THE SITUATION: There is a train coming two flights down from the bus we just got off from. I hadn't had time to remember the 3 possible names of the trains other than to know we didn't want Alewife. The announcer said something about inbound. Do we want inbound or outbound? Steve asked Are you sure this is the right train? (he hasn't been wearing his aids as he says they amplify the kids' screeching..doesn't sound good to these normal ears either)Well I didn't hear the word Alewife...He immediately bounds down the stairs at top speed and assumes I can follow. But I can't. I can't get my feet to move much faster than normal. I am so afraid of falling. My balance is now so bad. I am not sure which drug did this to me. I can't blame age as Steve is a few months older than me and look at him race ahead along with the crowd. Even the adrenaline isn't helping me move faster. He is already in the train and the doors are about to close. He has no idea on where I planned to have us stop though I guess I could call him assuming the cells work on the trains.
I do make the train on time but shortly after the doors close, the computer generated voice says the next stop is Alewife. Steve looks at me in exasperation and lectures about the difference in inbound and outbound..he thought he heard outbound. Turns out we were headed correctly. The computer just randomly gives out the wrong info a passenger said.
I am not a fan of designating trains by being downtown or uptown either. What is up and what is down? The bit of Ontario tucked south of us used to be known as Upper Canada. Up to them was against the current of the St. Lawrence.
I would like trains designated by the direct they are headed though I realize many people would be confused. Even I was confused when I was told (in rapidfire Italian) that the train I wanted was on the north tracks (and where in the F would that be?). I was just grasping that the train's destination wasn't necessarily my destination and I had to look on the map to see how my city lined up with the big cities.
They do use different words here. Like milkshakes are frappes pronounced to rhyme with raps.
Roundabouts are 'rotaries'. There is no 'pop'.
I don't usually feel my age. Inside, I feel much younger.I run so much more slowly than when I was winning age group trophies but I still can run for 90 minutes without stopping (assuming I catch Mass Ave at the right time..bane of my current existence). Not good going downstairs though especially the tiny stairs Shanna has especially in the middle of the night dealing with yet another indignity of age.
I dreamt of Tessa last night. She had lots of red hair. In real life it is very black. Although all my kids are probably carrying red hair genes, it needs to be on both sides. Not common in the Arab or African-American communities. Julia's family has redheads though......
I do make the train on time but shortly after the doors close, the computer generated voice says the next stop is Alewife. Steve looks at me in exasperation and lectures about the difference in inbound and outbound..he thought he heard outbound. Turns out we were headed correctly. The computer just randomly gives out the wrong info a passenger said.
I am not a fan of designating trains by being downtown or uptown either. What is up and what is down? The bit of Ontario tucked south of us used to be known as Upper Canada. Up to them was against the current of the St. Lawrence.
I would like trains designated by the direct they are headed though I realize many people would be confused. Even I was confused when I was told (in rapidfire Italian) that the train I wanted was on the north tracks (and where in the F would that be?). I was just grasping that the train's destination wasn't necessarily my destination and I had to look on the map to see how my city lined up with the big cities.
They do use different words here. Like milkshakes are frappes pronounced to rhyme with raps.
Roundabouts are 'rotaries'. There is no 'pop'.
I don't usually feel my age. Inside, I feel much younger.I run so much more slowly than when I was winning age group trophies but I still can run for 90 minutes without stopping (assuming I catch Mass Ave at the right time..bane of my current existence). Not good going downstairs though especially the tiny stairs Shanna has especially in the middle of the night dealing with yet another indignity of age.
I dreamt of Tessa last night. She had lots of red hair. In real life it is very black. Although all my kids are probably carrying red hair genes, it needs to be on both sides. Not common in the Arab or African-American communities. Julia's family has redheads though......
1 comment:
We did pretty well with the trains in Italia, though...
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