my day wasn't as bad as hers

Today was pretty stinky. Rough stuff going on at work (how can some people not understand that when I say that something needs to happen immediately, that means that it can't wait until June 15th?), followed by stats class, then a train ride home during which I have to read about decentralization in all of its gory details (actually, sometimes pretty gory, which you might not expect).

Mid-afternoon I ran an errand that involved walking for about 30 minutes. That did a world of good. When I returned, I didn't feel the need to snap at people. Also, a co-worker brought over a big box of chocolates, which was a present from a woman in Russia whom I've never met, but email with frequently. The woman is very annoying, and evidently knows that about herself (self-awareness is grand), and is trying to buy me off with chocolate. Smart woman; it might even work! Stats turned out to be not terrible. The train ride home started out with a young woman sitting across the aisle from me, trying to memorize something, and she just kept repeating lines over and over and over again. Only person talking on that end of the train, mind you. I exchanged sympathic glances with a woman I recognized, as she was also trying to read (not decentralization papers). Finally the kid stopped, and the train inched closer home.

Three stops away. The day might finally end! My train acquaintance gets up to leave. Doors open, and then the guy sitting at the window says, "Oh my god - a woman just took a horrible spill." The conductor races off the train, then races back on to call for an ambulance. I take out my earplugs and ask what happened. Window Guy reports that the woman tripped getting off the train, stumbled and couldn't get her balance, and then fell face-first into the very hard metal railings on the platform.

Thankfully, the woman's husband was there to pick her up, and Window Guy turns out to be a doctor (it's handy living in the posh suburbs sometimes; if you need I-banking, medical, or legal help, there's always someone on board) and gets off to see if he can help.

Next, the ass sitting across the aisle says, "Great, now we'll be sitting here for half an hour."

Listen, jerk: a woman just had a serious accident. Get over yourself. You were asleep, and if the incident didn't happen at our end of the train, you wouldn't even know what was going on. Putz.

So the conductor is out on the platform, and asking if it's OK if the train leaves (as Central Dispatch was telling the conductor to do), and if she'd like any of the train staff to stay with her. She says no, that she doesn't want to hold everyone up. Doctor Window Guy stays with her, even though he's going to a station another 10 miles up the line. Sometimes there are decent people.

So, my day didn't end up being that terrible. I will probably see the woman who fell on Thursday; the conductor said that "she's going to have a huge shiner tomorrow." I hope she's ok. I'm going to celebrate the end of a not so grand day by continuing the Totally Impractical Scarf and waiting for Hubby to get home.