Free Ride!

Last night after coming home, my Dad decided it was a good idea to get more chinese fast food. Yikes. Little did I know that my craving for "cheap 'n greasy" chinese fast food on Tuesday would see me eating three greasy meals in two days.

I forgot my wallet at home today, and with it, my Metrolink and MTA Red Line pass (the Metrolink pass doubles as a ticket for the Metro). I would have bought a day pass or something, but the thing is, I LEFT MY WALLET AT HOME. No money and no driver's license. So yeah, I was technically a "unauthorized rider."

The thing about the Metrolink and the Metro is that there are no turnstiles or other things to physically prevent you from boarding the trains. Instead, the authorities conduct random checks on the train to make sure everyone has a pass. If you're caught without one, you're slapped with a very heavy fine plus community service. In other words, the public transit system is run on fear.

And it's very effective.

Even though some might envy my free ride, I was absolutely terrified every time the train stopped that MTA police would come on board, and I would have to explain myself in front of all the other riders, none of whom forgot their wallets at home. The ride home on the Metrolink was no different, and so combined, I experienced on my commute home roughly an hour of pure terror. Of course, without my ID, I'm not sure they could have done anything like write me up. No, I think that had I been caught, I would have just gotten the boot. Yeah, I'm never forgetting my wallet ever again.

Lunch: QDoba again with some associates. I had no wallet and hence no money, but one of the associates was nice enough to pay for me. I was planning on getting a taco salad after my orange chicken lovefest the past few days, but the steak quesadilla called to me and I heeded its call. I need to go to the gym. Like, right now.