Cell Phones & Charm Bracelets

My cell phone alarm goes off this morning. Normally I can turn it off with my eyes closed. Today should be no different, right? Wrong. I'm trying and trying...nothing. Finally, getting annoyed, I open one eye and fumble with the screen wondering why it's not turning off. This goes on for about two minutes and the annoyance is growing. Then it hits me...I'm smashing the screen on my Blackberry, which is NOT a touchscreen phone. I thought it was the iPhone going off. Now fully awake I can't even steal those 5 or so extra minutes. I get up and prepare for the day.

Just when I thought I was done...

I get on the train after dodging raindrops. Of course it started to rain as soon as I leave my house. I find a two-seater and sit in the corner and take out my book and start to read. The next stop this lady sits next to me. Didn't pay it much attention until I hear this irritating noise but couldn't figure out what it was. I shrug it off and continue with my book. A few minutes later I hear it again. I look toward the woman and notice she's wearing a charm bracelet. Not just any charm bracelet with charms of gold or silver jewelry, oh no. This one looked to be made of big chunky pieces of wood and shiny awkward glass pieces that make the most annoying sound when she moves her hands. And she was moving that hand! You'd think she was conducting a symphony orchestra the way that bracelet was shaking! To drown out the sound I thought I'd put on my iPod -- or course I have to put on classical music, otherwise I'd focus on the lyrics and not my book. (Well that's me anyway!) That doesn't work. A couple of stops later, I stop reading altogether, I still hear that damned bracelet. Why can't this woman sleep on the train like everyone else I thought. I put the book away and put turn up the iPod. I close my eyes and relax into my music. I feel a poke in my arm and look up. This same lady with the reindeer bells is now asking me if I can turn down my music. A million thoughts flooded my head. Now, I'm not a confrontational person by nature but something about those damned cowbells got my goat this morning!! I answered, "Sure, as soon as you stop moving your hands with that annoying bracelet." She turned and rolled her eyes, "What?" I widened my eyes and just looked at her. Noticing I didn't actually say anything, she said, "My bracelet is not loud." I was cool and quick with the reply. "It's not loud, but it's annoying being this close to it." Before the lady could respond, this young girl sitting across from us interjected, "Yea your bracelet is getting on my nerves." There's always someone ghettofab on the train-gotta love it. The lady was embarrassed at this point. "Well I'm not taking it off." And of course she exaggerated her movements so her wrist was full throttle. I turned around and raised the volume. The young girl across from us continued, as I guessed she would. She was sitting next to a friend of hers, "Damn. That shit is mad loud, yo. Fuck!" I read her lips and started cracking up. She saw me and laughed. She and her girlfriend kept on with the jokes. The lady next to me was heated, but surprisingly, she remained almost motionless for her duration on the train. At one point I wanted to check her pulse and see if she died! She must've gotten off somewhere between 138th and 86th Street. When I opened my eyes at 86th she was gone.

Chalk it up to New York Transit. Have a good weekend all.