Daymares - Volume 1

The New York City Subway system is, as far as I'm concerned, really really great. A lot of people like to complain about the service (it runs 24 hours a day - how do you complain about that), the price (it cost $2 - wtf? you can get from Coney Island to Yankee stadium for the price of a Snapple!) and so on. I'm pretty happy with it though. One thing I really like are all of the musicians the MTA auditions and allows to play on the platforms. You hear all sorts of stuff.Polka. Jazz. Rap. Oldies. Everything. As great as the music is, however, it can't snuff out one of my recurring daymares - which is a lunatic pushing someone onto the tracks.
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I know this happened famously to someone back in the 90's - but I don't think it happens much, and I'm certain it doesn't happen often. Nonetheless, almost 100% of my time on a platform is spent looking at all of the characters deciding which one is going to lunge at me just as the train approaches. For this reason I never stand near the tracks. Instead, I plant myself on one of the steel beams - with the beam between me and the track. That way, if someone does lunge for me, I'll have something to brace against. I also try to keep a low center of gravity. I've even got it worked out that if someone does try to push me, my plan is to fall into a heap on the ground. I think it would be harder to get a person on the tracks from this position than from a standing one.

I get 2X nervous when I ride the subway with KillerB2, because in addition to protecting me, I've got to be aware and protect her. Add in a child of any kind and that's enough to give me a panic attack. Could anything be more inviting to a lunatic than a clueless kid goofing around on a subway platform! I don't know what I'll do if KillerB2 and I have a kid. I can't believe other parents aren't terrified of this.

I have to stop writing about this - I'm getting worked up.