The Max

I was once the smelly person on the max.

I was on the train to school after finishing at work, and I kept smelling something sour. My immediate though was, "Ugh, who's the wine-o?" I looked around, trying to figure out who smelled like cheap wine. I forgot about the smell until I got off to switch lines when I smelled it again. I looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell. It was only once I smelled it again on the second train that I realized it was me, that I smelled like the white cooking wine from work.

I was the smelly person on the max. The rest of the day I kept getting wind of the smell of cooking wine, inwardly wincing and hoping that other people didn't notice, though, really, I don't know how they couldn't.

This story brings me to the point of today's post: my love-hate relationship with the max. For the most part, I love being able to take the max to school. I don't like driving (especially freeways at night) and parking at school costs about the same as taking the max anyways. It's also nice to have the 40 odd minutes on the train to do a quick review of my text book (not as often as you'd think) or to sit and just listen to my ipod and relax (most often). I was once even given a free ticket by a lady who had purchased her ticket before finding out that her friend was able to come and pick her up. How nice!

However, there are some things about the max that really make me wish driving was my most favorite thing in the world and I drove to and from school every day.

And because I love lists so very much, here is a list of things that I dislike about riding the max:

1) Odorous Individuals
Yes, I was once the smelly person on the max. And I understand that sometimes you just smell and then you ride the max. I feel no ill will towards the smelly. but I still do not take pleasure in their smell.

2) Garbage
People are gross. They leave coffee cups, bags of lunch garbage, cigarette butts, all sorts of trash all over the place. It's not the norm, but you would think with garbage cans at each and every freaking stop, people wouldn't feel so hard pressed to throw their garbage away in an actual bin rather than setting it on a seat on the max.

3) Space Hogs
Also known as inconsiderate jerk faces. When the max is busy, these people will sit on the outside seat and put their bag on the seat next to the window so unless you expressly ask them to move their crap, you are left without a seat.
Jerks.

4) MUSIC
For me, this is THE most annoying thing about riding the max. Talking on your phone? Annoying, but whatever. Listening to music with headphones but I can still hear it? Frustrating, but I don't dislike you or even think you inconsiderate. But play your music on your phone speakers so you don't have to wear headphones because, I don't know, you just couldn't bother? There are no words to describe your rudeness. What are you even thinking as you do this? That you want to help entertain us by playing your annoying music? That you might get paid somehow for helping advertise the artist's music? Because pretty much all you are doing is annoying the hell out of me and most of the other passengers around you.

And then coming up afterwards and telling me to cheer up and "give you a smile" because you thought I look sad (true story)? Nope. Just, no.

Now that I have that off my chest, I'm off to take the max to class. It will probably pass uneventfully and I will most likely have a nice trip. But you never know. ;)