Life by train time.....

I realize now what it means to not have a car in the city......it means one's schedule is dictated by train and bus schedules! My teaching days are consumed by "what time does the metra run", "which is faster, the #144, #146, or #147 bus?", "when does the PACE pick up at the metra station?" These questions sometime have simple answers, but other times there is just nothing simple about it! Since I work in BFE, the trains only run every hour and the PACE buses have decided not to coordinate with the train arrival times, so they just run whenever. 

Is it wrong now that my responses to, "when does class end?", or "will you be available after class?" or "can you hang out on the southside tonight?" or "can you come in for a meeting?" all go something like this, "well, it depends on the shuttle schedule and when the train leaves or stops running......" Nice, huh? I have seriously decided to end class early every Wednesday so I can make the 7:40 train. So sorry students, you are getting cheated out of 20 minutes of learning so I can make it back to the city at a reasonable hour. 

What is also awesome about the train, beyond the scheduling nightmare, is the "fun" people you get to meet! No joke...I almost delivered a baby, I did be-friend a crack/ heroine addict for a while, now I'm making friends with the conductors. Good times all around! 

I guess I should just make peace with it all.....for now, at least, my days will be run by the #147, the Metra Electric Line, and the #367.