A month ago, I started a day job, and it’s a bit of a commute, so I’m taking the train. It’s a 35 minute journey, and I’m trying to write while travelling, but I’m not always successful. So here’s a list of five things to do on a train when you can’t write:

• Glare at noisy teenagers who do things like compare whose backpack was the most expensive, argue about the home ec homework for twenty minutes, and watch YouTube clips on their phones with the sound on and without headphones. I’d like to think I’ve perfected my Death Glare by now. It only took me a month 🙂
• Refraining from swearing over mask-foggy glasses, refraining from tearing off said mask and setting fire to it, refraining from clawing out my eyes since I can’t see anything behind the fog anyway. Gawd, I long for the day I no longer need to use a mask.
• Trying really hard to not give into the temptation and sing along to my favorite song out loud while listening to music. I imagine I’d be at the end of a teenaged death glare if I did that 😂
• Ignoring the stares from my fellow passengers when I take out my ancient writing devices the notebook and my fountain pen. It feels like I’m the only one on the train who’s even seen pens and paper at all.
• Squirming in my seat while listening to a steamy audiobook scene. So far, John Solo has managed to make me smile like a loon (which makes a mask useful, actually, because no one can see me), sob while staring out the window to avoid that someone sees me, and yes…squirming in my scene in a particularly hot scene. It feels a bit obscene to listen to in public, a little forbidden, and I almost expect the train-ticket-checker-person to grab my shoulder and throw me off the train for listening to smut and getting all hot and bothered in public. 😂

And I’ve got a bonus one for you. Feel free to add more to the list! 🙂