First Day of Internship
As some of you may know, I started my internship at the Sommerville District Courthouse today (also hailing my final step in freeing myself from Lesley!)
The internship went well, even though the probation officer I'm assigned to was out sick. They demoed an intake for the new interns with a pretty chill guy who'd been busted for minor drug possession. Unlike a lot of people in the human services field, I've never done an intake, so it was new and interesting.
On the other hand, the commute can go die in a fire. Now. Make that a big fire.
Actually, make it ice. This fucking personification of the fucking commute does not deserve to be warm.
How many ways did the MBTA shit its pants today? Let me list them all!
1. I ask the driver of the 90 bus whether he's going to Davis Square. He says no. I cross the street and wait for the opposite-going bus. ...Whereupon that bus's driver tells me he's going the other way, to Wellington Station. The second guy was not lying. I know cause I said fuck it, got on and went to Wellington, since I could take a train from there. It would just take longer. My other choice would have been waiting in sub-zero weather for forty-five minutes.
Note that Davis is a major stop. The first driver's incompetence and/or malice was not due to him driving express or something.
2. I get to Wellington, take the Orange line for five or so stops to Downtown Crossing, where I can get on the Red Line. Unfortunately, the Red Line seems to be in its death throes. Announcers warn of delays. Ok, fine. Delays happen. I get on a somewhat late train. It takes great pains to drive one stop over to Park Street and breaks down. The passengers get out, after the train is announced out of comission, get on the next train coming in. And sit there for five minutes, while the doors open and close. And open and close. It's kind of soothing. No, wait, it's not. Eventually, the doors are pronounced busted and the passengers in that car are asked to move to another car. Five more minutes of sitting. Then, that train is officially decomissioned. When the next train arrives, the entire population of Boston tries to squeeze on. The staff tries to tell us that another train is coming, but at the going rate, that train is likely to flip over and do a jig.
On the plus side, when you're sardined, it's impossible to fall over.
3. I arrive at Harvard Square, assuming that the hard part is over. You know what they say about assumptions, right/ I walk into the bus deck, and am immediately told that those waiting for the 73 or 71 busses should go wait outside. Yes, in the same sub-zero weather. Eventually, I found out that the electic stuff for the cable cars had gone caput, leaving the routes' number of available vehicles at less than half. I still don't see why we couldn't have waited inside, but I don't know the technical details.
To be fair, yes, accidents happen, and no, I don't recommend taking out one's frustration on the employees, who didn't cause this shit (except for the bus 90 guy.) That said, way to fail everywhere all at once, MBTA. I've heard there were also issues with the Green Line in the morning, due to frozen switches.
Additionally, there were some unusually specific requests over the intercom, asking politely that passengers don't throw paper stuff onto the tracks. From that, I'd guess some wingnut did just that, somewhere along the line, and it caught fire from the sparks caused by the trains' passage. Y'know, just to drive home that some of the people the MBTA serves ain't bright, either.
And that was my day. Now, if you excuse me, I think I'm starting to feel my thighs again, and I don't want to.
The internship went well, even though the probation officer I'm assigned to was out sick. They demoed an intake for the new interns with a pretty chill guy who'd been busted for minor drug possession. Unlike a lot of people in the human services field, I've never done an intake, so it was new and interesting.
On the other hand, the commute can go die in a fire. Now. Make that a big fire.
Actually, make it ice. This fucking personification of the fucking commute does not deserve to be warm.
How many ways did the MBTA shit its pants today? Let me list them all!
1. I ask the driver of the 90 bus whether he's going to Davis Square. He says no. I cross the street and wait for the opposite-going bus. ...Whereupon that bus's driver tells me he's going the other way, to Wellington Station. The second guy was not lying. I know cause I said fuck it, got on and went to Wellington, since I could take a train from there. It would just take longer. My other choice would have been waiting in sub-zero weather for forty-five minutes.
Note that Davis is a major stop. The first driver's incompetence and/or malice was not due to him driving express or something.
2. I get to Wellington, take the Orange line for five or so stops to Downtown Crossing, where I can get on the Red Line. Unfortunately, the Red Line seems to be in its death throes. Announcers warn of delays. Ok, fine. Delays happen. I get on a somewhat late train. It takes great pains to drive one stop over to Park Street and breaks down. The passengers get out, after the train is announced out of comission, get on the next train coming in. And sit there for five minutes, while the doors open and close. And open and close. It's kind of soothing. No, wait, it's not. Eventually, the doors are pronounced busted and the passengers in that car are asked to move to another car. Five more minutes of sitting. Then, that train is officially decomissioned. When the next train arrives, the entire population of Boston tries to squeeze on. The staff tries to tell us that another train is coming, but at the going rate, that train is likely to flip over and do a jig.
On the plus side, when you're sardined, it's impossible to fall over.
3. I arrive at Harvard Square, assuming that the hard part is over. You know what they say about assumptions, right/ I walk into the bus deck, and am immediately told that those waiting for the 73 or 71 busses should go wait outside. Yes, in the same sub-zero weather. Eventually, I found out that the electic stuff for the cable cars had gone caput, leaving the routes' number of available vehicles at less than half. I still don't see why we couldn't have waited inside, but I don't know the technical details.
To be fair, yes, accidents happen, and no, I don't recommend taking out one's frustration on the employees, who didn't cause this shit (except for the bus 90 guy.) That said, way to fail everywhere all at once, MBTA. I've heard there were also issues with the Green Line in the morning, due to frozen switches.
Additionally, there were some unusually specific requests over the intercom, asking politely that passengers don't throw paper stuff onto the tracks. From that, I'd guess some wingnut did just that, somewhere along the line, and it caught fire from the sparks caused by the trains' passage. Y'know, just to drive home that some of the people the MBTA serves ain't bright, either.
And that was my day. Now, if you excuse me, I think I'm starting to feel my thighs again, and I don't want to.