Trains, yesterday.

Yesterday, after making my cross-city trek between train stations, I arrived at station number 2 a little early and deposited myself on one of the ancient wooden benches near the platform steps to wait and grade. A few minutes later, a woman who looked to be about my age, alone and dressed up in what looked like it might have been a hand-me-down navy suit and navy pumps that looked a little worn, as if a great deal of care had gone into arranging them, and slid into the seat next to me. She looked at me with my pen in hand marking up papers and said, �You must be a teacher. I just finished school and I bet my teachers are doing that about now.� I looked up to see a woman who looked tired, but with a glow of excitement about her. I�m not usually one to embark on conversations in train stations, but she looked like she had something to say. �Did you just graduate?� Yes, she had. She had just finished a program in physical therapy at a community college not far from where I live. �Did you have a job interview this morning?� It seemed the only explanation for the clothes, the barely contained excitement in her voice, and the fact that she was waiting in an outbound train station at 11:00 in the morning. Why yes, she had. It was for a presitigious city medical institution. It went very well and she was very hopeful. It looked to be a good job to get her foot in the door. She had plans. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I was almost sorry when my train was announced. I wished her good luck, before I slid down the stairs to the platform on my way to my last day with my class.

Trains, today.

This morning AJ announced that he wanted to go on a train ride, so after breakfast we studied the train schedule to determine our strategy. AJ opted for taking a ride to a town two ticks up the line where it is a known fact that a playground lies within spitting distance of the station. I concurred and we set out for our transportation adventure. We bought our tickets at the station, where the stationmaster advised us to go a little farther down the line to a popular train-themed kids restaurant. But we decided to keep things close today. And so, with AJ�s hands placed firmly over his ears in anticipation of the engine�s arrival, we emerged blinking into the sunlight onto the platform. When the train arrived, I had to help AJ climb the giant steps into the train. He solemnly handed the conductor my ticket (at 4 he doesn�t require one of his own). Instead of collecting it as he usually does, he punched it full of holes and handed it back to AJ as a souvenir. He carefully placed it in his pocket, patting it occasionally to make sure it was still there. We hopped out at our allotted stop, waited to wave goodbye to the train and the nice conductor, and then trundled down the long flight of stairs to the playground.

AJ played for an hour or more, running around in circles, swinging, sliding, and trying to get the other kids to talk to him, even though they were, for the most part, too young to be very conversational. After we had had enough sun, we returned to the platform to wait for the train home. We played I-spy while we waited. Our trip home was brief, so instead of going back to the car, we walked to a trackside restaurant for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milkshakes before we headed home. AJ was so tired upon our return, that after just one story, he declared himself too sleepy to listen to any more. He�s now upstairs snoring like a locomotive.

No trains.

In non-train related news, I learned today that my paper proposal to the national ethnomusicology conference was accepted. This is somewhat unexpected, but definitely good news, in part because said conference will be in Atlanta this fall. I�m contemplating taking AJ with me and dropping him off at my mom and dad�s (they live about 5 hours or so away from there) on the way there for a little vacation. I would then be able to join them afterwards for a few days. And additionally, my department chair (who is also a member of my diss committee) gave the thumbs up to the idea of me applying for the part-time community college gig while I finish up. I�m still not sure, but will probably do it after talking to my advisor about it. I need help feeling professional about my work and teaching is definitely one way to accomplish that. It�s nice to feel like things are chugging forward.

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