I’ve recently discovered a popular saying here in DC.

“If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”

I’ve been here going on two winters and those words are definitely proving to be true. I just posted last week about it being too cold to walk and yet I’ve been able to walk to work everyday this week. The main subject for this post centers around my walking and thus encountering more people outside, which means - more smokers. I think smokers in close proximity to others shouldn’t light up. Period. You want to smoke, step aside and out of the way from people walking behind you that will inevitably inhale the poison you’re exhaling.

I know, I know. It’s an unrealistic desire, but still! Smokers themselves may be really nice people in any other instance, but it seems whenever they light up their cancer sticks, they completely disregard where they spew the 900+ toxins rolled with the tobacco. It’s rare, but I’ve seen a few smokers raise their heads to exhale upwards instead of letting the breeze carry the secondhand smoke wherever it decides to. All smokers should do this at the very very least.

There’s an incident that sticks with me to this day: years ago, when I first started smoking clove cigarettes, I was standing outside in a line to see a movie. It was a long line, so I decided to light up while standing there. I was tilting my head back to exhale upwards in an effort to be considerate of those around me, but not paying attention to where the string of smoke coming from the burning cigarette was going. A man came up to me and politely asked me to step aside because the smell was bothering he and his friends several throngs behind me. Chagrined was I. Even though he was very polite, I felt bad. I had friends with me, it wasn’t like I’d have lost my place in the line. I could have stepped the 25 or so feet to the curb and smoked more out of the way. I’m normally a very considerate person, but those few minutes I was oblivious to those around me. Hence my point.

I’m glad I’m not a smoker anymore. :yes:

I’ll end with a happy little segue: On the same walk to work, I saw two men holding hands…fingers interlaced as only couples do. Seeing them comfortably walking down the street this way made me smile. There are tons of gay people in this city, but I haven’t noticed a couple in a while, I guess.

Each morning after my shower, I use a Q-Tip (has to be that brand, the others are basically paper balls on a stick. :annoyed:) to clean and remove water from my ears.

60% of the time, when I reach into the little jar in which they live, another Q-tip attaches itself to the one I’ve grabbed and ultimately falls to its death on the bathroom floor.

Must be a sad, lonely life to do nothing but hang out in a jar, watching the outside world pass you by. I can’t say I blame those brave little ear cleaners for taking the opportunity to essentially leap to their death…and all for a few brief moments of freedom.

Rest in peace.

It’s officially too cold for me to walk to work now, so I’ve been taking the Metro to and from the office the past week or so. For those unfamiliar, most cities call this mode of transport the “subway,” or the “train,” or maybe even “the L” (I think this is Chicago). Washington, D.C., residents call it the “Metro.”

The Metro is a glorious thing, really. Without it, most of this city would go undiscovered for me considering I don’t own a car. However, there are things about the Metro and the people who frequent it that actually irritate me. I shall talk about them for you now, my gentle reader.

First, let’s talk about the construction of the stations themselves. The genius, aka architect, that designed them clearly does not use Metro. I say this because the flooring chosen is beckoning you to injure yourself during rainy or snowy weather. If you’ve ever worked in a fast food restaurant, you’ll know what I mean. It’s that brick colored tile type stuff that, once even slightly wet or greasy, you’ll slip and fall on your ass if you’re trying to speed through and catch your train. There’s no telling how long these floors have been in place, but I really have to wonder how many people have injured themselves enough to file a lawsuit, or if they even bother. I’ve seen a number of people fall during bad weather and have stopped to help several. I’ve slipped around quite a few times myself but somehow manage to save my actual ass-to-ground adventures for the sidewalks and streets outside. Go figure.

Today I actually got on a train that had no carpet on the floor. Instead, it was some type of smooth vinyl that you could also slip and injure yourself if your shoes were still wet. From what I recall, NYC’s trains always had hard vinyl flooring, but I liked DC’s carpet-covered trains. I guess their cleaning and maintenance bill is getting too pricey. I would imagine it’s smarter, though, to keep the carpet instead of increasing your risk of a lawsuit from an injured customer…but, who am I to say so?

I’ll move on now to Metro etiquette… or more accurately, the lack thereof. In a large city where a great percentage of its residents as well as commuters from the metropolitan area utilize public transportation, you’d *think* more people would follow these unwritten rules. A surprising number do not and these people annoy the bejeezus outta me.

Below you will find a list of the most common rules with my thoughts following each.

1. Stand on the right side of an escalator. Walk on the left.
(You’d think this one would be the easiest to follow, but it isn’t. Nearly every day, the flow of traffic into or out of a metro station is stymied by someone who just doesn’t care. I’m usually tempted to bowl these people over, but I’m just nice enough to gently push my way past them with a brisk, “Excuse me.”)
2. Don’t block the doorway of a train.
(Move out of the damn way so people can smoothly enter and exit a train. It’s really that simple. I find it’s the younger teenagers that mostly hover and barely move an inch or two for you to slide past. A generation thing I’ve bitched about in older blog posts. Some of this also falls on those people I call the “next stoppers.” They just *have* to be by the door because they’re getting off at the next stop; too anxious, obsessive compulsive or self-absorbed to realize there are three doors per train and you can exit in a matter of seconds.)
3. Be kind and give your seat to someone that may need it more than you.
(I’m amazed on a regular basis how many people perfectly capable of standing, completely ignore the lady pushing a baby stroller, or the elderly man walking with a cane trying to steady himself on one of the hand rails or the various other people who *should* have a seat. Don’t get me wrong, there are those considerate folks I’ve witnessed volunteering their seat. I do so as well, even if the person declines my offer, at least I tried. What disturbs me are the police officers, the people in the military, the Metro workers themselves - those I would think to be more considerate than your Average Joe - who stay seated when someone is mere feet from them that is more deserving, in my not-so-humble opinion.)

I’d like to add a rule of my own to this list that is really just wishful thinking: If you are carrying a bag or a backpack that protrudes more than a few inches from your body, take the thing off and place it on the floor between your legs while you’re on the train. Not doing this effectively adds more girth to your body others have to slither and slink around because you won’t move out of the doorway or middle of the aisle to begin with.

Ok, so this ended up being a novella, but I was on a roll.