deird_lj: (Default)
deird_lj ([personal profile] deird_lj) wrote2009-05-05 03:41 pm
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*shudders*

Sometimes using public tranport is just... unpleasant.


I was on the train today, doing inspections like a dutiful little public servant.

So...

1) I got on, just in time to see a woman throw up all over the floor of the train.

I was worried that maybe she was really sick, but, no, it was just that her lunch was badly cooked (or something) and so she had a slight case of food poisoning which necessitated vomiting everywhere.

...that business concluded, she shrugged, and got back to eating her lunch.

YES. THE SAME LUNCH THAT HAD MADE HER SICK.

And so she threw up again.

And then she started eating her lunch again. And I changed seats.



2) Three stops later, Vomiting Lady got off.

A stop after that, Drunk Guy got on.

Drunk Guy was rather upset by the copious amount of vomit decorating the train's floor. So he lit a cigarette.

Sorry... he lit several cigarettes.

He was frantically smoking three cigarettes at once, and waving them round over the vomit - while declaring, loudly, to everyone on the train, that he'd "fix the smell" of the vomit by covering it up with the smell of burning nicotine.




...sometimes I wish I could just drive everywhere.

[identity profile] mabus101.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
Eh, public transport is by its nature teh suxxors.

That's why in America we like to use our cars...

From Laney

(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
!!?!?!?!?

!!?!?!?!!?!?

!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!?!?!?!?!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!

Oh, and yuck to smelly cigarette drunk guy.

[identity profile] owenthurman.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 11:58 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. Public transit around here is like a pleasant alternative to the awful traffic. Works great, usually even smells fine. I've certainly never had any trouble like that. Have you been riding the 1am train or something?
ext_30166: Sierra looking holy shit amazing (Default)

[identity profile] lavastar.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
...oh, migod, that is so gross.

Ew.

Do they actually let you smoke on trains in Australia? Cause that's not allowed in America...at least where I live? I'm ignorant.

But yeah, sketchy things happen when I take the bus. Usually not as sketchy as that, though. O.O

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_sabik_/ 2009-05-05 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I suspect "allowed" had very little to do with any of the activities described in the post.

η
ext_30166: Sierra looking holy shit amazing (Default)

[identity profile] lavastar.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL, this is very true.

[identity profile] the-starshadow.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
No, no they don't.

Also... cigarette smoke doesn't mask vomit. I know this because of my learnings. My dark dark learnings.
ext_30166: Sierra looking holy shit amazing (Default)

[identity profile] lavastar.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. Gotcha.

And...O.O

Although merely logically, that does make sense.

[identity profile] taiba.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 10:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh. Gross. I've never had anything like that, thankfully. the one drunk guy I encountered was so inebriated that he coudln't even get himself up off the seat, let alone talk or light a cigarette, so he wasn't a problem.

[identity profile] immer-am-lesen.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
So if you, as an inspector, don't enforce the no-smoking-on-public transport laws, who does....?

They should carry sawdust etc in the driver's cabin to deal with such things, otherwise no-one cleans it up for far too long...

deird1: Fred looking pretty and thoughful (Default)

[personal profile] deird1 2009-05-05 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, I don't inspect the people.

I could have people running riot, graffitiing the windows, slashing up the seats with a knife, and throwing food everywhere... and my main responsibility would be checking that the platforms were painted, and that the train system maps were all where they were supposed to be.

[identity profile] immer-am-lesen.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey sorry, was just wondering...
I had three uniformed staff get on once, and completely ignore the fact some poor guy was throwing up all over himself, which seemed a bit sad.

do you wear a lurid blue and yellow connex vest thing, or just go incognito?
deird1: Fred looking pretty and thoughful (Default)

[personal profile] deird1 2009-05-05 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
No probs. :)

do you wear a lurid blue and yellow connex vest thing, or just go incognito?

Well, I have an orange safety vest to go on train tracks, but I try to hide it when I'm around people, because it says PUBLIC TRANSPORT in huge letters on the back, and I get lots of people coming up to complain about the trains being late (not my problem) or the toilets being dirty (also not my problem) or the ticket machines not working (sort of my problem, in a "write a note to myself about Connex not having fixed the ticket machines yet" way, but still something I can do nothing about).

[identity profile] immer-am-lesen.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, so it's just the mechanics you're inspecting, not general tidy condition, etc?
So what if...someone throws up onto a ticket machine, and no-one wants to go near it to use it? Does that fall into your domain? :-)
deird1: Fred looking pretty and thoughful (Default)

[personal profile] deird1 2009-05-05 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh. Good question. I'm hoping I never have to find out...


(My job generally involves checking that Connex have done all the maintenance they say they've done, rather than saying "Why yes, we've done plenty of station painting - now give us money" while not actually doing anything.)

[identity profile] immer-am-lesen.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, me too. Nothing worse.
Although, eww= tried opening a door yesterday morning where the handle was covered in chewing gum.

From Laney

(Anonymous) 2009-05-05 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
He he he. I like your thinking, immer_am_lesen...

Re: From Laney

[identity profile] immer-am-lesen.livejournal.com 2009-05-05 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
:-)
Wanted to see if I could stump her. :-D

[identity profile] a2zmom.livejournal.com 2009-05-06 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
OH, just so gross. Man, I feel your pain.
snowpuppies: (Default)

[personal profile] snowpuppies 2009-05-06 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
Yeesh.


Like, really.


*shudders*

*pets*

[identity profile] klme.livejournal.com 2009-05-07 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
also, I really want to see your safety vest...