On time? Couldn't be!

Yes faithful readers, the train was on time this morning.  Despite the rain and the cold, the train driver got his arse out of bed on time today and made it to the Lithgow train yards in a time that allowed for prompt departure.  Perhaps he only had 4 flagons last night instead of the usual 5.

I suppose I can’t begrudge the Fat Controller the kudos of being on time.  Well done, it’s been a long time.

I did wax on lyrically yesterday about being creatures of habit yesterday and I suppose the Fat Controller is no exception…

I also talked about the fact that my “fellow commuters” are habitual as well… Not only do I greet the morning with the same two gentlemen each day, the same people are also on the carriage once I get on.  For example every morning I sit on the left side of the carriage in the middle of the top deck.  It is “my spot”.  Two rows in front of me, but on the right hand side sits a man of about 45 years of age with an extremely stern demeanour.  He wears a suit (as do I) but he refuses to hang his jacket on the hook provided.  He sits in his jacket (which means it gets crushed) and he reads the paper (Sydney Morning Herald of course!) with a very crisp and perfunctory manner.  Papers rustle, page turns and paper as whole is flicked and he commences reading.  He makes reading the paper an art form.  But he also gets up EVERY morning between Lapstone and Emu Plains and leaves all his belongings and goes downstairs to the vestibule.  I can’t see him from here, but he can only be doing one of two things – taking a leak or getting a drink from the crusty water fountain.  (He’s getting up now as I type this).

Anyway, I say we are creatures of habit, but habits are made to be broken.  You see we have an intruder.  This week, for whatever reason, a new person, a uni student type guy who wears a Volcom hat pulled over his eyes and has headphones on has been sitting in the Stern Man / Mystery Piss Takers seat.  Somewhere up the line, Student Boy has been getting on the train and has taken Stern Mans seat.  So what does Stern Man do?  He has started sitting in MY SEAT!  And he still doesn’t make use of the coat rack!  My coat rack!

What this has done is that it has left the only remaining seat with a coat rack (only every second row has them if you aren’t familiar with State Rail Country Trains) for me to sit on and its on the right hand side directly across from my old left hand position.  This means that I am using my laptop with the wall/window on my right hand side and it makes typing more difficult as I keep bumping the window sill and my coat (hanging on the rack) is close to my right hand.  Being right handed and a solid two finger per hand plus thumb typist, this means I am a little bit squished for room.

So why didn’t Stern Man simply go back two rows and take the seat I am currently sitting in?  Why has he moved to the left?  Will Student Boy disappear after this week or is he a permanent member of the Last Carriage Club?  Am I therefore doomed to RSI for sitting on the right hand side?

And finally it makes me think that perhaps when I started on this train that I perhaps may have taken someone else’s spot on the middle left and now that someone is sitting behind me mocking me and the fact that I have lost my (their old) seat.