Lines....

I got to the BART station at my normal time this evening, and it was a bit more crowded than normal. I weaved in and out of people talking, sitting and just plain getting in my way until I got to my usual line. This line happens to be way on the other side of the station, which is why I have to dart around people who are darting around other people and so on. If you get your "mad" face on (not too hard for me), then usually you can get to the other side fairly easily. If you look happy (somewhat harder for me to accomplish), then people simply will not move out of your way. Looking to the side or down helps too -- for some reason people are more inclined to move out of my way when I'm doing that than if I was looking straight ahead.

So I got to my line, and the right line was way, way longer than the left line. In fact, a family of about 15 just got in the right line, which is my normal line. Picking the car you ride on and the line you stand in is a science. Most newbies will catch on fairly quick that one door on BART equals two lines. People stand in either the left or right line, and when the doors open, you stream in like little ants: the right line should (and I stress should) go to the right, and the left line should (again should) go to the left. Sometimes you get rebels who cross-over a line, and if you're crossing in front of me, your guaranteed a heel kicked "by accident...," uh, yeah. So here was my favorite right line taken over by an idiot visiting family, so I looked over at the left line, and it was incredibly short. Hmm. Decisions. Okay, off to the left line I went.

I was standing in the left line, and it was about 4 people deep, and I was thinking I had it made because there were two trains before my Fremont train. Most likely I would end up in the front. Smooth sailing. The Dublin/Pleasanton train arrived, and the line began to move slowly forward (you do have to allow the people exiting the train tops 30 seconds to get their slow moving butts off the train, then it's a free for all), and then I was in the front! Yippee!

But wait.

My favorite line happens to be right next to the escalators/stairs going up and down at the other end of the station. So this means there's a wall for the fixture structure. Most people know that in this particular line, you stand straight, even if you're blocking the escalator/stairs. It just doesn't matter. It's the only way, and it only makes sense, and to do it any other way is just dumb. Don't you know this?? So I got to what I thought was the front of the line, and there was a group of people off to the side, hidden by the wall. They look at me. I look at them. I'm annoyed that they were all hiding, but I figured I should be polite and ask if they were in this particular line (cause come on, any dummy knows that you don't go hiding behind the wall where no one can see you..hello...).

To the first lady that eyeballs me I said, "Oh...are you in line?"

She responded, "Yes."

Everyone standing in the rebel group began to shuffle and act nervous, like I was going to take over their messed up line situation. This fragile old lady moved closer to the yellow strip. The others started almost butting each other. I've managed to scare the pack!

Okay. So I was stuck where I ended up, which was right where the wall side was -- the skinnier side, which worked out okay since the people coming from behind me could see that I was in fact in line, unlike the rebels around the corner, but unfortunately, people kept cutting in front of me and sort of bunched up behind the rebels. I was worried. Sometimes I'm invisible girl and no one seems to see me although I'm there. Was this happening today?

The Pittsburg/Baypoint train arrived. Now was the time I would have to act to save my place in line, which was right behind the rebels regardless of where I was standing (in my head, at least). There was an iffy moment when a lady joined the bunch because it seemed like she wasn't getting on the train, so she would be cutting in front of me, but she did the shimmy and went with the other line for the other door (which -- in case you're taking notes, is supposed to be behind the wall because there is no other choice).

Hey! I was first in line! Phewwww........

And all I could think was how lame those people were. Don't they know? And it only takes one to get it started -- that crazy herding instinct people have.