Train Brain

After awhile on the train I fall into a pleasant condition that I'm referring to as train brain. In my experiences so far, train brain only occurs after at least 24 consecutive hours of rail riding. Here are some of the symptoms of train brain:

-Distorted vision: After looking out the window for so long, sedentary objects (a wall, the floor, etc.) inside the train appear to move sideways.

-Zen state: Everything seems to fall into place nicely and neatly, while time disappears. Well, that is an overstatement, but time definitely takes a back seat.

-Frequent dozing: The rocking back and forth is very soothing and puts me to sleep. However, I will only doze for about 15 or 30 minutes and I wake with unusually high energy and focus after a nap. Then, as a new project (music listening, conversation, reading, writing) continues the energy slowly fades until I am ready for another brief snooze. The whole cycle seems to take 2 hours.

-Lowered social inhibitions: When I am not on a train there are times when I like to engage strangers in conversation, getting to know them while practicing social skills. Of course there are times when I enjoy simply keeping to myself, maybe because I don't have the energy required to be a good conversationalist. During train brain this becomes confused and I speak to strangers as if I've known them for years with no care for whether or not I'm engaged or engaging. There is no pressure to cast yourself as an interesting person to speak to, nor is there any internal judging going on inside my head. I walk around and speak to whoever about whatever captures my attention. It is very much like being in a home filled with family members who already know who you are.

-Understanding: Traveling by airplane is a lot like being told the end of a story. Or better yet, just an abbreviated version of a story.  On the other hand, a train is more like taking the time to read a whole novel or watch an entire movie.  Yes cliff notes (oops, I'm showing my age), I mean sparknotes, are quicker, more efficient and you can hear more stories in less time. But looking out the window at the ever-changing topography, geography, climate and culture is like the beginning of the story. The train traveler approaches his or her destination full of context. And what is it that makes a story so good? Well, it's understanding isn't it? Understanding the characters; their motivations; the dos and don'ts, the cans and cannots of the setting; understanding everything that occurred to make the ending possible is why I like to read.

-Sustained hunger: I am constantly hungry when dealing with train brain. Last stretch I devoured a package of peanuts, four cans of sardines, an entire box of triscuits, three bananas, half a pack of sunflower seeds, an oj, an aj, a tj, and two granola bars.

-Power: After watching people board and deboard while remaining on the same train I develop a sense of ownership over the car that I'm assigned to. I walk up and down the aisle telling the new riders how it's going to be. Not really, but it's fun to pretend.

-Lack of photography discretion: I'll take pictures of anything. It's like I've exhausted any filter for what is and what isn't a good picture. I wouldn't be surprised if I posted a picture of my feet on facebook soon.

Here's one of 25 videos that I shot out the window in full blown train brain: