The Adventures of Peri in MetroLand...

As you may have picked up on, I have chosen an Alice in Wonderland (Original title:  The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland) theme for my very first blog.  I have a few reasons for doing so:  First, I can definitely relate to Alice..what with her poofy dress, white stalkings, and black bow in her hair--this is a look my mother loved to dress my sister and I in; Second, My favorite ride at Disney is the Teacups! 

But most importantly, the reason I chose this theme is because there are in fact, many parallels between Wonderland and what I have come to think of as MetroLand.  Let me paint a picture for you:  You are very tired, it is very early in the morning, and you are "late...for a very important date"--okay its just work, but go with me here... You hear the sound of footsteps behind you and turn and see a white rabbit running while staring at a pocket watch (okay, its a business man in a suit).  You're already disoriented by being in a new place and a lack of sleep and caffeine, when you stumble onto the escalator (which of course, is out of order) and begin to descend into "the rabbit hole"...further and further down the broken escalator you run, until at last you reach "MetroLand". 

MetroLand is a peculiar place.  It is dark, clammy, people are shoving free newspapers in your face. Once you swipe your SmartTrip card and walk through the narrow entryway to the station, you have reached the point of no return.  MetroLand is a world populated by peculiar creatures.  You never know what to expect.  If you aren't vigilant you could have your Blackberry, iPod, Kindle, or iPad stolen from you;  People may push you out of the way as they run to board their train.  And then, if it isn't already strange enough--you board your train and for however long your journey is, you are stuck in a car with those creatures and have no way out.  This is where things really get interesting.

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)

The Cat was right.  They are all mad--and commute long enough and you become mad too.  After your train ride is complete and you arrive at the next Metro station, the fun part begins.  Which exit do I take?  Which way to the bus stop?

Ask an attendant and you might get a response similar to this:

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)
Ask a local and you may be lucky enough to get a clear answer such as this:

Doorknob:  "Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction."(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

The moral of the story is that MetroLand is an adventure in and of itself, especially for a girl who had a car from the time she was 16 until recently,  never had to walk to get anywhere, and never rode a city bus in her life.  If Alice could make it through the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the Queen of Heart's Croquet game, and an encounter with a high Caterpillar... Then this Mad Temp-er can make it through MetroLand! :)

First Post!

This week I started a new job as a Temp and boy has it been an interesting week! I live in DC and commute to Maryland for work (yeah, I know thats kind of backwards).  This involves waking up by 5:45am and being at the Metro bus stop by 7:05am.  Once the bus drops me off at the Metro Rail station I take a 20 minute ride to Maryland, where I catch yet another bus to arrive at my office by 8:00am!

All this commuting has given me plenty of practice in navigating the VERY complicated system of buses and trains that make up the DC Metro system (WMATA).  Every day when I arrive home I have a story about "what happened on the Metro today". 

Last night while telling one of my stories, I interupted myself and said, "Ya know? I should really write a blog about this..." To which my Aunt replied, through fits of laughter, "Yes, yes you should!"  So here goes nothing!