Waiting to hear from publisher

23rd August 2006

Hi

Yesterday I caught the train as I work in the city and, as usual, had to squeeze on a crowded train. Luckly I'm slim and was able to sit in between two people in the seats facing each other in the downstairs section. The one man and two women opposite were all large. The brunette woman in the middle was leaning forward reading a magazine as her bulk wouldn't fit between the other people. Anyway, after a while, the blonde sitting next to her suddenly jerked her shoulders back to give herself more room while she turned the page of her book, as she was sitting at an angle. When this happened the brunette got this angry look on her face and shouldered herself back as well. The blonde slammed shut her book and then opened it again. She was squeezed in tighter than before. I thought...here we go...an argument. And the man, well he was busy tap...tapping on his notebook and had his legs spread and had plenty of room. He didn't look up, but I'm sure he knew what was going on. After a few more stops, the brunette pushed past the blonde and got out. What a way to start the day! Is this train rage or what?

You might ask what's the point of this? Our government want's more of us to use public transport. And more people will as petrol gets dearer and the roads more crowded. I wish those politicians would try catching a trains at peak (rush) hour and see just how crowded they are. I'm thinking that people may come to blows to try to secure a seat in the future...and then we'll be thinking...what's the world coming to? And we'll be looking for someone to blame...will it be ourselves for not speaking up about the sorry state of our trains...or the people we elect (then is it our fault again for electing them) for not having enough vision and strength to take the steps needed to create a better system?

Oh...and what was I doing while this was going on opposite me in the carriage? Editing my manuscript...well trying to.

I read that incidents happen on our public transport system all the time...and what do our dear transport workers do you might ask when they are notified? Some just stare dumbly back...
A couple of months ago I travelling to the city (as I do 4 days a week) and just before Redfern a lady started vomiting violently. (We are on the upper level of the train) I was sitting in the isle seat opposite. The woman next to her had some spattered on her as well. I tried to help the woman by calling her family on my mobile but she wasn't coherent enough to give me the correct number. The woman next to her excused herself and slipped past her. I thought she was getting away in case the sick woman was going to start throwing up again. When we stopped at Redfern I was still trying to contact her family and when the doors started to close, was about the time I gave up on that and raced downstairs to try to signal to someone to get help. The doors closed as I reached them. I banged on the doors and a railway worker standing on the station just gave me a smile and a shrug as if to say...too late.
By this time, I was trying to tell him that there is a sick woman on the train but he ignored me.(What happened to the training the system is supposed to give the workers on this sort of thing)It was obvious that something was wrong and he should try to help me. The train hadn't left the station and I was still banging on the doors. Anyway the doors open and I started shouting and saw that a someone from rail security was looking for this woman and didn't know what carriage she was on.

I wave to him frantically, and he comes running. The woman who'd been sitting next to the sick woman had alerted the security and she's standing on the station with vomit all over her skirt.
By this time people have come downstairs just to get away from the smell. Who else is helping the woman? No one. Sad isn't it.

I hope she was okay. I thought she may have had a heart attack as this may happen during a heart attack.

How are my stories going? I'm waiting to hear from a publisher who has my Stephanie story under consideration. I don't expect to hear from them for a couple of months.

Bye for now.