A Possibility Makes Me Happy; the T Does Not

I heard about a proofreading job opening recently, but it has two big strikes against it: it's temporary, and it's in Boston. Been there, hated that! I don't want to be a temp again--I will as a last resort, but it is absolutely not my first choice. And of course, neither is working in Boston. I may have to compromise on one point or the other, if it comes down to the hard choices, but I'm not there yet.

But then! To my great relief, I found a good listing. Well, if by found it you mean it was e-mailed to me via CareerBuilder. Tomayto, tomahto. It was such a relief to read the description and nod, instead of shaking my head. I applied tonight, and nothing may come of it, but it raised my spirits anyway, merely by being what I'm looking for.

The bus was late this morning, after I was running a couple of minutes late myself and half-sure I would miss it. It was late, and it was the kind of crowded that had the regulars telling each other that "I've never seen this bus that crowded!" We had to keep pushing back and back, and by the time I got off, I was practically doing Lamaze breathing. (Shudder)

The train was just normal crowded, not too bad, but the announcements were different today. I don't know if this was one driver's quirk, or a new program. On the Orange Line, they usually announce what the stop is, with any connections, and which side the doors will open, as the train pulls in. Then as it pulls out, there's a shorter announcement about what stop is next. So you usually hear:

"Wellington, change for local buses, doors left."
"Next stop Sullivan."

Some expand on it slightly, but most stick with the very basics. Which, to be honest, is fine with me, given that I'm going through the same stations ten times a week. At this point, I could give the announcements myself with only infrequent glances at the map.

But today was apparently "pretend we're de-planing" day.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The next stop will be Wellington Station. Change for local bus connections. All the doors will open on the left side. Please remember to take all your personal belongings with you. Thank you for riding the MBTA."

Seriously? A dozen times? Some of the stops are so close together that the two announcements became one:

"The next stop is Downtown Crossing. Change for the Red, Green, and Silver lines. Doors will open on the right. Downtown Crossing. Change for the Red, Green, and Silver lines. Doors open on the right. Please remember to take all your personal belongings with you. Thank you for riding the MBTA."

Puh-lease.