ghost train

they say ridership is increasing.

and that's probably true.

i can feel the presence of all the spirits of metro riders past.  one of them says, "they say...a compooter can do my job...better than i can damn do it."  i get the feeling this particular spirit looks like any one of these three guys (picture taken from a previous post).

group safety

metro has long had a series of signs that say "see something, say something."  taken literally, this would flood the train with inanity, much like edith massey with john waters.  luckily, all the placards clarify this point.  if you see suspicious activity or a suspicious package, tell metro.  or, put another way, big brother wants ordinary citizens to do the spying because they're too busy sipping lattes.

so, what to do with this guy?

that's a bag of holding (follow link to see specifications).  who knows what could be in there?  there could be a bomb.  or a missile even.  or (gasp!) the lady on the right's missing curlers. and no one would be the wiser.  but, i have to adhere to the safety campaign's rules.  i don't see nothin, so i ain't gon' say nothin.

brain teasers, pt. 3

phish lover or occupy legal advisor?

on the way to a biker rumble or to get fitted for a poodle skirt?

proud fashion icon or forgetful lunch lady?

mad scientist or the most interesting person in the world's little brother?

trash porn, pt 9

decapitated.

makeshift office

i could be wrong about the scene below, but i do believe the man on the left is trying to recruit the man on the right for a job.  my hearing's not telescopic, so i couldn't make out the conversation, but the papers on the man's lap are sheathed in a folder with "retirement benefits" emblazoned across the front.

if this is indeed a recruiting endeavor, it certainly did not seem like an interview.  recruiter was talking way too much and looked more like he was spreading gospel than paychecks.  nonetheless, nice to know that there are jobs out there.

print journalism

though seemingly dying, the local paper is a great source for what's going on in the world.  though much has moved to the internet, even there most of the real news is dispatched by various local news gathering organizations, some of which still print the national, state and local stories on dead trees.  on top of that, you get the funny pages, entertainment section and a whole host of other groupings which justify the advertisements you have to wade through to get to the content.  but you know what train riders value most in the local paper?

COUPONS!

seriously, about five different riders picked up the ads looking for coupons.  i'm not sayin the quality of "hola la" warrants a second look, but just trust me when i say that it's not the only non-ad newspaper section that gets left behind on the train.

here on the range i belong

driftin along with the tumblin' tumblweed.