8 Degrees

That's the high today in Boston, MA. I had to take the T this morning, against all my better wishes, as there was almost no physical way I was going to be able to make the 6 mile walk to Chinatown this morning, where I had to go to get my license renewed (away on business next week).

8:00 am and all of 6, count 'em, 6 degrees outside the coldest day of winter so far. I knew this was going to be the walking test, whether or not I could really balls up and walk in the New England cold, and sure enough, with my long-john suit on and some good layering, I was pretty warm.

Only, I would be warm if I was moving - no, instead, I got the pleasure of waiting 15 minutes for an inbound Greenline; those of you who don't know Boston, the MBTA above-ground trolleys have a maximum of two cars per train service. Imagine being in NYC where each subway car was only an eighth to a quarter as long as it needed to be for efficient service. Now take away one of those cars, for, due to some unimaginable reason, the second car sat in the dark, not accepting passengers. Why even have a second car?

In such, the first car was so packed that no one could get on, and the OrangeJacket trying to maintain order shrugged with sheepish impotence as he collected the recently increased T fare.

I'm not getting on, as I see another T cresting the hill behind it. By the next stop (and I live pretty far out along the subway lines), the train was overfull and remained that way until I completed my grim commute the DMV - like out of the frying pan and into the fire right?

I would be remiss though if I didn't compliment the Mass DMV - they are actually, and efficiently run, pleasant group of people, willing to make strange exceptions for idiots like myself who let their license expire and need something to pick up a rental car.

Oh, and the ride back involved 7 D-line trains in a row. How many people are headed out to Riverside?