CTA Fun time

It took 2 hours to get to work today thanks to the CTA and general El awesomeness. Basically, a train malfunctioned in between Grand and Clark/Lake. So that means the 5 cars in between mine and that one, couldn't move (I'm sure people even further north were pumped).

So we get to the Western/Mil. stop and the operator tells us that we will be standing for a bit as they try to fix the problem with the stalled train. Forward to 20 min. later.

The train begins to move and then we stop in between Western and Damen for approx. 15 min. We then pull into the Damen station and the operator announces we are going to be sitting for a bit again, because the other train has not moved. 10 minutes later (9:00 am). "Everyone needs to clear off this train. There will probably be shuttles waiting or you can take the #56 bus downtown."

Well shit. So we herd off the platform which takes another 5 minutes as people can't listen and do not get off the train. So at 9:05 am, about 500 people en masse descend from the platform to the North/Milwaukee/Damen intersection. No shuttles and one 56 bus packed nuts to butts (that's for the search engines and porn seekers). So basically all 56 buses will be packed because everyone north of us will have already gotten on them.

So here everyone is waiting for the shuttles. Finally (about 10 min later), the crowd sees the first of the shuttles and in what looks like the L.A. riots sans bricks and semis, run and trample stampede like to the stopped transport. I'll have none of this, so I sit back and watch it go down. I do this for about 4 more shuttles.

I took some photos with my new camera phone. Doesn't really give the size of the crowd, but it was pretty large:





Once the 9th shuttle came around I decided I should fight the crowd and actually get on a shuttle. Can't be passive. But the first 5 shuttles, no way. Those people are assholes. I think pregnant women and children may have died in that crushing "MUST GET TO WORK. BOSS WON'T UNDERSTAND. ME BUSINESS GOOD."

But now I sit here at work looking at design Web sites trying to get some juices flowing and get back on track with my design skills. The rut sucks.