the thanksgiving experience: amtrak

On Wednesday morning, I took Amtrak back to my parents' as usual. My hectic one month contract theory class finally wrapped up, and I staggered onto the train completely sleep deprived to the point of not being able to nap on the train. So I did the next best thing: eavesdrop on the conversation in front of me while indulging in some emotionally draining short stories by Joyce Carol Oates.

The guy sitting in front of me was a total asshole. He was some 'bigshot' in the movie industry and completely full of it while misrepresenting himself as sensitive and nice. Of course, he was trying to impress the girl sitting next to him. A snippet of their conversation (the entire train could hear him):

"So, like, you know all the popular songs on the radio? That's all me. Yeah, like, I promote these new bands. You know how some people have like dirty laundry in their duffel? I have all these CDs in my bag that are the next hottest thing. They haven't even been released yet, but this band toured with Nickelback, and they're going to be like #1 next year."

I prefer 40 year old men who don't sound like 15 year olds. Maybe they think they get a free pass to be immature if they work in the entertainment industry. This guy spent four hours hitting on the woman next to him, buying her a beer, telling her that he was close to his mom, but not a momma's boy, or maybe he was a momma's boy, and his biggest problem was that he was too trusting of others and so emotionally vulnerable (I was trying not to laugh at this point). The girl seemed extremely sensible and refused to give him her phone number even after he gave her a CD that was going to be released next February.

In the middle of their conversation, this schmuck was in an area with no reception (frequently happens on Amtrak) and borrowed the girl's phone to call his office in order to strut his stuff. What followed was a long and particularly vile string of obscenities that made the ancient Roman Catholic priest sitting next to me wake up and look around dolefully. Maybe I am picky, but I prefer guys who don't try 200% at being cool, aren't stuck in their teenage years, not momma's boys, not oversensitive, and who don't party all night followed by beer and bagels for breakfast.

Near the end of my train ride, I did strike up a conversation with the Catholic priest sitting next to me. We talked quite a bit about psychology (of which I am completely ignorant), and I was surprised that he was so well read. He was surprised that I knew what the TVA was (we eventually branched out into the history of the US, of which I am slightly less ignorant). I generally get along well with older people. They're considerate and well-mannered, and don't have the need to prove themselves that many young people possess (myself included). So many people my age and a bit older are at a crossroads and not as self-confident as they would like to believe. To cover it up, so many of us walk around awkwardly with a brittle and slightly defensive air. I do believe in the saying 'fake it 'till you make it' to a certain extent, but sometimes I want to meet people my age who care about more than just their jobs and their coolness. Maybe I should stick to the old people. Or move to Europe.