Resolutions and Solutions

Modern inconveniences

I am a big fan of modern appliances. Granted I don’t have a microwave, but I shudder at the thought of making a butter cream icing without my trusty mixer. I love my vaccuum cleaner, too. I know this makes me sound like some sort of domestic twit, but I do have a point. Said point is this; the conveniences of modern day living are only such to those using them. My cell phone is a must. I never leave home without it, even though I chronically forget my keys. But that doesn’t mean everyone in the country is as happy about my phone as I am. I realize this, and avoid making calls in crowded areas. Sometimes they cannot be helped, and in these instances I keep the call as short as possible and try not to yell over the background noise. I have learned that the little microphone that I’m speaking into makes it infinately easier for the listener on the other end. I do not, therefor need to yell loud enough for them to be able to hear me without the connection. So to the man sitting next to me on the train yesterday, I ask: What is your problem? It was a little after 3pm and the train was packed with people heading into the city. The benches, made for 2, were for the most part all holding 3. There were people jammed into the aisles and the doorways between cars. Across from me a larger man started pushing the people on either side of him trying to get into his pocket. After pushing an older woman onto the floor he managed to pull out a cell phone and, making loud comments about how inconsiderate some people can be, he proceeded to push some buttons. I assumed that he’d be sending a text message. I was wrong. Putting the phone up to the side of his head, not to his ear, but near it, he proceeded to yell at the listener about some hot chick that he saw bending down in the grocery store. Very loudly. Now I know I wasn’t in the quiet car. The trains all have at least one of them now, where you’re not allowed to talk or use a cell phone. They’re meant for people who want to read or work or sleep during the commute. But that’s still no excuse for this guy. That’s all I got.