Annie Mole's, webmaster of Going Underground, daily web log (blog).
If you like this you'll LURVE One Stop Short of Barking, THE fun and informative BOOK about travelling on the London Underground.
Apparently there's a fly on the wall TV documentary about the tube which is starting today. Hope it's not going to be just a livecam in a tube carriage because it will be duller than Big Brother 3 watching and listening to most commuters. Although perhaps the whole thing would be completely different if people know cameras were watching them. Perhaps there is a Jade in all of us. Perish the thought.
I imagine it will be about the staff though so who will be the tube's Jade. Or Brian or anyone from the first series who have all now been completely forgotten. Oh the fickle hand of fame. You're on TV 24 hours a day for two months then you're no one.
London Underground's traditonal New Year campaign to recruit more female staff. Every year in January LU trumpet on about how they will place adverts in loads of women's mags in an attempt to gain more chicks as drivers or station assistants. I bet it'ds really difficult being a female train driver as you can hear all the stuff about women drivers and somehow I get the feeling tube drivers are blokes' blokes. Don't know why, just call it female inutition.
The worst thing I can think of a being a chick on the tube would be to have to wear one of those god awful hats that make you look like you've wobbled off the set of Captain Scarlet or are pretending to be an air hostess for some low budget airline. While thinking about this today I saw a woman who had taken the sensible decision to wear one of the guy's hats (or maybe they'd just run out of the Captain Scarlet headgear). Add the wonderful baton to the picture and you have a fashion nightmare - no wonder it's hard to recruit women.
Tube nutter alert, tube nutter alert. Noticed someone at Hammersmith station screaming at some yoofs on the other side of the tracks. Came out of the waiting room to see drunken Irish bloke and a area clearing round him. Moved down the platform but typically he got on the train and the same carriage as me. Fortunately was at the other end of the carriage for most of the stop but it seemed like and eternity. You know when you can sense everyone in the carriage becoming totally interested in their books and papers but no one actually turning any pages cos you just want to keep your eye contact away from his. Anyway only had to put up with his incoherent rambling for two stops - most memorable ramble
"There are five continents in the world, Europe, Africa, China and, and......Russia." Hmmmmmm - no prizes for geography then.
Most interesting fact in Metro - Metro's free newspaper the commuter's lifesaver. Saves you having to make eye contact with people and also involves a conversation. Like "have you finished with your Metro mate?". Today's "famous commuter" was some woman who's written a book on nutrition. Metro do scrape the barrel with their famous people who use the tube Monday feature (probably cos hardly anyone famous never really travels on it). Anyway famous nutritition woman likes talking to people on the tube so she can see their tongues. Apparently you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their tongue. Can't say I've ever put in into practice but may try in the next few weeks.
Eavesdrop of the day - written - overlooking at someone's exciting report Security, Clarity, Creativity was the riveting title. You never know what to might see someone reading on the tube. I often see lawyers with many juicy cases - just wish I was on the jury - second thoughts having done the mind numbing two weeks of boredom that is jury service - I'm glad I'm not.
Eavesdrop of the day - verbal - "And then I got delayed at Guildford and then they told us all to change trains. I woulnd't have minded but it was sooo cold. Then we all piled onto the train, then it got stuck again"....then I put on my mini-disc walkman - Protection by Massive Attack. There's nothing more dull than listening to people's tales of woe about their journeys, so I will try not to do it, in this blog, unless I can inject a bit of humour into it.
Commuters New Year's Resolution I must run up the escalator at Piccadilly Circus cos it's good for me, but then I must get knackered halfway up and squeeze in front of the next person on the steps (me) and invade their personal space.
Funniest thing seen on travels A man with the most ridulous haircut going into Piccadilly Circus - it looked like a dark haireded version of Mozart's wig.
EVENING
Worst tube ad - TV5 on cable TV is a French TV Channel. Headline "French TV at it's best" Spot the deliberate mistake. Perhaps they're not great at grammar.
Books spotted - a couple next to me both reading novels by Kundera - not the same novel - that would be spooky but two different titles. I love it when people are reading the same book as me as you feel like you're in a little club!
Eavesdrop of the day (2) - written Guy opposite me reading a copy of theatre lovies' newspaper The Stage. Spotted the obituary of James Hazeldine. Top TV actor who was in London's Burning for years but also in this really weird drama series called The Last Train. It was about people who were in a train crahs and it somehow meant they survived the apocalypse and so you had this collection of motley travellers from the same carriage roaming around the UK trying to find other survivors. Makes you wonder what would happen if you were stuck in the same carriage with people for the rest of your life.
REASON FOR HAVING A BLOG
Well I thought it was about time I had one, being New Year and all that and the site's now four years old - OHMIGOD! So it will be a daily posting of my experiences on the tube. Random musings and sometimes not complete, if you want that stuff go to back to the main site.
So if you want a little bit more of the mind of Annie Mole, then tune into my daily blog. A perfect companion piece to www.goingunderground.net, THE fun and informative site about travelling on the London Underground.
"The magic, mystery & sometimes maddening shortcomings of London's Tube are documented with love, enthusiasm & sometimes despair by its unofficial social historian." The Guardian
