Rules of morning commuting

Rule number one - in order to not feel totally squished, one must arrive on the train a good 10 minutes before or after the hour or half hour. 7:50, room on the el, 8:00, SQUEEZE in, 8:10, room on the el.

Rule number two - if a seat becomes available and you do not want to use it, be sure to ask those around you so more room is available to stand.

Rule number three - whenever possible, get off the train to let others off and then get back on as quickly as possible as new people will try to steal your place on the train.

Rule number four - at the mass exit stops (Clark & Lake for example) stay off the train at least 15 seconds to let people off, don't try to get back on while hundreds of people are getting off of the train.

Rule number five - if you can't deal with people potentially touching you or your bag while on the morning commute, find a different time to take the train.

This morning I had a woman next to me all pissed off that her personal space was being invaded. Actually, the more that I think about it, a few women were that way. One woman who got on before me was trying to keep a good square foot of space around her. It's the blueline, you're 3 stops from downtown, you need to squeeze in.

Oh and one more rule...

Rule number six - it's allergy, cold & flu season, if you hear someone cough and they are covering their mouth, please do not give them a dirty look! I'm guessing they feel bad enough already.