but what does it really MEAN???

starting 5:46 p.m.

this evening heading home there was a service problem on one of the subway lines i take. the announcement said, "due to a temporary power failure, 4, 5, and 6 trains are not running IN EITHER DIRECTION. for service to..."

this comes two days after the ny times (among other sources) reported that the 4/5/6 line has exceeded capacity and is thus overcrowded at rush hours. they cannot put more trains on the track for safety's sake (the trains must have enough space between them to be able to stop in an emergency). the cars cannot hold more people (and if you've been on one of these trains at rush hour, you know for SURE they can not possibly hold any more people). in fact, the train capacity is supposed to allow for 3 sq feet for each passentger (1.5ft x 1.5ft). this doesn't happen. today because of the train issues, the 7 i was riding was packed so that my back was pressed against the back of the guy behind me, and my left side was brushing the guy standing there. it's not comfortable, but it's waaaay better than walking ten miles home. this is all the more reason for me to start riding my bike all the way to work. none of this shit would affect me!

about that, though: my bike needs brake pads... or something. i can't wait til i know my bike well enough to know exactly what it needs. until i get it fixed, i'm not going to ride it. i don't think it's safe right now.

i can't help thinking about the train electricity problems, and what i'm thinking is along the lines of, "is this the beginning of the end?"