Random thoughts no.3

As i write this i am sitting on a train listening to my ipod, taking photos of the world as i pass it by. I've lost count of the times I've done this trip, back and forth between families and towns. Sittingg on the same train, watching the same scenery whizzing past me, the same tracks and stops, but it's always different, the weather is different, the people are different, even the tonal quality of the voice over is different, that eerie voice that reverberates off the walls of the carriage listing the stations in perfect order, eliminating one each time we stop. People get on and off, ever changing never constant, a new face, a new set of eyes that watch you as you make your journey from point A to B.
I sometimes wonder what people think of me as i sit in my seat or at the station, listening to music, typing away on my ipod or taking photos out the window, i wonder if people wonder what i think about them whilst they make their journey on the train?
I like to watch people on the train, observing them as they observe me, a Gothic girl in a long vintage skirt sits in the corner reading 'Pride and Predudice' , the elderly couple across the isle share a snack, he is constantly brushing his hair into a comb over and she re-applies her lipstick what seems to be after every second bite.
The funny thing about people on trains is everybody watches each other, but never really acknowledge the fact that they are being watched, it's like an unspoken rule and once you notice that you are watching one another you either exchange polite nods and an awkward smile or uneasy glance and divert your gaze to the outside world.
At one point during the trip there is always that one loud person that shouts at the person on the other end of the phone, every ones attention is then drawn instantly to them, listening to the one sided conversation, wondering what the person on the other end is saying or how they are reacting. Once the conversation has ended everyone goes back to what they were staring at before, shrugging off any notion that they had in fact consciously watched a complete stranger, and ignoring the fact that, that complete stranger was very rude.

People always tend to form opinion's of others on trains, and they wonder where they they are going, what they will do there and who they will do it with, yet we never seem to care who they really are.
Trains are a very eerie place to be, although its not as if you are alone, especially when the carriage is filled, there is always company, all be it inconstant, there is always someone watching you, noticing your every move and expression, its just plain creepy, but its curiosity, a natural reflex that we all have.