For the first time in a while, I woke up hours before the alarm. The sun was coming in my window and I felt well rested. I had time to lie in bed and think. Read. Consider the day ahead. I was hours ahead of schedule. I had an all day vocal group rehearsal today and had to make the salad I was taking for lunch (sugar free, of course) and be ready to catch the train at 9:38am.
I proceeded at a leisurely pace and was ready to enjoy the walk to the train station. I arrived with about five minutes to spare. There seemed to be more people there than usual for that time on a Saturday morning, but I figured everyone had woken up to the glorious day in the same way I had. All of us were running ahead of schedule, except for the trains.
The automated timetable announcement proclaimed at about 9:35 that the 9:18am train would be departing in about six minutes. The one I was there to catch, the 9:38am - was about 17 minutes away. Oh well, I'd catch an earlier train and leave later than I anticipated. Only Metro trains could make that happen.
A few minutes passed and a manual announcement was made, advising that due to something-or-other, all trains had been suspended until further notice. When you're at an unstaffed station, this is the most frustrating kind of announcement. No details are given about alternative services and there is no one to ask.
Luckily I hadn't been waiting for that long, so I was still within the window to be able to touch off my myki and not be billed for a trip I wasn't going to take. I made my way back home and started my car.
It's so annoying to be forced onto the road when you're committed to public transport and try not to clog up the streets with one person car trips that could otherwise be taken on public transport. And on the weekends, the price of travel is capped at $3.30 for the day, so it really is better than taking the car. At least I have a car and could easily take alternative transport to get to my rehearsal. In Melbourne's western suburbs, if the trains go down, there aren't a lot of other options.
While I missed my reading time, I did enjoy the airconditioning and radio discussion about the colour of a kitten's fur being a big factor in determining whether it will have a home or have to be destroyed. (Black cats aren't really agents of Satan you know.)
We had a great rehearsal and one of those wonderful shared lunches where people generously provide food and it all works together to be a bountiful and delicious meal, made better by good company and the sharing of music.
One of my fellow singers confided in me that she had misread my recent blog post about my discovery of the television show "Survivor". When I wrote that I'm "hooked" on the show, she read it as "booked". She suddenly saw me in a whole new light. We both thought this was very funny. I concluded that I'd be able to play a great social game, but would be a waste of time in the physical challenges. I'd have to make everyone love me enough not to care.
I drove home and spent the rest of the afternoon at the piano. A great way to spend Saturday.
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