The best part of taking a short trip by bus or train is the preparation -- picking up the tickets with half an hour to spare, and then feeling, within that half-hour, an odd and oddly enjoyable freedom, presaging the ride itself. The primary responsibility accomplished, all other pursuits prior to boarding are whimsical, self-gratifying, and indulged without haste. And so: to the newsstand to browse the magazines, the pretzel joint for two whole wheats to eat when the ride starts, the smoothie stand for a sickly sweet blueberry concoction, and back outside for a few minutes of people watching. These activities are more satisfying than if undertaken as a matter of routine and give pleasure, depending on one's circumstance, to the degree they match a lazy day's pace or halt a frantic one.

Trying to look out the window at the nighttime landscapes, but finding them inevitably obscured by an overlay of my own translucent reflection.