Ylliks

There’s this recurring line in the Lethal Weapon films spoken by Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover) where he states that he’s “too old for this sh*t”. Sometimes I have the same feeling. Not that I can’t get out of bed in the morning because I did some exercising or strenuous work the day before or anything like that. It’s more that in order to entice a laugh I burst out a cultural reference and people don’t seem to get it. Here’s a recent example.

On Twitter I follow a guy named Aaron Lee. He’s in his early twenties and links and writes about all things social media. As a favor to someone he send out this tweet regarding a girl who looked for a guy named Paul from Liverpool she met at a festival. My reply, without stating it in order to get a laugh, referred to Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Aaron’s reply clearly stated he didn’t get the joke. And I thought the Beatles and their members where known all over the world!

And there have been many other examples where, for fun, I referenced an older catchphrase (for instance this one) from older series or movies or just a thing that was part of popular culture at one point during my life and people don’t get it.

This all could be that it’s not about me getting too old or my references being out of date, but the fact that I’m just not funny. Luckily I still get a laugh with these things from friends my age.

I haven’t used public transport regularly since I was a student (many years ago), mainly because I wasn’t impressed by it then. Yes, it would get you from A to B, but travel information was scarce, never mind the fact that it wasn’t the most comfortable way to travel. But with my new job I have been commuting and going to meetings outside the office more and used public transportation to get me there.

And I’m pleased to say that things have improved quite a bit since my earlier experiences. Trains, trams and buses have become more comfortable. Buses and trams have LCD displays which show which stop is next (so you don’t have to rely on the mood of the driver to know where yours is). Bus stops have electronic information boards which show you which line will be next and how much time it will take to arrive. Sites like 9292OV can give you a complete route to your destination and with the new OV chipcard you have a single payment option for all your public transport travels. And with the night lines it’s even become an option as transport for a night on the town.

But it’s not perfect yet. Every once in a while a train still will be late or will just be cancelled. Buses and trams still break down. You can order your OV chipcard online and have it send to you, but when you want to use it for train travel you’ll still have to stand in line at the station ticket desk to have it activated. Same goes for when you want to charge it automatically. Villages outside of the greater urban areas still are difficult to reach.

Still, it’s much better than I remember and there’s real improvement. In many large cities, public transport is the best way to get around. You don’t have to stand in traffic jams to get there and you don’t have to pay outrageous fees to park. During rush hour most public transportation is even a quicker and better option. Just hop in a train and relax with a book or paper (or use a laptop since free wifi is available in some trains now as well) and use a bus or tram to get to your final destination.

It can be quite a joy to use public transport nowadays.

Since my move I commute to my place of work by train. Although it takes up a fair amount of time it’s a much better option than going by car since the Dutch road system is pretty much blocked with traffic jams during rush hour. And during my travels I was reintroduced to the train vendors.

Mostly these are students who try to make an extra buck selling coffee, tea, soda and sweets. During the busiest hours of the day they trot through the train, hauling their merchandise in a sort of backpack. Usually they enter a wagon, raise their voice to announce they have something to sell and walk through to see if they are called upon. Since this is not the most glamorous of jobs, many of them just go through the motions. But not all.

Last week after the train had just left the station in Utrecht there came an announcement of one of them, saying he was going through the train, selling freshly brewed coffee and tea and having a special sale if you bought a coffee and a candy bar. Many raised their eyebrows or snickered at this announcement, but after a while he entered the wagon, said the same thing and while walking through asked every single person in that wagon if there was something he could get them. He looked as if he really enjoyed the work and with his demeanor, which was so different from what people are used to, made 4-5 sales in my wagon alone (with other vendors there may be one or two; usually none).

He didn’t have a better product than the other vendors, but since his approach was so different, his success rate was much higher. This just show that it helps if you know how to make the sale.

After living in the same place for about 35 years I have now moved twice in the span of about a year. And both times that move has gone almost effortless (besides of course the effort of the move itself) thanks to a very helpful bunch of family and friends. I cannot say enough how fortunate I am to have such a group of people in my life that are willing to give up their time to help me out.

One of the great things about moving is the fact that when all’s done everything is nice and neat and ready to be lived in. Fresh sheets are on your bed. You might have bought a few new items that make your home more comfortable. Fridge is freshly stocked. You’ve thrown away the things you encountered and didn’t need, leaving only the essentials. Walls are freshly painted. Everything just looks crisp, clean and tidy.

So I’m going to enjoy that as long as it lasts. It’s just a matter of time before I have to pick up my regular cleaning anyway.