Hell HAS frozen over...

Somethings in life are just a given... The sun rises in the east, traffic on the Dan Ryan sucks, the Cubs will choke in September etc. There are many things that we can build a foundation, knowing that they are the building blocks for life. Well yesterday morning one of those very cornerstones was ripped out from underneath me.

As per my usual routine, I led the parade of weary commuters onto the 5:00 am train at 11th Street. I found my usual seat, surrounded by the usual people, and began my usual rituals for taking my hour's nap to rest up for the long day ahead of me. Also as usual the Worst Conductor Ever came through and was checking tickets, except when he got to me, I heard the most stunning words I could ever have possibly imagined.

"Has anyone punched your ticket yet?"

Now a little backround might be needed here, but in years of riding on this mans train, I cannot honestly remember the last time he tried to punch my ticket. I literally have months worth of virgin, unpunched tickets at home, collecting dust. Technically the ticket it supposed to be punched once a week by your morning conductor, which for me hasn't happened since the very first month they went to weekly ticket-punching many, many moons ago. Now back to the story...

WCE might as well have kicked me in the balls, because I was in such a state of shock, I could barely muster the brain capacity to pull my ticket out of its plastic cover in my wallet and hand it to the man. He then proceded to punch the ticket to prove that I was indeed a male, and it was also the first week of the month of March in the year 2006. Mechanically I replaced the ticket into its place within my wallet, and then settled in for my nap. Now it might have been the cold, or it might have been the shock, but I definately awoke later in a cold sweat. The very foundations of my world have been shaken. Life will never be the same... I now fear the second week of the month, will it bring another punch? Stay tuned...