Chicago Commutes and the Kitty Cat Ninja Mask

Riding toward work yesterday morning, I was chilled watching the crews using leaf blowers on the tracks presumably to move the freshly fallen snow. Train engines are equipped with snowplows here in Chicago, but that must not be enough. Along with the manual labor, the Metra keeps fires burning along their tracks too.  On a late train one night, I was alarmed the first time I saw them. I thought for sure homeless had taken over the train yards to burn the wood ties to keep warm. A conductor explained that buried along the rails are giant gas burners to keep tracks from accumulating ice particularly at the switches.

Last night on the way home, our train came to a stop where the conductor announced that the train ahead of us had hit a car. We had to wait till the track was cleared. Twenty minutes later they announced, “We were on the move so quickly because there were no fatalities.” I imagine that a driver thought they could get around the gates in time but the ice prevented the car wheels from gaining traction. No matter the mode, winter commuting is a bit of a trick.

Everybody has their own technique for dealing with winter comfort. Layering is the key to outdoor conditions and to deal with uneven temperatures indoors. Desk chairs are draped with fleece jackets or scarves that work like wrapping blankets.  It's not unusual for Monday mornings to see people still in their coats an hour after getting to work as the building heating system struggles to reach designated temps. And, where there are thermostats there are battles. I really see few judicious attempts at raising or lowering by a degree or two. It seems that people use the dial like an on or off switch and swing it to the hottest or the coldest, so comfort is fleeting.

I've lived here long enough to be ready to walk in the cold. My coat resembles a sleeping bag with feet sticking out. I wrap myself in a scarf and pull on a hat and gloves too. My route to and from the train station zigzags through streets. I felt pretty toasty yesterday, until I rounded one corner where my breath dissolved... maybe froze before it could be inhaled. Like moving from oven to freezer, I turned north, walking for a block into a wind corridor that rivaled an astronaut's space training exercise. Patches of ice made for treacherous footing. I hugged the wall of one building to get protection from the wind. Passing a door, a man in a Nanook-hood, his face safe within at least four inches of fur and fabric, blindly barreled into me. The temperature isn't the only danger.

Another man passed me wearing a white ninja ski mask with graphics that covered his everything I could see under a baseball hat. His unique vibe made me forget the cold for a few steps... till I had to turn north again.

I found an image of the mask. It’ll keep my mind off the cold again today. At least today, I am working from home.