Killing Time on the Subway

Most people either read or are on their phones on the subway. Or some just sit there staring off into space or surreptitiously sneaking glances at their own reflections in the windows.This woman was reading. She sat across from me, so I was able later to get the title, The Informationists. Never heard of it, but now that I've looked it up online, I can tell you that it's a captivating thriller. She did seem to be pretty engrossed in it.

But you can also do any other number of actives on the subway, such as beating your child (I see this one often), nodding off, providing music for the entire car, talking on your cell phone about personal subjects such as feminine hygiene, or this:

In case you have trouble seeing what this is, it's a pair of knitting needles and the beginnings of a blanket. I wonder if she will wash it before she hands it over to some young mother without telling her it's full of subway germs?

This photo makes it seem as though this is another downtrodden, past retirement age, Willy Loman character. In fact, he seemed pretty animated and happy. He was talking to the man whose back is turned. I didn't get close enough to hear what they were discussing. Perhaps TGIF stuff.

I also saw a little girl about nine years old wearing a button that read "I Heart Bacon." I wondered if she had chosen that herself or if her parents are super anti-vegetarian. I considered taking a photo of her, but then worried that it would make me look like a pedophile. She was reading.