We Made it! : Experienceing Train Culture 101

Warning: Little bit O' language in this post.

After much anticipation, we were there. Baggage checked, actually just Katt's bag, because even though my trip was twice as long, I had to carry mine on. Weird. So we board, get all situated in the common car, and mostly just talk for a few hours. Then Katt started playing her guitar [scales, you should be proud Mr. Thorp =P] and a man turned around to face her and asked: do you know any songs?

Katt nods

Creeper: Would you like to learn one?”

Katt: I guess so....

so he runs and gets his guitar, comes back and starts trying to show her how to play something, I think he started with some Eagles song, and then moved on to something else...I don't remember, but he really wasn't a grand teacher. So Katt eventually goes back to the text conversation she was having and some other guy was like “Woah! What a waste of a guitar lesson!”

We ignore him.

So Creeper #1 keeps playing his songs about being an asshole and whatever other nonsense. A whole lot of poorly sung Metallica and Nirvana, and Black Sabbath. So then Creeper #2 asks Katt (I have to give him some credit, because he was very polite, but there's just that vibe some people have...) if he could use her guitar since she didn't want to take advantage of the guitar lesson.

You should have seen her face. I tried so very hard not to laugh and succeeded...mostly. There may have been some poorly hidden snickering.

So she hands it over, but with glares abounding.

So they begin playing, again mostly songs that are ok to like nostalgically, but maybe shouldn't be part of your life philosophy....

They talked about how all the smokers should riot to be able to smoke on the train. That's adding some content to their conversation actually, because in reality it consisted of strange giggles, swearing, and “Dude”, and “Right?” These are not young men. They are like 30s. [GROW UP]

Anyhow, at one point we hear

Creeper #2: You have a great energy about you

Creeper #1: Well thank you! [cue gratuitous F-Bomb about something irrelevant]

Please keep in mind that these guys are not far way from us. They're sitting behind us, close enough that if I reached out my arm, I could touch #1's sunglasses hanging from his beanie, or #2's greasy pony tail. Choices, choices....

Creeper #1: How about one for the ladies

#2: Alright! One for the ladies!

[#2 had a woman with her. She was very quiet, I would be too if I were her though...]

I tune out at this point, we were playing boggle =P

But I tune back in just in time to hear them sing

“I feel like making loooooovvvee” [insert sidelong look in our direction]

SKEEZE CITY

Oh my gosh. I laughed. It was terrible. I'm not proud.

They weren't joking. They thought that their music was impressive. They thought that THAT song was gonna do it. Gross.

Guys, here's a hint – Girls on T.V might be drawn to the womanizer, but T.V is primarily written by men.

They played for a while longer, which involved a song writing attempt about taking a train leaving that “piece of shit Oregon”

#1 got tired of playing, so they stopped at Katt asked for her guitar back. #2 was very appreciative.

They then began to discuss women and things that all women do – according to #1 and #2 anyway.

They were offensive, not terrible, if it had gotten any worse I would have said something. Especially because #2's woman was SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO HIM.

Guys, another hint – Any girl with a shred of self respect does not want to be insulted or have her womanhood attacked, ESPECIALLY when it is being done as some sort of male bonding. What kind of sick idiot does that?! I was livid, but they moved on before I could get enough anger out of my mouth to form words.

So we were sick of hearing them and sick of smelling them, so Katt and I moved our lovely selves downstairs. We ate dinner, talked some, did some cross words, eves dropped on an interesting conversation... =P

Katt got out her guitar again and we started singing – there was just one other person in there by now, the younger participant of previously said interesting conversation =P

And we were soon joined by a small audience, two guys came downstairs, one pretty much right after another, and accompanying them was a strong aroma of pot.

One went back up and we could still smell it, so we figured it was the second guy. He headed back upstairs and kept looking over his shoulder, so he got a nice look at Katt's glare. Again.=P

We continued playing and were joined by one of the train staff, plus the second guy. The smell no longer accompanied him, but we were skeptical. Katt and I were just kind of messing around and laughing, but the staff guy requested that we play something.

So we sang From This Valley by The Civil Wars...it was awkward, but actually pretty fun =)

We were thanked for our compliance and left with just the two guys, the one from the interesting conversation, and the one we believed to be stoned.

Katt goes to put her guitar away and stoner boy asks if he can play. Again, her face was priceless =P

So she hands it over again, but this guy could really play. Like not just power chords, the dude has skills. So we're listening and still doing crosswords, and stoner boy puts the guitar away after a while and the four of us start talking.

The convo boy was only 17 and from some island in Alsaka. Nuts. His name was Jess, and then the other guy was Hunter, 25, and living in Portland.

At one point Katt looked at Hunter and confessed to thinking he was the one with weed

Hunter: Huh...well, I don't have any pot...sorry to like...crush your dreams.

We all talked and had a jolly time, Katt and I were very pleased to have made train friends =) Jess was super sweet and just precious. Also super smart, the dude wants to be an aero space engineer.

And Hunter was funny, also smart, and didn't sing songs about the desire to make love. Jess went to bed eventually [it was late...Katt and I stayed up until 8am...] and us three remaining played Boggle into the wee hours of the morn.

Oh, guys one more tip – constant swearing is generaly turn off to many girls. We like intelligence, and there are just so many better ways to get your point across.

So Hunter went to bed and Katt and I stayed downstairs playing guitar and singing, [we may or may not have written a good song. It's good to us, and that's what matters, right?] Jess joined us again a while later, poor kid couldn't sleep. We said by to Jess after a bit 'cause he was staying down for breakfast.

After that we headed back up and waited for Katt's stop. We were joined by Hunter again when he woke up, but we both said bye when Katt left 'cause I went to sleep =P

This is where I don't really know what happened because I was asleep, but somehow my train got 2hrs behind schedule. So as I am typing this I really have no idea when I'll make it to Simi Valley because depending on how quickly we make it to our next stop, we might have to have a full train inspection because we have been going for more than 24hrs.

It is now 10:20am the following day. I had a blissful sleep in the lovely bed my dear friend Danna made for me =) My train got in at 1am, so that its a total running time of 31 ½ hours. It took me about the same amount of time...a little less actually, to get to New Zealand =P

BUT I did meet some interesting people, including some 53yr old traveling musician lady who let me play her Baby Taylor <3

All in all, it's been an experience, and I'm doing it again in about a week.

Thanks for your prayers! <3