I don't like birds, especially if there are many of them together. I also don't like them to be too close to me (had a bad aviary incident in a zoo about 7 years ago). Someone dropped a large, whole chocolate chip cookie on the ground. This cookie was huge, about 4.5 inches wide, with lots of chocolate chips! This cookie probably fell 3 feet in front of me! Suddenly, pigeons and other birds from all over the area flew right in front of me and started fighting for the cookie. There were at least 50-60 birds of all sizes. They were all trying to get a piece of it. Those who couldn't get close enough to the cookie decided to peck each other to fight their way in. It was vicious and ruthless. They were pecking at each others' heads, wings...anything...just to get an inch or two closer to the cookie. After all that pecking, the cookie broke into 2 pieces. The birds then fought for positioning all over again.

I took a few steps back and just watched these birds feasting on this cookie. FINALLY, one bus pulled over to park...the birds realized they had to move, and all 50-60 of them just flew up, over my head. Yes...my fear...I let out a quick squeal from the shock, but pretended nothing had happened to save face since there were several people near me.

I'm not acting

I don't know what happened or what I ate, but I woke up this morning feeling pains in my stomach and felt the constant urge to regurgitate (sorry!). I knew that BART would be a tough ride today. I saw an empty seat on the train, but it was a "handicapped" seat. I usually avoid taking those seats, but today, I actually felt like I needed to.

Mid-way through the ride, a woman in her late 40s maybe, tells me that she needs to sit down because she can't keep her balance. There were 3 men seated in the other handicapped seats- one overweight, one appeared to be asleep and the other is a senior. (Not trying to suggest anything here- that debate took place a few months ago, in a couple other blog entries). I guess I was the person most likely to give up my seat in this situation. But I really did not feel well. I continued to fight back any urge to throw up.

So, I told her nicely, "I'm sorry, I really don't feel well today, I need to sit down." She didn't buy it but before she can get mad at me, another male passenger a few feet away told her she can have his seat. Confrontation avoided. She sat over there and left me alone.

I just continued to close my eyes with my head back. No one else asked me to give up the seat. I made it OK to work, but now I have to deal with the rest of the day, hoping that this sickness or whatever it is will just go away!

Go ahead, ask me why I am sneezing and sniffling!

The ride to work this morning was painful. I was sniffling and sneezing nonstop. No, I do not have a cold. My nose and sense of smell was attacked by a man wearing way too much cologne. I wanted to change seats but there wasn't anywhere else to sit and with my heavy bag today, I didn't want to stand. The strong scent from the cologne was bothering me the entire time- it was absolutely overpowering. I first fought back the sneezes but it was almost like poison and within a minute or two, my nose and any sense of nasal control I had left completely gave in.

I sniffled and sneezed. This man kept on looking at me, seemingly annoyed that I was having nasal issues. His looks turned into impatient stares. I just stared at him back.

I wanted him to ASK ME WHY I WAS MAKING NOISE??? WHY WAS I SNIFFLING AND SNEEZING EVERY OTHER MINUTE???? OR TELL M I AM MAKING TOO MUCH NOISE! GO AHEAD, ASK ME!

Because if he did, I would have LOVED to take that opportunity to be a bitch and tell him that his cologne stinks and putting on cologne does not a) attract dates, b) cover up any body odors, c) boost self confidence, and d) take place of showers.

Must be the "holiday spirit" ?!?

I don't know if it's because the holidays are coming up, and you see red, green, fake snow and lights everywhere, but something in the air is making BART passengers very social and friendly to each other. I've been seeing strangers striking up conversations randomly and talk the entire way through the ride...some even go as far as exchanging business cards!!

BART passengers generally try to avoid talking to each other. We usually bury our faces in reading material, sleep, or completely tune out to surrounding noises with music. It is quite rare to see someone say, "Oh! I like your phone! Where did you get it?" and start blabbering away from there on.

I have not yet sat next to someone who wanted to chat...I don't know if I want to. I love the holidays but when it comes to socializing early in the morning when I'm still sleepy, or socializing in the evening when I'm completely drained by work, I remain a Scrooge! However, in my defense, I will always be polite should someone talk to me!

Got so lucky today!

As lame as this sounds, what I'm about to describe is one of the most satisfying and gratifying moments I've experienced as a BART passenger. It doesn't happen often but when it does, I feel like I've won something huge or I've beat the system.

OK....so I had no idea there was a bad BART delay today until after I got on the train. I drove to the station and parked my car like I normally would. Due to slightly lighter traffic, I got there a few minutes earlier than usual, leaving me about 8 minute before my train is scheduled to arrive. I thought, oh great, I'm too early, I'll now have to stand out in the freezing cold (32 degrees in Orinda) for waiting for the train.

Usually, when I have this much time left before my train, I take my time walking to the station and I stand on the escalators instead of walking up the steps. Today, because I was so cold, I thought maybe I'll just jog to get my body temperature up.

I ran to the station and as I inserted my ticket in the gate, I heard the train arrive. I thought it might have been the train going towards Pittsburg but I still ran up the stairs anyways. Lucky that I did because I barely made it onto the San Francisco train!! The next SF/Daily City train is 18 minutes behind!!!

Whew...I was pretty proud of myself. I felt like I stole one and got lucky. Otherwise, with the delay, I probably would have missed 2 shuttle pickups to work and not get in until 10am.

Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket??

The every-other-step rule

On the up-escalator today, a woman with a huge backpack violated the every-other step rule and almost caused a dangerous downward domino affect. She was clueless. She was SO fickle about where she wanted to stand on the escalator. She looked like she was about to take on the step that is two steps above mine but then suddenly changed her mind and just casually and cluelessly took one step down.

