9/14/09: Trains and Baby Stories

Train story first:

Having lived in several big cities, I have seen public transportation done well, and not so well. NYC, has an incredible public transportation system and moves an amazing number of people every day. For it's size, Charlotte's public transportation is not bad. NYC has 40 different subway trains, and more commuter trains than I can count - slow trains that stop every 5 feet, express trains that will take you 10 miles away from where you want to be if you aren't paying attention - and hundreds of stops. Charlotte has 1 train - the Blue Line - it's a light rail train that is similar to a NY subway except it runs above ground (and doesn't smell!). It runs from I-485 (South Charlotte) to the middle of downtown. It has about 12 stops. It goes up one way and down the other. That's it. Not too complicated. Between the hours of 8 and 5 there is not even standing room in the NYC subways - people are pressed so tight, there isn't really any need to hold on because you are in so tight. In Charlotte, The seats are filled and there are people standing, but its about as crowded as a theater for a good movie after the movie has been out a while.

I ride the train from end to end, so usually the train is empty when I get on since it's the first stop, and the last of the people get off when I do on the last stop. It's about a 25 minute ride. There are a list of stops posted above each subway door. I got on the train this afternoon and the train seats were almost full - and many of the people did not get off the train. "Hmm.. this is odd", I thought to myself. But I got on the train and took one of the few available seats. All of the people who stayed on the train were wearing black pant suits, black shoes, white shirts, carrying black briefcases that had "Greater Fort Lauderdale" embossed on them, and sporting nice summer tans. I started having paranoid Men In Black flashbacks, so I kept close watch on them. The black suits started talking to random people on the train who were not in black suits. I thought "Maybe they are doing a survey of commuters or something." People were talking and laughing. The pair of black suits sitting in front of me looked at each other and one said "Do you know where we are supposed to get off?" The other said "No, but everyone should get off at the same time." A couple of stops later, one of the commuters asked a black suit "Where are you heading?" "Oh, some restaurant downtown." the black suit said. I guess the commuter assumed they were being intentionally vague and left it alone. A couple of stops later, the commuter said "You know 'Downtown' ended at that last stop. What stop are you looking for?" "Oh, we were supposed to get off at the Arena stop." "That was 2 stops ago" the commuter said. The black suits started buzzing. At the next stop a small group of black suits decided to exit the train and catch the train heading the other direction. At each subsequent stop, a few more black suits exited the train. Finally, at the end of the line where I get off, the remaining black suits started milling around the train. "What should we do now?" Some voted to get off the train, some voted to stay on the train, some voted to cross to the other side of the platform and get on the train across the way. No one voted to ask the train station worker standing on the platform which train was leaving next. Black suits began wandering on and off the train randomly. I walked over to the train station guy and said "I think they could use some help figuring out where they need to go. I know there is just one train, but they seem confused." The train station guy sighed heavily, shook his head, and mumbled "don't they all..." and wandered over to the milling black suits.

I hope the train station guy got the black suits straightened out and pointed in the right direction. I am not hopeful for the fates of those who broke off from the pack earlier. I am afraid we will have a new influx of black suited homeless people, wandering aimlessly and pointing at the sites. I hope these people don't find their way to NYC. They will be assessed the unofficial "What were you thinking?!?!" tax that gets collected in NYC - you know, where wallets get lifted and brief cases disappear.

Now on to the baby stories:

My babies are growing up so fast. They are all legs and have a bad case of the terrible 2's (or whatever they call it in puppy weeks). They have decided that between the couch cushions is an awesome place to bury toys. They think my hair makes a great substitute for a tug toy. And they play with everything that is low enough for them to grab it. For the most part they are very good - either that, or their cuteness hypnotizes me into believing they are very good - it's about a 50/50 chance of either one.

They have begun developing their own personalities. Jasper is a fast learner. He knows how to "Sit" and "Come", he will bring a ball back when I throw it, and is even getting better at "Stay". However, he doesn't like acknowledging his name, unless he feels like it. When we are outside and he has found some awesome new thing - like a dead leaf or an acorn - it doesn't matter what I say, he is going to do what he is going to do. I have to go tap him to make him listen to me (sometimes he will respond to me clapping my hands, but sometimes he is just determined and I have to actually touch him on his head and tell him "Come" to get his attention.) When I actually have to tap him on his head, he will come for a little bit, but if I turn my back, he darts back to whatever the amazing discovery was that he left behind. If I tell Jasper "No" - he doesn't care. Puck, on the other hand, doesn't know how to sit because he is too busy jumping, wiggling, and wagging his tail. When I give Jasper a treat for following the "Sit" command, Puck tries to intercept the treat I give Jasper instead of obeying and getting his own. Puck does know "Come" and if I take them out and tell them to "Come" before Puck is done, he will run to his favorite spot and wait there until he finishes. Jasper will come when I tell him to and then make a mess inside if I call him in too soon and don't keep an eye on him. Puck definitely knows his name. If I say his name he will come running and wagging his tail. Puck also knows "No" and just gets pitiful. If I say "No" - even to Jasper - Puck gets this pitiful look on his face and stops whatever he is doing and runs to me as if to say "Hold me so I can tell you how sorry I am and how much I love you! I promise I will be good until I forget I am supposed to be good." (Puck reminds me alot of Mark Twain's character Tom Sawyer - and Jasper is more like Huck Finn). Puck is definitely going to be the larger of the two - and has more of the Cocker Spaniel look to him. Jasper is going to have the longer coat and look more traditionally like the Cavalier King Charles.

Jasper has figured out how to keep Puck from getting his treats. It just goes to show you that in a battle of wits vs. brawn, wits will win. I actually saw Jasper do this a few times now - The first time I thought it was just a fluke, but now I think it may be intentional. If we are practicing "Sit/Stay" and Jasper gets a treat, Puck will take it. Jasper will jump up and look past Puck (If you have seen the movie Up, think of this as someone saying "Squirrel!"). Puck will immediately drop the treat and try to figure out what Jasper sees. Jasper will grab the treat and hold the entire thing in his mouth and chew it as best he can, leaving Puck with just the crumbs that fall out. When Puck is picking on Jasper, or getting on his nerves, Jasper will come put his paws on my leg whereever I am sitting so I will pick him up and put him on the couch or in the chair with me. Puck has figured this out and will demand to be picked up as well so he can continue to torment Jasper. Jasper has countered now by figuring out how to fit himself between the pillows on the sofa so Puck can't get to him. Puck's catching on - although he hasn't figured out how to make Jasper come out of the pillows. Puck will sit in front of the pillow where Jasper is hiding with his head on the cushion and his behind in the air and just wait for Jasper to come out. After a bit, Puck just falls asleep. Then Jasper comes out and finds his own place to sleep - usually right on top of Puck. They are very entertaining... and exhausting.