“on a downtown train…” -tom waits

k. so every morning, monday through thursday, i wake up and take marta down to buckhead church to work. i’ve been really getting a kick out of how much about the system i’m figuring out. i know that i have to leave my house by 8:13 to get to the 8:28 train, and if it’s any later than that, i can leave by 8:23 to catch the 8:38 train. today, i left at 8:20, stopped in for chicken minis, and swiped my card just as the train was pulling up. i LOVE that. no reason why. little joys i guess. down the stairs, on the train. love it. makes me chuckle a little, like i have it all figured out. makes me feel like my whole life is in order, for just that moment in time. hilarious. so, i’m figuring out lots of stuff about marta. and i feel like i get most of it.

here’s what i don’t get. one thing really. baffles me everyday. when the train is coming to its station, there’s a female voice that tells you which station it is. the key word in that last sentence is “coming”. it hasn’t stopped yet, it is approaching the station at full speed. and yet, people stand immediately and head towards the door. am i the only one who realizes that if you stay seated, the train will stop and you will still get off in time? but everyday i sit in my seat and gather my things, and watch the people lunge forward and backward, fall all over themselves, lose their balance, just to get out the door. so then. when the train STOPS completely, i casually get up and walk out the door.

i wonder if these people also unbuckle open their car doors once they can get their driveways in view.