h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

... but it got too long.

I live in the same town as one of my colleagues, and when our office moved I investigated two possiblities:

1) car share
or
b) going by train

I rejected the car share because I never know when I am going to finish, same for colleagues and I hate to either have to wait for someone or have someone wait for me.

So for ages I drove alone. Finally last summer I switched to train. It takes a little longer (around 1.5 hours over about 1 hr 20 mins by car). And it's great for me because I can use the time either to read (in summer when I have no courses on) or do uni work (mostly either reading or watching videos). I get around 3 hours extra a day to do this for a tiny lifestyle change (and it costs less).

Getting to the PH now.

Eventually my colleague cottoned on to the cost aspect, and when his car conked out again he switched to train. And gets the same train as me. Now I like him, he's lovely. But I don't know him very well, we have nothing in common and he doesn't walk as fast as me. So... I avoid getting on the train with him and avoid him until the last bus journey of 5 stops (because I'm not doing uni stuff by then).

so the PH is having to travel with someone that I don't really know well in an uncomfortable silence. (even though it's only 5 stops on the bus). I know that if we travelled together I'd be able to do all the stuff I usually do, but I'd feel weird about it.

Plus in the morning there is the chance that I'd miss my 2nd train and arrive at work 15 minutes later - if I walk with him from platform 7 to platform 17.

Petty, indeed.

I don't think it's petty, time alone is precious, and I'm totally with you on the travelling with a colleague in awkward silence thing - I've had that a couple of times (most notably with the deputy director, we had a three hour car journey together but fortunately he was OK with the fact that I slept most of the way).

DH has actually switched to driving whenever the car is available, because of the bloke on the homebound bus, whose chat (ie, rants) makes DH really stressed.

Mol

I know this all too well and understand completely.

In the morning I used to read the paper whilst sipping my
And in the afternoon I pretended to take a nap.

And here comes my tip: ALWAYS WEAR HEADPHONES - even if you are not listening to anything. It signals that you are busy and not available to others. Just nod or wave politely if you catch eye contact, then return to what you are doing or not doing respectively.

W*rked very well for me.

Oh yes, I do the headphone thing. It's great

Mol, totally with your DH on the stress of having someone ranting at you on the bus. Currently I'm the old biddy the school children are wary of since I told one of them to stop messing about (having knocked one of the tiny children over. Twice.)

I should have guessed that you already thought of headphones. My bad

Can't you just explain to him that you use the time for studying and would he mind leaving you in peace, perhaps only to give you a nudge when you reach your stop?

It's not asking much and he should be full of admiration for your organisation talent and readiness to do a degree besides working full time and running the "family business".

Pierce - nothing to be sorry for

TC - it's not as though he's pushing me to travel together so I don't have any worries about it (it is a VERY petty hate) I just feel as though I must seem like a lot of an idiot since we take the same train/train/bus journey but sit somewhere else...

He totally understands because he is in the same team as me so he's already had 6 months of me being excited at "winning" so much extra study time

PS: Maybe he feels the exact same way (no, I'm not talking about the ing )

Maybe he reads as well and is starting to relish his *me time* too.

As for 15 mins - if doesn't make you actually late for work just tell him what you do with those extra minutes and while you're walking between platforms, walk just a *little* faster each day.

Back in the spring, I accidentally got on the wrong train coming home, and after that, one of my co-workers kept meeting up with me to make sure I got on the right one. It cut into my reading time, and then all she did was play with her phone. She went to work somewhere else, so I am OK now, except when it has been so cold in the morning that OH has dropped me off at work.