Thank you...where ever you are

I have many different things to say...especially since I spent 5 short lived days at home in sunny SoCal, but I am going to use these last few minutes of work to send a special shoutout to a kind stranger.

Yesterday I flew into Boston on a Redeye flight, not to worry, no one tried to blackmail me while I was on it- but I did get a row all to myself. Anyway, I got in at about 6 am, got my bags (one was big because I have started to really settle into Boston and I smuggled some homey goods over with me) and took public transportation all the way home.

Public Transportation from Logan to my part of The Ville: Bus to T (Subway), Blue Line to Orange Line (I sent this post to Anastasia for editing purposes and she told me I should include the part about how I broke the T, so here ya go:

Oh ya, I broke the orange line. The doors were about to close and i ran and stuck my foot between them so it would trigger the sensor and open...it did...i got in....and they stayed open......open...........open........................open.....I started to wonder if other people also thought i broke the T....but no one was looking at me.......then T guys started running back and fourth and a woman's voice kept saying "close the doors"....then nothing would happen.....then she said it again and they did close.....but then nothing happened.....then they opened them again and a few minutes later they told us to de-train because it was disabled. Then we had to wait and watch the train sit there some more and finally it left and another came...GUH....I BROKE THE T!)

, then I got off the Subway and began walking (rolling one small bag and one big one AND carrying a satchel....after years of experience I have the technique down) to look for a cab....and I walked....and I walked, and finally I got on a bus (my mother specifically gave me money for a cab because we figured the bus would be too much hassle but it was cold).

By the time I arrived home I was tired, so I left my bags downstairs and took a one hour nap before going to work. Then I got up and took the same bus back to the subway station...

Here is where my wonderful stranger comes in:

I went to swipe my "Charlie Card" to use the T and it wouldn't work, so I got in the long line to buy a token. Then people on the other side of the turnstile started to run...I knew my train was coming and being three people back in line for a token I knew I would miss it.

Then, out of nowhere, a scruffy looking middle-aged man came up to me and held a card out in his hand.
"Do you want this?” he asked.
"(Blank stare)", I replied, holding out my hand and taking the card.
"It is only good on the Subway," he said, turning around and walking away.
"Thank you," she mumbled, still unable to register the interaction.

I stumbled over to the turnstile and swiped the card...pushed the bar and walked through...Suddenly the reality of how nice the man had been, and how soon the train would leave hit me at once. I ran and barely made it in the doors before they closed.

Now granted this is only a December T pass and will expire on the first, but considering that the T is much more convenient than the bus and I can take it back and fourth to work- it is at least a $10 value for me...that man stood there and handed me ten bucks and I didn't even have my wits about me to thank him...

To the kind stranger who gave me an unsolicited present: Thank you very much, I promise I will find some way to pay the present forward (you know, like that movie, always thought it was a genuinely simple and profound idea...)

When Life Hands You a Lemon...

At some point early last week I decided that my Karma must be fucked up...why else would so many things randomly be going wrong? I started searching my brain for what I could have done that was causing my karma to be so bad...had i casually bumped too many cars, was I too wrapped up in my own life and petty drama to notice all that needs to be done around me?

Now, a week later, I have decided that my Karma is not messed up. Instead life decided to show me just how BAD things could be.

The Wallet:
On Wednesday the 7th I lost my wallet in a bustling section of a big city....we're talking big department stores, jewelry stores and pawn shops everywhere you turn + 6pm + 2 weeks before Christmas.

On Tuesday the 12th I picked my wallet up at the Somerville Police Department. A man had found my wallet and contacted me, we decided the police department was a good place for him to leave it for me. I was sure that this man had found my wallet AFTER someone else had, since I had retraced all of my steps within minutes of loosing the wallet. Because of this I was sure that my $31 bus pass and my $10 cash money would be gone. NOPE everything was there...EVERYTHING!

This could have been a devastating experience, someone could have taken my cards and bought stuff and stolen my bus pass and cash, but instead I emerged from the experience with no harm done. That is amazing!

The Hit-and-Run:
On Sunday the 11th my car was totaled in a hit-and-run accident. I only have liability car insurance, meaning that if the culprit was not found, no one would be giving me ANYTHING for my loss! Instead of this devastating outcome, a neighbor heard the crash and wrote down the vehicle's description and license plate. But the story doesn't end there, if the responsible party is never located, I STILL will get NOTHING. On Friday the 16th sergeant Rooney called me to let me know that the driver was found, would be coming in to fill out a report and had FULL INSURANCE.

ANOTHER possibly huge loss completely avoided....

...now, if only my laptop would magically come back to life...I may just by the $100 hand crank laptop and a good green guide dell desk top once I have a little side cash....