S/P Survival Guide, Vol. II

We're bringing you more tips for keeping your subway sanity.

Always use the bathroom before you go.
Don't be fooled by your plan to have a 'quick trip' on the subway. I have made this mistake before and have been left writhing in bladderial pain when some dbag decided to pull the emergency brake. It was a Thursday. I had driven into the city and was hopping on the subway to take the 'quick' ride up to work. This should have taken 15 minutes, tops. I had opted to hold it for 15 minutes and use the office ladies room, rather than the Port Authority (am I alone in my thinking here?). It was perhaps one of the most unwise decisions of my life, as I ended up trapped on the subway for 45 minutes. So my advice to you is, if you have even an inkling that you may need to potty, do it before you ride.

Bring a snack.
Just like the above, you NEVER know when you might get stuck on the train. Here are some recommended snacks, just in case:
-Polly-O string cheese - a classic, childhood fave
-GoGurt - yogurt in a tube! for on the go!
-100 Calorie packs - insert any of your favorite ones here
-Good old-fashioned piece of fruit

Cursing the Cold

Curse you cold weather! I mean really it's quickly approaching the end of March. I thought the days of my ankle-length North Face and woolen hat had passed by. After all, yesterday I was wearing short sleeves and my spring coat! Way to take 10 steps backwards into the freezing depths of winter.

Am I alone in feeling like the Michelin man traipsing onto the train each morning? As previously stated, wearing heels are not an option. I thought my Uggs were done for the season. But here I am, trudging through the PATH station with an extra 10 pounds of gear. And don't even get me started on the days when I bring my coffee to work and am forced to balance my kindle, coffee, hat, AND Vera Bradley tote filled with heels. Pretty sure nothing says unglam like this!

Daily Dilemma: Taking the Stairs

It's the end of the work day. You're hot and feeling nasty from standing in the aforementioned armpit. You have one final hurdle to climb - the seemingly never-ending staircase from the depths of the earth back into civilization.

How to work up the motivation after a brutal work day or a drunken Saturday night when there's an escalator quietly calling to me? At times, it can seem as daunting as climbing Mt. Everest. My internal conversation goes something like this:

Legs (upon seeing stairs): "No No No! You can't make me do it!"
Mind: "I will make you and you'll like it! You haven't been to the gym in 3 days AND you had pizza for lunch!"
Legs: "Damn you pizza. Ok, but do NOT expect me to hit the gym tonight."
Mind: "Fair enough."

Tips to get you up that staircase:
1) Think about that pizza you had for lunch.
2) Think of yourself as a mini version of Rocky climbing the Philly steps. Extra points for adding the theme song to your iPod.
3) Think about how you just avoiding being a sheep herding onto the escalator like 98% of those around you.