So I’ve had a few more successes after my Metra Lotto post the other day. But earlier this week, on a later train that I’ve generally managed to be skipped over on, I had a bit of an adventure.
The conductor walked right by. It was perfect. I was convinced.
And then, just after the last stop before Union Station, he came around again. I’m playing Texas Hold ‘Em on my iPhone. And he stops right by me. In fact, just over my left shoulder. I can see him out of the corner of my eye, try as I might to win a hand.
And he says, “Oh, I don’t think I got you yet, did I?”
He was clearly within the rules. Almost like he knows about them and wanted to flaunt that knowledge.
I handed my over my 10 ride. Damn.
So close.
He’s a clever one he is.
Or, and I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!
I experienced an untoward exhilaration on the Metra this morning. Why? Was it the attractive woman I sat next to?
No.
It was the purposeful stride of the conductor as he walked right past me, checking tickets, punching cards, etc. Except mine. He completely skipped me.
You see, I play the Metra Lotto and this morning, I was a big winner.
What’s the Metra Lotto? It’s a game where I attempt to ride the local commuter rail without paying a fare. That’s right. I got this excited about not paying $2. It’s the little things.
Why play? Well, since Metra relies on humans and a manual system, you can guarantee that they are going to miss a certain number of riders. The object is to be one of those riders they miss.
How do you play? Some simple rules:
Instead of a monthly pass, you purchase 10 ride passes.
You must always have a valid pass with you.
If a conductor makes a reasonable* effort at getting you to pay, you must pay.
No arguing, no lying, no moving around.
*What reasonable? If they attempt to make eye contact with me, I count that as reasonable and present my card.
What’s at stake?
Well, my winnings are slim. I get a few free rides a week — maybe 13-14 rides on a 10 ride ticket. I know a fellow player who’s best record is 21 rides. I know another who almost never pays a fare on her morning commute.
This isn’t really about the money. It’s about the same thrill as pocketing a glass from a favorite bar. (I still have three from when I spent too much time at The Green Mill.)
And thought — really? Cause if you look at the whole paragraph:
He added: “Our motto is: no short cuts? exchanging a single component which today is cold, is like bringing it back from the Moon. It takes about three to four weeks to warm it up. Then it takes one or two weeks to exchange. Then it needs three to six weeks to cool down again.
It would seem that short cuts would be out of the question. Which the question mark suggests is not the case.
So I know a guy who always has The Hook Up. Example? Cheap parking downtown. Quality meats.
I’m always skeptical of hook ups like that but when he said he knows a guy that knows a guy who travels around the world taking measurements and then making custom clothes in Hong Kong, I figured I’d give it a shot.
We met in a hotel on the south side. There were a few other people there (all people I knew). I picked out fabrics and was measured head to toe. It’s about a month later and my first suit arrived. That’s it in the picture. Pretty sweet.
And while I’m mentioning the picture, I should point out that it was taken last night, 1AM, by the Lovely J who was simultaneously feeding The Critter. So no judgments, OK?
And speaking of multi-tasking, blogging while holding him is also a bit difficult, but that’s another story.
Where was I? Oh yeah: the suit. It comes with two pair of pants and a monogrammed jacket. Lots of great features. Hidden pocket in the waistband. Reinforced rear side of the bottom of the pant leg near the cuff.
Yeah I’m just about sick of hearing about SXSW (mostly because I’m not there and my drinking days [such as they were] are now largely behind me) but the geniuses over at PassiveAggressiveNotes.com have some brilliant pictures that you should really take a moment to read. Esp the first one. Nice.
So the Swiss bank dropped its suit against Wikileaks. You know the suit, the one they brought because of the documents that were posted that proved the Swiss bank in the Cayman Island was helping customer evade taxes.
WHAT? GASP! Gimme a break.
Is it just me, or is the whole point of a Cayman Island based bank of any kind, and of a Swiss bank in particular, tax evasion? Call it whatever you want–wealth preservation–but that’s what it’s for.
Tax evasion.
That would be like me suing someone for suggesting I was–on occasion–a little sarcastic.
Already Dead: A California Gothic - The date in the book shows I bought this in 2000. I don't remember reading it, and the first couple of pages didn't exactly change that.
- The date in the book shows I bought this in 2000. I don't remember reading it, and the first couple of pages didn't exactly change that.
