Overheard on the train

On the way to work this morning, I sat near a girl of about 11-12 and (presumably) her mother. The kid was reading out quiz questions from little cards. I was actually trying to sleep, but just before we arrived out our destination, I couldn’t help but overhear the following (the conversation was in German, but I’ve translated for you):

Daughter (reading from a card): Who did Mary Shelley create?

Mother: Mary Shelley?

Daughter: Yeah, I’ve never heard of her either. But here are the options: A) Frankenstein’s Monster B) (Something I don’t remember) C) Harry Potter

Mother: Wellll… I know it wasn’t Harry Potter…

The daughter then proceeded to read the answer and a brief explanation of who Mary Shelley was from the back of the card. I meanwhile, sat contemplating what exactly it is they teach in German schools. Fancy not knowing who Mary Shelley was! 😉

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Mmm, cheesy!

I prefer my cheese on my plate, thanks very much!

My train home from work is one of the main commuter trains and accordingly is always full. Most days, I don’t even bother looking for a seat – mine is the next stop and by the time I find somewhere to sit, it’s usually time to get up again. So usually I wait until everybody else has got on and the doors have closed then perch myself on the step. It’s not the most comfortable positions, but for 20 minutes I can deal with it. Yes, you sometimes get a wet arse if it’s raining – but it’s okay, my coat’s waterproof. Yes, the step is cold and pretty hard – numb bum central! But I have enough padding down there to make it bearable 😉 However, there is one thing that regularly makes me wish my journey was just a little bit shorter… or it was the olden days and I could carry smelling salts around with me. It’s when another passenger comes and stands right in front of me… and I can smell their feet! Obviously not everybody is guilty of this, but when a stinky-footed person does come and stand next to me, it takes all my will power not to ask them to move.

Dear train travellers, if you think your feet may be a bit whiffy please don’t shove them under the nose of some poor, unsuspecting person sitting on the floor! (In case you were wondering, this happened to me just yesterday… hence the post).