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I have been working for a little less than a year at the same company right in the heart of Boston. It’s a great company, it has great benefits, great parties, all that shit. But there is one issue: The commute. Since I am a somewhat recent graduate, I still live at home suckling off of my parents tit. I have no problem with it at all. I mean how could I? I don’t pay rent, I get free food, and every once in a while, I get my laundry done for me. It’s the best. Do I want to live in the city? Of course I do, and the main reason for that is being able to cut down my commute.
I commute about an hour or so, each way Monday through Friday, on a train that rarely ever works and rarely ever gets me places on time. As many of you know, the MBTA is an absolute disaster, and its true colors were shown after this historical winter in the northeast. I had a positive outlook going into the Spring and Summer that the issues would subside, and the whole experience would improve. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Trains still don’t show up, they still break down in the middle of the track, and next thing you know, there’s a “Signal Issue.” What the fuck is a signal issue? I’m pretty sure they don’t even know what it is. They just use it as an excuse when the conductor needs a smoke break. Regardless, the issues have not gone away, and commuting to work is still the worst part of my day. Think about that– my commute is the worst part of the day. The worst part isn’t even me rotting at my desk staring at Excel files!
Once the train actually does show up, it doesn’t get better. It’s a cesspool for bacteria and diseases. People coughing, people sneezing, people drooling, it’s an absolute dumpster fire. I’m not a germophobe by any means, but when the train car smells of shit, piss, blood, semen, and any other bodily fluids you can think of, it can become an issue. What makes it worse is the fact that all of us are packed together like sardines because the MBTA decided to use one less train car and 4 less conductors to make it more “financially efficient.” At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that I will be getting sick 3-4 times a year and may even catch a disease that Dr. House couldn’t even cure. But those are the battles we must face.
People who commute, day in and day out, are a different breed. They come from all walks of life. You have the homeless man who is lying in his own feces in the corner, the pregnant woman who wants nothing to do with this train due to the fear of it affecting her unborn child, the new hires who are just excited to have a job and are giddy to be riding the train, and then there’s people like me. Seasoned veterans in the commuting game melted into their seats with headphones in trying to catch a little more sleep.
Commuting can be an absolute nightmare, especially when you know that you’re only doing it to go to a job that you don’t like very much. Just toss in those headphones and think of better times. It’s the only way to get through it all..
Image via connel / Shutterstock.com
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@RPShee
Monday’s lead column: “No One Cares About Your Shitty Fucking Commute”
In the same exact situation, only I drive my commute. Better than public transportation because I don’t have to deal with anyone else’s shit or the train breaking down, but it still sucks racking up mileage on my car. Sitting in traffic every single day is absolute hell. Driving to and from work is by far the worst part of my day.
The one fun part is watching people eat shit on the green line when in motion. I could just be a jaded asshole though.
At least your public transit hasn’t spontaneously caught on fire and killed someone not that long ago.
Google LIRR my friend. They were about to go on strike over the summer, which would have effectively shut down Long Island. Obviously there was no recourse other than to heed to their demands. Pay goes up and service goes down.
I too live at home for the exact reasons you listed. Otherwise, I would have to arrived at the train station at 6:48 to catch a 7:02 train. Then I would end up driving around to hopefully find a spot. Sometimes its a trap spot that has a hidden sign saying employee parking only, so I would end up coming back to a welcoming $150 fine. Sometimes when I can’t find a spot, I would need to park 10 minutes away and end up missing the 7:02. Next, I would stand for over an hour both ways, most likely next to a Kevin-James looking fellow. The return trip is a frightening event for even people without a fear of tight spaces, being packed like sardines into Penn Station. The train is also probably delayed due to signal failure, significant debris, or most likely a suicide (which they probably failed), and people start getting physical. You might be spared from future misery once the track is announced, as its a 50/50 chance you get murdered by the stampede of people trying to get an actual seat on the train. You eventually arrive home and realize its the end of the month, and that your monthly pass is about to expire. You’re going to need to arrive by 6am the next day to purchase a new monthly pass, since the LIRR obviously won’t let you do anything digital. Time to pony up $300+ as you thank them for punching your ticket.
I live in the city as well and started using uber as opposed to the loop. Commuting in general makes me antisocial, more tired, and irate as fuck. The struggle is real.
Safe bet you’re on the Providence line.
You’d be absolutely correct.
7:45 express from Mansfield? No, that’d be too eerie.
Ugh. Tri – Rail service in South Florida is just as bad if not worse. Fuck trains
Another one of those times I feel thankful for living in the Midwest.
This makes me feel a little better about all the times I took 93 up to Boston and sat in traffic fir an hour or two. Think I’d have spent all of what little money I had on disinfecting wipes if I took the train
What a coincidence, I need disinfecting wipes just to be around Bostoners.