As she did that, her oversized backpack pushed my face! She had no clue! I lost my balance. I was tipping backwards. My torso leaned backwards unnaturally in a desperate attempt to hold my body upright without causing the passengers behind me to fall over. Luckily, the man in back of me saw what happened and anticipated that I would be stepping backwards to hold my balance. So, he stepped back, right when I suddenly placed one foot back to hold my body upright.

This woman had no clue what she did and just walked out of the station.

Stupidity or misinterpretation?

Ran into something outrageous today. I think this couple has never ever taken BART. They had 5 pieces of luggage with them and looked really winded in front of the station agent's window. I had some extra time so I wasn't running as usual...I slowly walked towards the the ticket gates and got a good portion of their conversation.

Apparently, they were very upset with the station agent and BART for some reason. I listened closely and found out that they were waiting by their parking space for over 20 minutes for the BART shuttle (first of all, no such thing) to pick them up from their space to bring them and their 5 pieces of luggage to the ticket gates. They saw the "County Connection" buses and mistaken them for BART parking shuttles. The couple said BART shouldn't have advertised that holiday travelers can park their long-term and take BART to the airport because long-term airport parking lots transport the patrons and their luggage.

I know how large and expansive some BART parking lots can be...especially for people with suitcases, but this is just plain stupid! Have they never taken BART? Do they actually think that BART cares about people's ability to carry 5 suitcases while walking a quarter mile to the platform?

Quite an entertaining little observation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Driving on Empty

No BART for me today since I had to drive to San Jose for work. Traffic wasn't too terrible on 680 since a lot of people have already left for Thanksgiving. I was trying to make a 10am meeting and it was already past 9am. I needed every minute. My fuel level was probably at about 2 notches over the 1/4 mark when I left home this morning and I figured on a light traffic day, I should be able to make the roundtrip (120 miles) on over a quarter tank of gas left! HOW WRONG I WAS!

By the time I got to San Jose, a quarter tank was gone....the fuel was probably just 2 notches over "E" at this point. I knew that I would need to fill upfor sure before I reach Orinda, but I was hoping maybe I could fill up around San Ramon, or somewhere else off 680 that I am sort of familiar with and know it's safe to get gas. The gas stations near my San Jose freeway entrance are pretty shady and I've never had good experiences there....so I try to avoid filling up there when I can. Besides, I wanted to beat rush hour traffic...so yet again, every minute of headstart counts.

Within 3 miles on the freeway, the needle dropped to "E" for some reason. I knew I could still get at least 15-20 miles out of what is left of the tank so I kept on going. Well, around Sunol Grade/Sunol Pass, I started hearing loud airy pumping sounds whenever I stepped on the gas pedal. Whenever I stepped hard on the pedal, I noticed the car was not going faster. I took the nearest exit, hoping that there's a gas station....and to my dismay, there wasn't ANY in sight. I kept going, passing 3 lights. The car, at this point, was really not moving much anymore. Then I thought I saw a Chevron sign..I very slowly turned in but noticed it was a Speedy Oil Change with a "Chevron Lubricant" sign. Oh great...I thought....what the heck am I going to do?

The mechanics at Speedy Oil Change were nice enough to dump in some gasoline (from a huge 10 gallon tank) into my car, spilling gas everywhere. They also told me that the nearest gas station was 4 miles down and it would not have been good to get stuck on the street without gas since it wasn't the best neighborhood.

I guess I got pretty luck that I was able to land my car there. I made it to the gas station, filled up and drove back home.

This was the first time ever that I've ran out of gas. I usually am pretty careful about filling up before a long trip but today...I don't know what came over me. Glad things worked out OK.

Tomorrow...I'm happy to be back on BART!

It's been awhile...

Wow, I think aside from vacations, this really is the longest lapse between posts. It's been one nutty week- on top of a very stressful week at work, I was also ill with bad food allergies.

The only noteworthy thing from BART this week was seeing fresh barf stains during one of my morning rides. It looked like someone make an effort to clean it, but there were still bits and pieces of particles left behind in addition to the big, heavy smear of residues. There was a faint but very recognizable lingering scent around the area. I was already feeling sick in my stomach from my food allergies and seeing and smellin the stain only made me sicker. I had to rub my hands with my coconut lotion and cover my nose with it to prevent myself from creating another stain for the rest of the passengers. I was glad to make it through the ride without causing a scene.

I'm looking forward to a light commute next week with many people taking the entire week of for Thanksgiving.

Good BART, bad shuttle

It's really been too good on BART this week. It's been on time, I get a seat the way there and back, and I haven't ran into anyone abnormal, inconsiderate, or annoying on the train. Wow!

On the other hand, it is my company shuttle that has been late and keeping me out in the cold, windy and VERY smelly corner of Market & 7th. With the extra minutes that I had around the Civic Center area, I got to do a lot more sightseeing. I saw a homeless man screaming **CK YOU at everyone who walked by him, a disoriented homeless woman wearing leotard, torn stockings and an old smelly jacket mumbling to herself, and another homeless man looking into the trashcan, throwing out items he didn't want to eat and stuffing the items he does want to eat into his mouth. Very sad observations...and they say homeless population in SF has declined?? Perhaps it has, but in the last few years, the homeless population in the Civic Center area seems to only have increased.

Anyhow, I hope the luck I've been having with BART continues! Hope I didn't jinx it.

Performers at stations

Especially along the downtown SF exits, there are always performers inside the station, by the exit elevators. Whether it's a string quartet, gospel singer, saxaphone, harp, barbershop singers, mariachi or Chinese instrument, you always expect some form of entertainment when you exit one of the downtown stations.

I always wonder though, if they take a spot on a first come first serve basis. It seems like there is a different one each day of the week, but on a given Friday, or a Tuesday, you see the same performer.How do they work out the schedule, if there is one? Or is it truly just first come, first serve.

