day of discovery

after 9 months here, today i decided to get a plastic metro fare card.  everybody's been bugging me to get with the times, but it was a practical decision - i had accumulated too many paper cards with small leftover amounts.  bought the card on the way to work, and tested it out right away by adding money.  it was pretty exciting.  i even helped another dude with a new card figure out how to add money to his.  i was all cocky and downtown cool.

the first time i used it was sweet - i didn't even have to take it out of my bag's side pocket.  the second time, exiting at my destination, the gate slammed on my leg.  sheeit.   the third time, on my way in to go home, it made me talk to the station manager.  (but she thought i was trying to go out, when i was really trying to go in, because i had learned earlier in the day that i am easily able to walk between the gates when they are closed, so i just walked through the gates to talk to her. got it?).   then, after the station manager's tutorial, i didn't understand the exit...and i swiped it too many times because i thought it was saying the card's value instead of the fare...and it's probably going to give me trouble tomorrow. 

so, the things we learned today:  1) i lack the aptitude for plastic RFID metro cards, and 2) i can fit through the gates pretty nonchalantly, so i probably shouldn't be worring about metro fare, anyway.