Snot On A Train

Yesterday, the punk and I decided to take FrontRunner downtown to spend a lovely afternoon with an old friend. Even though, in my estimation, it cost more to ride the train than to drive down, and even though it took longer than driving when you include parking at the station and waiting for the train, I quite enjoyed the experience. When driving the 30 minutes downtown, I would normally have to either time our outing perfectly so it's during the punk's nap time, or resort to chattering like a monkey and hope he doesn't fall asleep. You see, in our house, it's against the rules to do anything without my permission - including taking a nap before the time I set forth.

So the little man and I were making faces at each other and smiling and holding hands and having a witty conversation that primarily consisted of the word, "Boo!," when I happened to look up and see something that has left me gagging for the past 24 hours. An old man blew his nose into his bare hand, and then slowly moved his snot-filled hand down 2 inches, and slurped it up into his mouth! My eyes bulged, my jaw dropped, and I gulped down my breakfast that was threatening to spew.

As I contemplated the wonder that is public transportation, I was reminded of my days as a bus- and Trax-riding college student. Aside from the general memories of motion sickness and people who smell like a mix of B.O. and mental illness, some specifics come to mind. One was this experience. Another is this:

While riding the bus or the train, I generally kept to myself and read either Harry Potter or math books. (Nerd alert!) So I didn't notice if the following character was on my train, but apparently, I was noticed by him, either on the train, or as we exited. I was walking across the street on my way to class, when I heard someone say,

"Beat 'em up."

I looked up and saw a black man, probably mid-30s, looking at me, but I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"Beat 'em up!"

"Um.....?"

"Beat 'em up wit yo' fiiiiine self!"

I took that to mean he was complimenting the way I looked, and therefore blushed and smiled, and kept walking. Ahhhh, public transportation. It carries Utah's finest.