I also wonder how much they make? I think the good ones do pretty well! I've seen the same gospel singer many times and he is really good! I always give him a buck, and see many others open up their wallets. The mariachi guitarist is not very good at all. The mariachi guitarist is not very good- he cannot sing in tune- it might just be better if he sticks with guitar! His guitar case is always near empty, with a couple coins, and I've yet to see someone give him money.

What I don't understand is why a string quartet would sit inside the station to perform? Is it to practice? They can easily get at least $500 for playing an hour at a wedding. Do they need the spare change that badly for all 4 of them to get out there with a cello case open?

Well, for whatever reason, I think it's good that they're out there, making a few bucks, with their musical talent!

Oh yes, it's Halloween!

I forgot it was Halloween today until I saw a man on BART putting on white paint on his face to finish his ghostly look. His hair was spiked with some red, blood-like streaks and he attached a fake ax on his head. He frightened me initially until I realized, oh yeah, it is Halloween!

You just don't see too many adults dressed in costumes at work anymore...although I did see a man dressed up in a large, full-on dinosaur or lizard costume at my work. A few people had shirts, wigs and buttons, but not a lot of costumes.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Update to "Parking Situation at Orinda"

Well, I got my answer to why all of a sudden the reserved lot was no longer "reserved". Apparently, they expanded the general parking area and downsized the reserved lot by 1/3. The agents have been passing out flyers the past 2 weeks but being in a rush as always, I never grabbed one. My fault, I suppose.

This is unfair! I pay a premium for a RESERVED space! Why do I now have to come in extremely early, a total inconvenience to my personal schedule, just so I have a space to park in? What is the point then of paying a premium for a reserved spot??? I have my own schedule, my own life. I don't want to have to adjust it just so I park at BART to get to work. That is why people have the option of paying for a reserved spot!

Parking situation at Orinda

I've been going to the same station and parking my car around the same vicinity of the parking lot for quite some time now and not sure what was happening today with the Orinda reserved parkingarea. Usually,at least 25-35% of spaces remain vacant when I get there. It takes me 10 seconds to pull into the lot, park and get out of my car.

Today, the entire reserved lot was full, in addition to the entire general lot! I arrived around the same time as usual! I didn't leave myself enough time to circle around the entire bart parking perimeter 3 times searching for a vacancy and as a result, I missed my train.

I ended up parking in the farthest corner of the reserved/fee area in a 3/4 space (where a SUV took 1/4 of my space). I hope this was just some one-day craze in the parking lot, otherwise, why did I bother paying $$ for a reserved permit??

Where is the CHP when you need them?

I drive down to San Jose for work meetings once a week or so and it is a break from BART despite the horrendous traffic and distance. These long drives down to San Jose make me appreciate BART and keep my insignificant complaints to a minimum!

One thing that always irritates me about driving is the lack of CHP presence when 75% of the cars in the carpool lanes aren't authorized to be in there! I've learned my lesson the hard way- over 8 years ago, I used to take the carpool lane on 880 south to skip through all the bumper to bumper traffic (this was before the dot-come bust). I knew the only way I'd stop is if I get caught. After 4 months of doing that, I got caught and paid the $270+ ticket. After that, I never did it again.

But every week, I see cars with single driver (and no hybrid carpool sticker) zipping past me at 70+ mph on 680 N in the evening, while I'm barely moving at 15mph at best (the really slow and bad stretch start around San Ramon all the way to the 24E on ramp) . Where is the CHP?? Why have I not seen anyone get pulled over yet? I'm sure CHP is around, but I want to see sirens go off in front of me...for my selfish reasons!

Sometimes I wish I had a device that makes the CHP siren sound and blast it whenever a single-driver car zips right by me in the carpool lane! It will make me feel better sitting in traffic if I can see their worried faces!

Blind man aboard and no one gives up seat!

The way home was extremely packed today. A blind man walks into the train, and no one gave up their seat!! The two suited men in the immediate handicapped seats looked at the Treo and Blackberry, working away...purposely or not. Another young woman with a bunch of shopping bags just stared. Two other older passengers didn't get up either, maybe thinking they are entitled to the 'senior citizen' seats.

I was standing, waiting for someone to please just get up and not be so inconsiderate. The train started moving and the blind man was still standing..and wobbling. He grabbed a metal pole, tried to balance with his stick, and at that point, someone way in the back finally asked him to take his seat.

Yet another sighting of the lack of compassion and courtesy in our culture.

Luggage pieces taking up two seats!

In the 4-seat area today, I walked toward to what seemed like an empty seat, but realized soon that it had a piece of luggage on top of it with another piece leaning against it. And right across, the same situation: a luggage on top of it with two smaller bags leaning against the seat. In the other two seats of this quad area were two senior citizens obsiouvly going on vacation, judging by their visors and matching sweats. I wanted to ask them to remove the luggage but didn't because they were older, and there were A LOT of pieces of luggage altogether and I didn't feel like doing any heavylifting for them! I found a seat somewhere else.

Later, the train got more and more crowded, and people were eyeing those seats. Then, finally, someone spoke up. A female passenger asked the old couple to move their luggage. To my surprise, the husband said, "No, we can't move the luggage. We have fragile things in there." I think the female passenger was taken aback by his response and just rolled her eyes and left. That was one of the most selfish and irrational things (from the old couple) I've heard on BART.

I don't care how old they are- they can't justify putting their luggage over two seats! Fragile items??? Who cares? What makes their fragile items more special than someone else's?? If they were that worried about the fragile things inside the luggage, just stand then, and hold the luggage pieces upright! And how could fragile items break anyways when it is packed in such a LARGE-sized suitcase! They really do think they are more special than everyone else- and that makes me regret not saying anything to them just because I wanted to be respectful since they were old.

