We are all going to die - Metro edition

I was riding the Metro into work this morning, and when the doors first closed, the Operator came on the intercom and announced the next stop with the volume cranked up to maximum. This happens every now and then and it’s pretty much as annoying as you might imagine. This Operator was also a talker, specifying the upcoming station and the side of the train on which the doors were going to open, so the frequent loud interruption was somewhat distracting.

After a while, I had finished reading the Washington Post Express and had settled down into my “Metro nap mode” for the remainder of the trip. We had been in the tunnels for some time when after a loud announcement, the Operator apparently forgot to switch off his microphone. What followed was about ninety seconds of near hysterical giggling and muttering under his breath, including at least one utterance of “shit”, broadcast for the whole train to hear, while we hurtled through the dark tunnels at maximum speed. It was surreal and a little bit frightening, to say the least.

When we finally approached the next station, he clearly and articulately announced the station and this time successfully shut off the microphone. He didn’t giggle again, while I survived to tell the tale, so I guess I can’t complain.