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Jul. 24th, 2007
Commuting space
Jul. 24th, 2007 09:28 amYesterday morning and evening, and this morning - twice - I was barely able to grab the mediocre spot next to or betwixt two commuters. These particular commuters happened to be female. In one instance, the girl had one flat shoulder bag that she had placed FLAT on the subway bench next to her in the spot I would eventually fill. He umbrella was to her left on the floor in front of the same spot. I asked politely if that were her umbrella and she she, "Hmph, yeah. Musta fallen." Then I asked politely if the seat next to her were taken and she huffed her bag toward her-not on her or at her side-but toward her. All along the way up to 34th St. from Chambers St (7 or 8 stops), she kept grabbing her flat bag, hitting me on the thigh or elbow, glancing at me, and huffing the bag toward her over and over, as if I were doing something wrong or were trying to get at her bag.
Yesterday evening on the bus was no different except for the woman. This lady was nicer, but she spread herself out like there was room to spare on a bus that was completely packed with people. She came into the back seat where there were already 4 people, and she made up the 5th. She had, I think, 3 or 4 bags, and didn't put a single one in the overhead compartments. Her umbrella, though between her legs, somehow ooched its away out from between her legs a couple of times to hit my right leg and wet it. She was nice, though, and let me out by sitting in a seat a little forward in the bus.
This morning on the bus, the girl I sat next to was tiiiiiny. BUT all her stuff with her made her actual space twice my width! And she was irritated that I sat next to her and kept doing the bag pulling thing that the subway woman did the day before. This one on the bus, however, was watching Grey's Anatomy on her PSP and would glance at me (I interpreted it as accusatorily so - being a partial drama queen) when she pulled her bag back onto her lap. As if I were doing her a disservice by sitting next to her on a crowded bus on the way to work.
Then, finally, on the subway this morning, there were two women who'd left a spot between them where my butt and minor hips would fit perfectly. When I sat down, it was as if they both decided to fall asleep at the same time and scrunch toward each other squeezing me between them. I couldn't read my paper, unless I bent forward a little (which I considered) into the crotch in front of me on an OK-looking guy subway surfing on the E.
Don't other commuters consider their space and how much they take up around them? Even though I am a big guy, I'm losing weight! Even though I'm a big guy, I still try to keep myself smallish... as best I can.
Yesterday evening on the bus was no different except for the woman. This lady was nicer, but she spread herself out like there was room to spare on a bus that was completely packed with people. She came into the back seat where there were already 4 people, and she made up the 5th. She had, I think, 3 or 4 bags, and didn't put a single one in the overhead compartments. Her umbrella, though between her legs, somehow ooched its away out from between her legs a couple of times to hit my right leg and wet it. She was nice, though, and let me out by sitting in a seat a little forward in the bus.
This morning on the bus, the girl I sat next to was tiiiiiny. BUT all her stuff with her made her actual space twice my width! And she was irritated that I sat next to her and kept doing the bag pulling thing that the subway woman did the day before. This one on the bus, however, was watching Grey's Anatomy on her PSP and would glance at me (I interpreted it as accusatorily so - being a partial drama queen) when she pulled her bag back onto her lap. As if I were doing her a disservice by sitting next to her on a crowded bus on the way to work.
Then, finally, on the subway this morning, there were two women who'd left a spot between them where my butt and minor hips would fit perfectly. When I sat down, it was as if they both decided to fall asleep at the same time and scrunch toward each other squeezing me between them. I couldn't read my paper, unless I bent forward a little (which I considered) into the crotch in front of me on an OK-looking guy subway surfing on the E.
Don't other commuters consider their space and how much they take up around them? Even though I am a big guy, I'm losing weight! Even though I'm a big guy, I still try to keep myself smallish... as best I can.