A compliment

Bear with me on this one. It's going to be hard describing what was going through my head. The ride home today was very crowded, more packed than usual. I'm guessing it partially had to do with the Oracle OpenWorld currently taking place in Downtown SF.

After going east in the Transbay Tube, no one got off at West Oakland. Then at the Oakland City Center station, quite a few people squeezed themsleves onto the trian, including an older man, appearing a little bit crippled and using a cane.

I didn't sit in one of the designated senior citizen or disabled seats, but I was just a row away from the train doors. I got up, asked the man if he would like to sit down, he kindly declined, I asked him again, and he explained that he had been sitting all day and that he'll be alright. I decided to respect his decision and sat back down (He later sat down in a senior seat after a passenger left at the next station).

A few moments later, a man dressed in a suit came up to me to tell me, "That was a really nice thing that you did, giving up your seat. You just don't see people doing that type of thing anymore." Since it was a crowded train, quite a few people heard. And whether true or not, it felt like there were people glancing at me for some sort of response. His compliment caught me by surprise- I didn't know how to respond. I studdered a bit, "oh, um, yeah, I felt it was something I should do." Let me tell you, however, what was going through my head at the point and after.

1) I don't always give up to everyone with gray hair. I've explained this in one of my first posts- I've had people (with gray hair) get mad at me for asking them if they need to sit down since they are not senior citizen age. However, I do give up my seat always (no matter where I am seated, like today, in a "regular" seat) for anyone who appears to be handicapped, pregnant, or a "true" senior citizen. So, his comment made me a little sheepish since I am not always so "noble".

2) I also felt weird that so many people were around while he said that. I didn't do it to get "attention". The worst part was, after that, at every stop, I felt obligated to give up my seat for anyone who looks like that might be around the 60+ age. I am not imagining this, but each time someone older walked in, I saw a couple people look at me to see if I will do something. Anyhow, I ended up just getting up and stood the rest of the ride. I rather not feel like I am "expected" to do the "right" thing.

Weird thought process, I know. You just have to be there to understand I guess. It's sad that giving up a seat to someone who is more in need has become such a rarity that it needs to draw attention. If you refer back to all the comments going back and forth in my previous posts about giving up your seat to the handicapped, seniors or pregnant women, you'll realize how selfish our society has become.

Smooth and on-time

This was the first week in a LONG time that my morning BART train was on time every single day! I didn't need to dash to beat the shuttle pick-up once this week!

What a rarity but I'll take it! I've forgotten what it felt like to not feel the constant stress of getting to Civic Center within a certain time so I don't miss the company shuttle. Usually, out of 5 days, BART is late once or twice, causing me to run like crazy up the two flights of excalators, then across the street, in time to wave down the shuttle as it departs. 50% of the time, I don't make it on!

Thanks for being ontime all week this week, BART. I hope this continues next week and beyond.

Human repellent

Somehow a homeless man got on the train and whoa, he carried a very pungent smell. The scent instantly permeated through the train and one by one, everyone seated near him quietly got up and walked to the other side of the train or to another car altogether. I was seated two rows from him. I tried to be brave about it and not let the scent get to me, but I couldn't do it after 2 minutes. I got up and slipped into a seat on the opposite of the trian. Many other passengers followed. Those who couldn't find a seat ended up standing on the other side of the train! Anything to get away from the smell.

After 3 stops, there were a bunch of empty seats around this homeless man. He didn't mind or notice. He was sound asleep with his feel hanging off the edge of the seat.

I'm not bashing on the homeless by any means! If they are paying to ride BART to go somewhere, then I think they definitely belong there, whether they smell or not. But if they are sleeping in a warm train, I think someone (train operator perhaps? or BART police?) needs to do something about it!

Should the homeless keep dogs?

I've seen this around the Civic Center BART station several times but today's observation triggered me to write this post. I've seen this at least 5 or 6 times now while waiting for the company shuttle at Market/8th a few homeless folks who have dog(s). These dogs are in horrible conditions. I saw one pit bull who have open cuts and sores on his body. In the past year, I've seen this other German shepherd that is so darn skinny that I can see his rib cage and rib definitions clearly. I've also seen a pair of dogs owned by a homeless man who not only have very dirty fur in poor condition but are muzzled everytime I see them (I know that doesn't mean they are always muzzled but the muzzle looks home-made and is way too tight!)

I am certain they love their dogs and really appreciate their companionship while everything else seems to go against them. I definitely understand the bond between humans and dogs-- I can't imagine life without mine.

However, if it is already so difficult for the homeless to feed themselves, wash themselves, keep themselves warm and healthy, I think it would be much better for both if they give up their pets to animal shelters or SPCA so the animals can receive regular meals, shots, flea control, baths, vet checkups and just a warm loving home.

I'm not sure if homeless shelters allow pets, my guess is no. I just feel that in this case, it would be better for the homeless to seek help in shelters or programs, and let the dogs heal in animal shelters and adoptive homes.

Smart train operator!

I thought the train operator this morning was pretty darn clever!! At every single stop, she announces, (not in exact words) "The designated seats by the doors are reserved for the elderly and disabled. If you are seated, please give your seats up to the any elderly and disabled passengers around you."

Because she so loudly broadcasted this message, everyone immediately looked at the people who were seated in the area. Any non-elderly and non-disabled passengers seated there, due to the attention focused on them, reluctantly got up and ask anyone who appeared to be a senior citizen to take their seats instead. It was quite funny. No one wanted to sit there anymore except for the elderly (there were no handicapped passengers around). Once an elderly person exits the train, the seat remains empty until someone new comes in and unknowingly sits down. They immediately get up again, however, once they hear the train operator's message.

The train was fairly full, with people standing. But still, because of this loud and clear message, passengers, for the first time I've seen, have been overly considerate about giving up the reserved seats to elderly and disabled.

Good going, train operator!

