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12-jul-04 6/30/04 -- It's Only A Muffin.wednesday morning, my Metro SmartTrip card decided that it didn't feel like working. (And I certainly sympathize with that feeling, but hey -- I got *my* ass out of bed anyhow.) I went over to the kiosk to wait for a station manager. I waited behind an Angry Young Yuppie. He harrumphed and sighed loudly while the attendant inside did something involving writing in a notebook and putting things in envelopes. Slowly. Very slowly. Finally, Angry Young Yuppie had enough. He started rapping on the glass and yelling "Come ON!" Amazingly enough, that didn't work. The attendant glared at him, held up an index finger in a very emphatic "I'll help you when I'm damn good and ready!" fashion, and then went back to writing and stuffing envelopes. Even more slowly. The kid banged on the glass again and yelled "I don't have TIME to wait!" The attendant continued to not care, and finally another attendant came around and helped him. Now it probably goes without saying that if I'd had to stand there while an attendant studiously ignored me, I'd be boiling over with rage. But because I wasn't the one yelling and screaming, I found the whole incident amusing. Nine times out of ten people throwing loud fits in public just look like dinks, no matter how justified their rage may be. Someone at Bread and Chocolate screams because they got a blueberry muffin when they wanted banana nut, and all I can think is "It's only a muffin." Bill and I went through a phase where we were using It's only a muffin as our own little philosophical/self-help mantra, but we didn't quite make it stick. But really -- nine times out of ten, it's only a muffin. Calm down, OK? It's not that I don't understand being angry at Metro in general these days. If they raise the fucking rates one more time, I'm not going to be able to afford to take the subway to work anymore. It'd be okay if I saw much evidence that the yearly farejackings were doing anything to improve the system, but I've only noticed the occasional spiffy new train rolling through the stations, and invariably they become overcrowded and someone gets a briefcase stuck in the damn door and breaks it and everyone has to get off the train again anyhow. The subway makes me a little grumpy even on days when nothing bad happens. But wait -- there's Moore!On Wednesday afternoon I used some of my Pres Mourn leave to get out of work early and see an afternoon matinee of "Fahrenheit 911" at a theater in Georgetown. Writing a review of the movie seems pointless by now. You probably already know what you think about it, even if you haven't seen it. But in case you're insanely curious, I put up a review here. Next.
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