As the Whistle Blows

The Tyger lives in a very hip, kind of upscale, and trendy suburb of Atlanta. Within walking distance we can find the cutest restaurants and shops, a laid back atmosphere, and very nice welcoming people. I sometimes take a walk to the downtown area just to get away for something to do. I think one reason why I like it so much is because a part of it reminds me of back home in Santa Cruz except without the beaches, oceans, and pot smoking hippies.

The surrounding area near The Tyger's apartment is occupied with many peaceful neighborhoods filled with beautiful southern style homes. I spend my morning walks in these neighborhoods admiring the large front yards filled with colorful flowers, dark green bushes, and very tall weepy looking trees. I can see why The Tyger chose to live in this suburb even though it's almost an hour drive away from her work. Needless to say, The Tyger also lives in a very nice apartment complex with high security, regular maintenance crews consistently working around the clock, and of course a pool! However the one thing that we don't get is how this beautiful and peaceful area can have one annoying thing...the damn train!

On my first night here when I arrived, The Tyger and I were sitting in her living room catching up when all of a sudden I heard this very loud WHOOOOOOOOOOOO and DING, DING, DING, DING! Even though I recognized it to be a train, it really did sound like it was in her living room. That's when she tells me, "Oh that...yeah. Ummm...It comes like every hour or so, so get used to it". What?!?! Every hour??? How do you sleep through it??? "Ummm, well...I guess you just get used to it." Now this train is not like one of those Amtrak trains or anything. It's one of those heavy metal freight trains carrying cargo, supplies, and such. When the train passes by, the conductor tends to just lay on the horn for about a good minute before letting go. It's VERY LOUD and if you're even closer by, you can feel the ground shake.

Since I've been here, I have grown accustomed to hearing this loud whistle as the train passes by. It's funny with all the little adjustments you learn to make living that close to railroad tracks. For example, The Tyger and I have learned to turn up the volume on the TV for those few minutes, to talk a little louder or just shut up and wait, or go to bed right after the train passes so it doesn't scare you awake just as you're falling into that twilight sleep mode. I also have to make sure on my morning walks to cover my ears as I tend to walk down the same street as the tracks are located. I guess you just learn how to adapt to your surroundings and make the best of it.

Growing up, I spent most of my childhood at my grandparent's home where they lived near a set of train tracks. Now, the train there didn't come every hour or anything nor was it as close to what we're living to now. But late at night I could hear it in the distance as it traveled by reaching its next destination. As a child, it became a very comforting sound for me and I would find myself waiting to hear it just so I could go to sleep. My grandfather would often tell me stories back in the day when he worked on the tracks and sometimes bring me to them and teach me about the trains. He passed away a year ago at the age of 103 years old. Whenever I hear a train, I think of him.

So even though The Tyger and I bitch, moan, and complain about the damn train annoying the shit out of us, inside myself I'm glad the train is here near us. I'd like to think of it as my grandfather watching over me and making sure that I'll be ok. Ah, there goes the train now as I write about him.