Putting small amount tickets to good use!

I may be the last BART commuter to learn about this, but better late than never! For quite some time, I've seen the scrolling screens on the platforms mentioning organizations that take unused small amount tickets as donation, but have not remembered to look into it further. I've been saving my small amount tickets for a long time in an envelope and I would guess, by now, they add up to over $50. BART stores don't take these small amount tickets (under a certain amount, I forgot exactly how much) and I just didn't take the time find out what else I needed to do to turn that change into a larger amount ticket. Thus, the tickets have just been sitting there in my drawer.

Today, I was reminded again by the scrolling bulletin about donating small amount tickets to organizations. I researched on the Internet and learned that there are actually quite a few places that take small amount tickets as donation. For example, Project Second Chance, Homeless Prenatal Program, Genard AIDS Foundation to name a few.

I'm sure many of you already knew about this and have been donating for years, but I'm glad that I finally learned of it and can put the huge stack of unused small amount tickets to good use.

If this is the first time you've heard of it, better late than never!

Not about BART, but equally worthy of a rant

Usually, when you call to activate a credit card, you are punching in numbers from your home phone in response to an automated system. Short, simple and hassle-free. However, today, I had to activate a renewed Citi card and to my dismay, I got a LIVE operator after punching in my 16 digit number. I had to experience this once with another card activation and I knew what I was about to face.

This live operator confirmed my ID and began selling me services. The first sell was the credit protection program. I got suckered into this free trial 2 years ago with that other live activation, and ended paying for it for a month before I had the chance to cancel by phone (which by the way, was a very un-userfriendly procedure by design). Before this operator started to read off the information, I said, no, I'm not interested. He then said, but this is free for 2 weeks with no obligation. I said no, I've tried it before, I do not want it. He pushed further by telling me that this is very beneficial and even if I do not like it, I can cancel but keep the free credit report. I said, I know my credit report and have access to it easily. He ignored me and read of the entire 45 seconds worth of description and concluded, "Would you like to enroll in this free trial?" I said for the 4th time, NO! Gosh...is this a timeshare presentation??? Goodness!

It's not over!! Then he started to sell me the theft protection program. Before he even started with his mandatory language, I interrupted forcefully with "No, thank you. I am not interested in anything today." He then said, "I respect your decision" and moved on to say good-bye.

CitiCards really shouldn't be forcing us to talk with a live person like this! Activation is supposed to just be simple and take 10 seconds. This is trapping us! If it weren't for the nice point system I've already established with this program, I would have cut the card up just for putting me through this.

I needed to rant! Thanks for reading :)

Litterbugs on BART

Here's another reason why I don't like sitting by the window, if I had the choice to not. This morning, in a crowded train, I sat in the window seat. I noticed some gum wrappers on the floor, but no big deal, I sat down on the seat. Then, as I settled in, I noticed the sliver of space between the seat and window had a large medley of trash stuffed in there. I was grossed out, but for some reason, I felt the urge to look what people were stuffing in there. I saw individual-sized Doritos bag, straw wrapper, Saran wrap, portions of a mini-donuts plastic wrapper, and a Peet's napkin. Impressive amount of trash for a small space.

Of course it doesn't surprise me that there are inconsiderate passengers on BART. Personally, I don't EAT or DRINK on BART, since that's the rule anyways. But if you choose to sneak a few bites of breakfast or snack, please have the courtesy to pick up after yourself and not leave trash on the seats, or even STUPIDLY trying to hide the trash by stuffing it in between empty spaces.

I'll read what you read

A fairly relaxing ride to SF today.....except the man next to me was reading my Frontgate catelog along with me today during the entire ride.

I didn't have magazines left to read since it's Friday and I've finished my weekly issues. I grabbed the Frontgate catelog last minute to research Xmas decorations and Xmas gift ideas! Frontgate is cool! There are always tons of neat things in there. Maybe that is why the man seated next to me couldn't resist stretching his neck over to my side to check out the gadgets on each page. His head was about 6 inches next to mine, at a 45 degree angle towards the catalog.

I just pretended I didn't notice that we were sharing reading materials. But then, he commented, "My father in law has this watch and he likes it a lot." I answered, "Oh, cool."

I guess he didn't want to keep it a secret that he was looking at the catalog too and preferred to have a conversation over the products. I wasn't in a talking mood. So I nicely asked if he wanted to look at it while I took a nap before "a long day of work". He declined and I spent the rest of the ride (just a few more minutes left at this point) with my eyes closed.

Example of a BART rule breaker

I saw a woman today who had broken most of the BART rules and etiquettes that I am aware of in the short 30 minutes that I had observed her from afar.

First, she stood on the left side of the escalator while blocking the right side with her bags. Then, she sat in the handicapped reserved seats as several elderly passengers were walking in. Later, she took her boots off and stretched her legs out while blocking substantial standing room. After that, she took out a croissant with egg and cheese from her bag and a jug of beverage and enjoyed her breakfast during the ride. Finally, she almost blocked a door from closing because she was still putting her boots back on as people were exiting.

I guess when someone has total disregard for rules and etiquette, they really just don't care.

But at least she paid a ticket to get in instead of walking through the side doors! That's something!

Passing on BART etiquette to the next generation

I saw something very cute today. I saw parents teaching their kids basic BART station etiquette. A man and a woman, brought 3 little ones with them to the BART station. After getting everyone's tickets, the kids immediately ran to the ticket entry, occupying 3 different entry gates. The parents told the kids they should line up one by one, in front of one entry gate, to let others use the others. The kids listened, formed a little line, and got through one by one through the right entry gate.

At the escalator, the parents told the kids that they should all line up on the right side and hold hands while letting other people pass on the left. It was very cute. The kids listened and held each other's hands, while scooting to the right to let others walk up the escalators.

