Stuck on a train…

With no connectivity, so it's not like I can actually do work… I didn't bring my book because I thought this would just be a 30 minute train ride, and, I only get so much amusement from listening to my music. So, instead, I will just start typing this, and upload when I get in. Yeah, as usual, I've been really bad about writing blogs.

I decided that I would take a later train today. (After 9:30, fares are lower. Since they increased rates YET AGAIN today, I thought I would save a couple of quid getting the cheap rate.) Besides, the 9:56 goes directly to Waterloo East, so I don't have to switch. I even checked the stupid Live Departure Boards as I was leaving the house, so that I would know if there were any problems… It turns out that we have "poor rail conditions", whatever the hell that means, and that there was "an earlier fouled train at Norwood Junction". Great. So, I get on the first train that is heading towards the general direction of London. (This was at 10:04.) I don't care where, I can get in from wherever I end up. Bad idea. We waited for about 20 minutes to get into and through East Croydon. Now, we are waiting, outside East Dulwich, to get into London Bridge, which is still 3 stops away. I have very little hope of actually making it into work with time to have lunch before my 13:00 conference call. And I have a ton of stuff to get done, too.

I've gotta feel bad for the train driver, though… He keeps making announcements that get more anxious each time, "We are in a queue, all the way back to here, waiting to get into London Bridge. I apologize for the delay. Hopefully we will be on the move soon…" The poor guy sounds afraid that all the passengers will leap up and beat down his door to kick his ass, as if it is personally entirely his fault. Then again, this is Britain, I guess that is a possibility. All the repression and suppression and passive-aggressiveness can only lead to an eventual rash of outright violence.

That's odd- I've just seen a fox slink past into a mass of briars. You don't usually see them in the day. I wonder if it's hunting the really fat gray squirrel I am staring at in the tree?

So, things have been going ok. I've been trying to get training in where I can. So, I go swimming with Ray twice a week, then one of the times during the week I've been getting on the cross trainer thingy at the gym, plus the rowing machine. At home, I've been riding my bike and running on the treadmill and trying to do yoga in the morning to get stretchy. All in all, it's a bit tough, but I feel good. We are going to go to the tri show in a couple of weeks and look for a wetsuit for me there. There are several open water practice swims in the area that Ray found. We will probably do some of those so that I can get an idea of how it will be to swim in a wetsuit and swim in open water.

Hehehe – The driver has just come back on to say, "No one is moving into London Bridge, and I can't find out why. There is NO movement, I don't know why!" Poor guy.

I think I should see about getting wireless broadband. I would assume that they have that here. As much time as I spend sitting on trains, waiting in airports, just doing nothing because I have no connectivity…

Woo-hoo!! We are moving! I don't think we are actually going anywhere… But after 32 minutes of being in the exact same spot, we've finally approached East Dulwich.

I wonder if I can get a cab…