another day another face plant

Toby and the kids picked me up from the train station Sunday evening, but not before Oona tripped on the sidewalk running to the car and got this beauty on her forehead. I swear, she bangs her head so much I'm fearing she'll have boxers dementia at 4! I had a lovely weekend in Philly with a dear friend who always makes me laugh, a very important quality in a friend. I was going to study for a nursing entrance test I took on Wednesday but blew it off and started The Road instead. Fortunately I passed with flying colors so no biggie there, just tedious little hoops to jump through in order to get accepted at school. At this point I realize that I probably should have gone to med school fifteen years ago, but I wasn't emotionally mature enough and was very insecure about my intellectual abilities. Oh well. So I'll jump the hoops, do the dance, get my RN and carve out a comfortable existence here in the 'burgh.

Five hours into my lovely seven hour train ride home someone's cell phone kept ringing (seriously, like every minute it started ringing). It was obviously bothering other people in the car but no one said or did anything but that flipping ringing was affecting my reading of The Road so I popped out of my chair and asked whose phone was ringing. Three college age guys, recent arrivals and already testing my patience playing Eminem's We Made You a little too loud (cmon, I love Eminem but on a 7 hour train ride?!) point to an inert mass across from them, 'it's his phone but he's passed out.' I recognized the lump from earlier, a guy who was rather boastful, isn't that usually the case with loud talkers, I guess he passed out on the overpriced beer from the snack car. I popped back in my seat but the ringing wouldn't stop and it was going to drive me craaazy. I walked over to the passed out man's seat and said 'Excuse me, do you think that you could switch your phone off? The ringing is really annoying.' I swear I didn't say this with attitude, no hand on hip business. I was polite and just wanted it to stop. He looks at me and says, 'It's not a phone, it's a bomb.' I just stopped. My first thought was, is he serious, but I immediately batted that aside and realized he's just being a MAJOR ASSHOLE. I did an imperceptible shake with my head to rid myself of him and turned back to my seat. 'You didn't think that was funny?' he said. 'No.' I said, sat down and then two seconds later I hopped up and walked the length of the train to find a conductor and relay what had just happened. I know who you're talking about, the conductor told me. Of course he did, these human mosquitos tend to be that way in your face, annoying. He walked back and gave him a stern talking to while I grabbed my bag and found a seat in another car.

Toby and the kids picked me up from the train station and I told Toby what happened. He felt the conductor really messed up and said I should have insisted that he kick him off the train. The guy told the conductor he was a flight paramedic and I'm wondering what person who is supposed to help people says something so stupid, really stupid post 9/11, like that. So I'm ranting throughout the ten minute drive to Toby's place and then as we're walking into the lobby of the apartment complex who should be there but bombscare man?! I said, 'That's him.' and Toby's like 'No!' and then asked me if I wanted him to say something to him. There was a part of me that just wanted to walk over and hit him but I just figured what's the point? Hitting him, trying to reason with the guy, it just seemed useless and I figured anyone who says something so dumb so flippantly in order to what? bully or scare me? It just isn't worth it to expend on more energy on them. So I promise once I finish this post I'm done with it.