It was very adorable. Also, it was great to see parents teaching the little ones to be considerate of others. I've seen many instances where kids clog up the entrance and escalators while the parents just let them. It's not a big deal at all, I mean, they are kids and don't know any better, but it's refreshing to see parents who care enough to teach the kids etiquette, even at such a young age.

Unique but dangerous talent

I drove today. It was a long miserable drive. Although, one interesting thing happened. I saw a man steering with his left foot. No, not his knees, but his foot. The left foot was raised up and grasping onto the steering wheel. His hands were occupied-- he was eating a burger or something.

That's quite a unique skill, although extremely irresponsible and dangerous. I wonder how often he does that and how a CHP officer would respond to that sight!

It's a conversation between A and B...

I sat next to a friendly blind man today who really wanted to talk during the ride from SF to East Bay. We chatted sporadically about BART's accessibility for the blind (to that, he says BART is not bad but it is important for the station agents and the train operators to speak loudly, slowly and clearly), his desire to find a job, and how he became independent as a blind. I found his independence and self-sufficiency very impressive. During our chat, the train operator announced, "We have been asked to be on a holding pattern. We will be moving in just a moment." Everyone sighed and whined.

The blind man said half sarcastically, "Oh great, just what we need, another delay. Always happens to me." At this moment, the train air system shuts down. The man said, "Great, now the engine shuts down. We are going to be stuck here for some time." He chuckled and shook his head. I didn't think anything of it and just responded, "Gosh, I hope not."

At this time, a random woman sitting across from us yells at him impatiently, "It's not the engine. There is no engine on BART. There is no motor on BART! We are not going to be stuck here. There is not need to panic and exaggerate and make everyone miserable!!!"

What the heck is her problem? No one asked her for opinion. No one asked her to listen or butt in our conversation! There are at least 50 others within a distance that could hear what we are saying but no one else complained. What is her issue? I didn't say anything back to her. The blind man didn't do anything either. I just looked at her with one raised eyebrow.

The train started moving after 3 minutes on hold. Still, who asked for her opinion? We can say whatever we want...it's not like his statement was that far from the truth!

First time ever that I could not squeeze myself onto a crowded train

There was a bad delay this morning getting into the city. I haven't researched why exactly yet but it must have been a seriously long delay because I have never experienced overcrowdedness like this before on BART. And that is a pretty bold statement.

Usually, in ordinary 15+ min delay situations, when there is an overly packed train (so packed that there is no standing room left and any standing passengers squeezing in are barely inside the train), I have no problems sneaking myself in there. I'm fairly thin, average height, and very considerate with my computer bag placement, so I don't take up much room. People aren't happy to accommodate me in the crowded train, but after realizing that I don't really take that much space up from them, they 'welcome' me in.

TODAY, HOWEVER, was a totally different story!! Whatever caused the delay really made quite a lasting negative impact. I was unable to get on three consecutive trains that passed my station!!! I looked for an angle to try to position myself in there but there really was no room left for me to set foot in there!! Every single train that arrived at Orinda was already so packed that once the door opens, passengers inside the trains are falling out. No one could get on! There just isn't room left to even put HALF a body in there!!!

I even ran all the way down to the first cart to see if there was standing room there, but even in the first car, it was packed to maximum maximum capacity. I don't think you can even fit a dog or a carry-on bag in there. It was that bad!

After waiting for three trains and still could not get on, I was fed up! I had missed my company shuttle pick-ups and still, I don't even know how the heck I was going into SF. I certainly did not want to pay for taxi again just to bring me to work from Civic Center.

So, I made the decision to drive. It was pretty miserable, but it probably saved me from a even more miserable BART ride into the city.

Criteria for choosing an open seat on BART

Blogger/Commenter Concord Commuter made a VERY INTERESTING point in the comment section. The comment says...


I have often wondered what criteria people choose when selecting which row of seats to share, as often I will see people zero in on a particular spot. I don't really have a criteria, I just go to the first available seat that is not immediately near the doors.



This comment got me thinking a little bit about just how people choose seats. To me, it's an intricate thought process that must take place within 3 seconds or less!! Call me weird but choosing the best BART seat takes experience: one gets better at picking the best seat faster after years of riding BART!

This is how I do it. I take my first glance at the "seat situation" as the train arrives. I look closely through the window as the train slows down at the station to see if there are any empty spaces between heads. Then I keep track of which side of my particular cart has more empty spaces and position my body to walk into the train that way. As I approach the emtpy seats, I try to quickly evaluate the "quality" of the passenger I would be seated next to. By quality, I purely mean cleanliness, size and general physical and mental health. The next evaluation is aisle seat availability- I prefer these seats over window seats- I need my space, what can I say? Then, if there is time and choice left, I pick the available aisle seat that have cleaner upholstery.

I do all that within 3 seconds of walking into the train. It's become second nature. This usually only happens if I leave work around 4pm and get on the train from Civic Center (where the train isn't as packed yet.) In other occasions, I am lucky if I get a seat. But sometimes, standing is much better than sitting next to someone with undesirable qualities.

Cold germs all over me

I sat in the window seat this morning, next to a middle-aged woman who appeared very ill. Her nose was red and she even carried a box of Kleenex. I was already a little concerned at this point that I will catch whatever she has since I haven't been feeling 100% this week already. The ride ended up being a long and dangerous ride....she was coughing nonstop, not the light cough but the thick, deep, painful coughs where you can hear the phlegm shifting inside her throat and lung. She was also sniffling, sucking in her nasal fluids and sneezing. She blew her nose constantly and compiled the used germ-filled tissues on her lap.

I was extremely intense during the ride. I tried to "protect" myself with my BusinessWeek copy covering my face. But I realized that it was inevitable that I was breathing in her germs since I could feel the air from her cough and blowing.

