Monday 18 July 2011

Goodbye 17" seat

Just one more week of squeezing into a narrow seat* on the train and trying not to get seat rage.

Maybe I shouldn't complain as at least I do get a seat, two stations further on and it's standing room only for the remaining 50 minutes of the journey.

No more parking in side streets close to the station to avoid the rip-off £8 a day parking charge.

No more seeing cash-signs in taxs drivers eyes when trains are cancelled, the promised bus replacements never turn up so the only option is a cab share.

No more reminders to please remember to take my personal belongings with me.

No more dark mutterings when I read that train fares are due to increase by over 10%

No longer will I waste two days a year simply standing looking at departure boards to see what platform the train leaves from before joining the stampeding herd to get on it.

Apologies to all the tourists who's pictures I've ruined by getting in them - but I want to get home and not wait around whilst you take your picture of St Pauls and the City skyline from Embankment bridge.

I wont get to hear how the divorce proceedings of the woman who sat behind me pan out.

No more adding items to my Amazon wish list knowing I'd have no time to read them.

No more telling Rosie and Rob that I dont have time to write an article for the next Testing Planet.

End of an era and start of a new adventure - more details soon
( it's gonna be Grand and it's gonna be rapid )


*BBC has 43cm as being 18in when in fact it is 16.9291339 so 17"

'View from the 17" seat' would have made a great title for a blog on the joys of commuting. Too late now for me to use - any rat race commuters reading this, please feel free to use

5 comments:

Mohinder said...

I would love to see your calculations for two days a year standing looking at departure boards?You are not using the stats from French women naked 35% of the time.

Laura said...

How do you do it, Phil? I'm so glad I moved to the countryside. I got squeamish just reading what you're not going to have to tolerate soon.

Phil said...

10 minutes a day
50 minutes a week
200 minutes a month
2400 minutes a year

40 hours a year

Phil said...

@Laura - it was nasty but that was where the work was

Anonymous said...

You are so going to get bored with all that spare time on your hands!

Rob..