overheard on the subway this evening

"hi i'd like a one trip metrocard"

"a what?"

"a one trip metrocard"

"i can't sell you one"

"why not?"

"we don't sell them at the booth. we sell them at the machine over there"

"but i just want one trip"

"i can't sell you a single fare unless you have a metrocard on your person and then i can fill it with one fare"

"i have 3 but, their all expired"

"you'll have to go to the vending machine sir, i'm sorry"

so this guy turns around and heads towards the vending machines to presumably purchase his single fare(single fare cards are made of cardboard rather than the plastic that regular metrocards are made of which is probably why they are only sold in the machines) but, he stops at the garbage can where everyone who has gotten off of the subway at 23rd street has dumped their garbage all day and he fishes out a plastic metrocard and goes back to the booth to get his single fare. i found it fascinating that this guy would rather fish through the garbage than use the damn vending machine. that's some kind of phobia. i wonder how he gets through the turnstiles with that kind of techno-fear. oh yeah and since we're still talking about a guy who's rummaging through the garbage in the subway...eww. how bout a chocolate covered pretzel?

—the bastard