With a busy day and weekend ahead, I am determined to not get sick. I took out my bottle of Purell and wiped it all over my hands. But then I realized.....wait, her germs are all over my body...from my face to arms. I can't be wiping Purell on my neck and face too. I decided at that point there is nothing I can really do but to take lots of Vitamin-C supplements to fight off the cold bug.

Sometimes I hope that people who are that ill should really take it easy and not force themselves to come to work, or opt to work from home. However, I know that is easier said than done. Needless to say, today's ride was high-risk. I hope I do not get sick!

Found another inconsiderate behavior on BART

The list of inconsiderate behavior seems endless! There is a new 'first' every week! Today, for the first time, I saw a woman brushing her long, mid-back lengthed fuzzy hair, combing through the hair knots, pulling out the loose hairs and putting them on the floor, and picking out the hairs stuck between her brush and dumping the hairballs on the train floors. Because of the static electricity on the train, her loose hairs somehow stuck onto the pants of the man sitting next to her. He had the newspaper opened and did not realize that his black pants are now accessorized with light brown hairballs and loose long hairs. I wonder what his wife will say??

Quickly combing through hair is OK in my opinion, but not picking through the hair knots and cleaning your brush! People should really keep self-grooming to a minimum on BART and wake up earlier to do your makeup, hair, nails at home!!!

On a totally separate note, I saw the office janitor (who does a superb job keeping everything spotless and smelling like Mr. Clean) today spraying Lysol bathroom cleaning spray on the drinking fountains!! Not that people use drinking fountains much these days, but that sort of shocked me a bit. Are people drinking in Lysol chemicals and not knowing it? Yikes!

When did speaking up for yourself become a bad thing?

I witnessed something on BART today that reinforced my belief that there are more BART passengers without manners than those who have manners.

This altercation took place between 2 passengers both seated within the quad-seats (the four seats that face each other) area. An older woman was reading the newspaper on one side. Right across from her was a college-age woman placing her feet and stretching legs on the seat directly across from her. Her feet ended up being right next to the older woman.

The older woman said: Can you not put your feet on these seats?

Younger woman took her feet off and gave her a dirty look.
10 seconds later, her feet were back on.

The older woman said: Don't you realize people sit on these seats? Not to mention they are right next to me.

Younger woman said: I am aware of that. (But did nothing).

Older woman got up for her exit and said to her: At least put your feet on these newspaper for the next person's sake. (She shook her head and left).

After the older woman got up, all the surrounding passengers were making dirty looks at her, snickering, saying that she's a bitch and is having a bad day..and taking the young woman's side!

I was appalled. I got up and said to the older woman, "I'm glad you said something. Someone needed to tell her!" and got off with her at the Civic Center Station.

I'm sure people were saying things about me too afterwards but geez, when did it become a bad thing to ask someone else to be considerate and not put their feet up!?!?

Smile, you're on the newspaper....

I saw a photographer inside my BART train today (with a press badge, or at least something official looking around his neck). He was just snapping away nonstop. He took photos from all angles imaginable with passengers in them.

I made an effort to cover my face with a magazine. Why you ask? For one, I do not even know what type of article this is for...what if it is an article that talks about BART passenger satisfaction rating at a decade-high? I don't want to be the face associated with being a satisfied customer. You get my point? Secondly, I am tired and slightly grumpy in the mornings. The last thing I am looking forward to is a snappy photographer taking close-ups of me and the passengers around me. I do not want to be surprised with a photo of me in tomorrow's paper. Especially if it's a bad photo of me, I do not want it to be circulating without my permission.

Some people may really want to be in these random BART photos, but not me. They should ask willing passengers to do a casual pose instead of just snapping away at everyone! I know that is too complicated and they'll never take that approach, so I'll just continue to hold my magazine or book up high when I see a press photographer snapping away.

Feet among many other sources of germs on BART

I know that there are many other sources of germs on BART, but there is just something about seeing someone taking their shoes off, exposing their feet and toes, stretching the toes, folding their barefeet up on the seat, resting their barefeet against the seat in front and hanging their nasty feet off the edge and blocking 50% of the aisle. But the worst, the worst feet offense of all is when they accidentally touch you with their toes or their feet is pressed against your thigh because it's up on the seat. Luckily, I've yet to experience that. But oh my lord, if anyone ever did that to me, I will cause a scene.

Is it so hard to keep your shoes on while on BART? If you must take your shoes off, why can't you just leave your feet down where they should be?

Isn't BART dirty enough? Must passenger now have to deal with the sight of feet within their view too??

Remembering September 11th

I did not ride BART on the morning of 9-11-01. I was in Los Angeles that morning and happened to sleep in late. My mother called me around 8am screaming, "the world is coming to an end." My mom tends to be overly emotional and dramatic, so I asked her to calm down and tell me what is going on. After I turned on the TV, I realized that the way we live is going to change forever from that day on. I didn't know anyone who was killed by the terrorist plots, but I too feel their sadness, disbelief and frustration.

Can someone tell me what happened on BART that day? Was service halted?

On this 5th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, BART announces plans to hire an anti-terror chief. As long as the use resources allocated to us by the state and federal governments from the Homeland Security funds (instead of raising our fares), I think it is smart to be proactive. It is naive for us to think that we, Bay Area residents, are not in danger and are not terrorist targets. Of course we should not live in fear, but there are numerous things BART can still do to make the system safer and more secure.

I give my thoughts to the families of the innocent victims of the 9-11 attacks, and my appreciation and respect to the heroes of 9-11 and after.

It's about time!

BART is finally making a big effort to lessen the ear-pinching screeching on the tracks. I often see senior citizens with hearing aids, covering their ears in agony, or kids screaming to express their misery from the high-pitched and rough grinding of the train tracks. Residences along BART tracks will greatly appreciate this too.

Funny that right after this article was written, I experienced my worst track screeching to date. This morning, the screeching in the transbay tube was bad enough that I felt a vibrating pulse from my eardrum which felt like it shot up to my brain. Time for an improvement for sure!


Take a look at this article written by Rachel Gordon of SF Chronicle

Onboard entertainment - Part II

Just a quick update- the same train operator sang the exact same songs today at each of the SF downtown stops. I wasn't as annoyed today, maybe because it's Friday and we're all generally in a better mood, or because I had a chance to vent about it today, or perhaps I'm used to the songs now that they just didn't affect me anymore.

She should change around her songs eventually however, if she's going to keep up with the onboard entertainment :)

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Mad for fuschia

Fashion sense is in the eye of the beholder. I'm not judging anyone...just sharing an observation. I never thought I would see so much fuschia on a person. Now, picture this in your mind.

A woman in her late-40s immediately drew my attention as she walked onto the train. She was very brightly colored and probably made most passengers look twice.

She had a fuschia tank top and a fushia skirt with white stripes. She wore fushia colored nail polish with fuschia sandals. She also had a fuschia scrunchy tying up her poofy layered hair. She accessorized with fuschia bracelets and fuschia earrings. Her lipstick and blush color? You got it, fuschia and fuschia. Eye shadow? Ha, gotcha, that was actually light blue. Needless to say, her purse was fuschia too.

I then noticed that her bra strap was also fuschia. Talk about color coordinated!! I wonder if this color coordination is only for fuschia, or if she had a blue outfit on, everything will be in blue instead?

More power to her for dressing the way she pleases!

Obsessive or just plain inconsiderate?

Last night, on a very crowded train back to the East Bay, I sat next to a woman with two Chinese take-out boxes wrapped in a plastic bag. The smell instantly permeated through the train. As you know, the smell of food in train, no matter what it is, mixed in with the dirty and musty scent of the train, just stinks. Because I was sitting right next to this woman and her food, the scent was overpowering. The odor was on me, my clothes, my hair, my bag and in the air I breath in.

But that is not it! People bringing food onto trains is very common (not worthy of an online rant). But what made this woman worse was the fact that every 2-3 minutes, and after every stop, she unwraps her white plastic bag, opens up the take-out boxes, looks quickly at the food for a second, and closes it back up, and re-wraps the plastic bag. Every few minutes, she repeats this pattern..open the bag, open th boxes, look at the food and close it back up.

What does she think is going to happen to the food? Was she checking the temperature? What is going to change in 2-3 minutes? Does she think there's someone invisible eating her Chinese food away?? Was she considering taking a piece out because she couldn't wait? What is her deal???

Whatever her reason was, I didn't care! Everyone had to smell the food again and again just because of her freakishly obsessive habit or her extreme hunger. You can see people cringe each time she opened up the boxes! The more I smelled the food, the sicker I felt. I decided to give up my seat so someone else can deal with the woman and her take-out. I then stood next to the train door so that at the next stop, I can sneak in a quick breath of fresh air finally.

It's bad enough that people do not follow the "NO FOOD OR DRINKS" sign (separate topic but it says no food or drink, not no eating or drinking, so to me, that means you shouldn't even bring food onto the train, although in a past blog, people have disagreed with me), but to open up the food and let the smell leak through the entire train is really inconsiderate.

Which part of "get in line" do you not understand?

This morning, one woman was so blatantly cutting in front of me that I just had to say something. Usually, cutters like to swoop in from the side as the door opens...I generally just sense where they're swooping in from and block their way by swaying my body and work bag from left to right.

However, this woman was ridiculously rude. I was the first in line at this particular boarding zone (the black paint area along the yellow strip on the boarding platform), and standing behind the yellow paint like we are supposed to do. I was no more than two inches behind the yellow zone and this woman walks up the stairs, looks around and stands IN FRONT of me right ON TOP of the black paint boarding area. Aside from the fact that is dangerously close to the train tracks, she pretty much shoved herself in front of me in such an uncomfortably close distance as if she's doing that just to push me back.

I stood next to her to see what she would do. She just pretended she didn't see me and moved forward a couple steps more....she was 3 inches from the train tracks!

I had to say something-- she was being ridiculous! By then, there were other people lining up behind me. I decided to say, "Excuse me, can you get in line?"

She gave me a very dirty look and grabbed her bags and went to the back of the line. But the story does not end here!!! When the train came, the door opened, she cut across everyone else in line and walked in front of me. I just could not let this go- what the hell did she think she was doing? She had to get a seat that bad??? I walked even faster into the train and cut her off. There were two seats left- I took one, and another woman took the other as this rude cutting woman was too late in her effort to grab the other empty seat after I took "hers".

Ridiculous and petty little story...I know...but people are so petty and rude sometimes that you just have to fight back and let them get a taste of their own medicine.

BART's tendency to under-estimate delay time

There were delays this morning for all trains heading to SF. Official BART announcements repeated said to expect a 10-15 minute delay, but I knew that is too good to be true. As it turns out, the delay was more like 20-25 minutes for my train. I was too tired to care...besides, by being just over 5 minutes late, I was already going to miss my company shuttle anyways.

By the time my train arrived at Civic Center, 23 minutes later, I had only 1.5 minute to catch the next arriving shuttle. I didn't have flats on today, and instead wore these slight heels that weren't the easiest for running up the stairs. I knew to make it up to the shuttle pick-up in time would be a near-impossible task. I turned up the volume on my iPod, tuned into a song with a very ast dance beat as motivational, and dashed as quickly as I could. Luckily, I pulled up right before the shuttle driver closed the doors.

Why does BART always tend to under-estimate the delay time? I've come to expect it...but why do they do it? To give us a false sense of hope and impression of near on-time arrival?