This train is for COCKFOSTERS

Alternative Titles:

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRSTEN!
• Hello DOOCE readers!!!

But for the entry to make sense we stick with:

• This train is for COCKFOSTERS

“Excuse me?!” I thought.   On Sunday I was on the underground making my way from Heathrow airport to center of London.  I haven’t been in London since I was 17, so I was fumbling with everything; my luggage, the British Pounds, and the public transportation system.  I kept bumping into people because I was walking in the wrong direction on the side of the hallway: the British don’t only drive left, they also walk left.  When I finally plopped into a seat on the underground, I looked up to see the neon light blinking at me “This train is for COCKFOSTERS”.  Great, now I was being insulted as well!

The of course I realized Cockfosters is just a final stop on one of the tube lines.  Crikey.

My (work related) trip to London was sandwiched between two fun personal happenings.  My sister and her girlfriend were here in Amsterdam this weekend.  Though they jokingly called me their “militant tour guide” (since I was always planning our next step and keeping us on schedule), we had a great time and managed to squeeze in a solid amount of walking, museum visits, and cozy meals into what was just shy of a 48 hour visit.  Such a treat to get to spend some time with my older sister.

Right now a great friend of mine from NYC is taking a nap in my bed – my Russian friend Marina.  I had promised to go pick her up at the airport – I was going to be waiting for her with tulips and balloons and everything.  As I do before all visits from friends and family, I stayed up fairly late last night cleaning my apartment so it would be extra cozy for visitors…

I woke up to the sound of my mobile phone going off… I shot awake and I knew what had happened before my eyes had even fully opened.  Marina, like an underage child whose ride has forgotten her, had a Schiphol Employee Lady give me a call and ask where the heck I was.   Man, I felt terrible.  We ended up meeting at the Central Train Station instead.  I tried to make up for my goof by fattening Marina up with a nice Dutch coffee-bread-and-cheese breakfast.  Now she’s snoozing peacefully.  But I’ll be feeling sheepish and guilty about this morning for awhile. 

Another reason to feel guilty:  (I should have written about this in the first place.)

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY KIRSTEN!!!

Now is the time you might start sliding into a quarter life crisis, but don't do it girl.  Here's some "way back" photos 'specially for you...

Here we are in June 1984

And in July 1985

In case there's any doubt, I am the dorky one.  Kir is the sweetie pie blondie.

Also P.S. - this is kind of fun.... DOOCE readers are flooding my site!!  Hello everyone.  Hope you stick around... go through the past ten days' posts to read a little about my encounter with Dooce.

Comments

[Kirsten]

Um ..Joke..its Febuary 23rd. Does that mean something to you? You mention Hedwig in your blog..SURELY i could have been mentioned on Feb 23rd!! hello!?? :)
Just kidding.. I love you..

[Ruthie]

Kir, I concur!!! Joke--- you only have a rough 12 hours to fix this! love/miss u both

[Lisa B]

Awww. I LOVE those pictures. Saw the photos of Dooce's site. You are georgous! :-)

[B_anna]

Hey I really dig your blog. You sound like you have a intresting life.
You have another fan.
B_anna

[Jess]

Hey Joke - I found you via Dooce and added you to my favorites. I lived in Utrecht for a year and a half (en ik spreek ook Nederlands maar vond t een beetje onbeleefd om een comment geheel in t NL achter te laten op een Engels-geschreven site...:)) and I miss it soooo much - so it's really nice to have found another 'link' to the country (literally and figuratively, LOL!). Anyway, have fun showing Marina all the wonders of Amsterdam, and I'll look forward to your future posts! :)

P.S. Loved the link to the European Countries game... I actually got 35 right, average error 202 miles... but I think my actual knowledge is a LOT worse than that score indicates! :)

P.P.S. Don't talk to me about dorky... I had *exactly* the same HUGE glasses as you do in that picture, when I was about 8 years old... LOL!

[sandra]

Glad Dooce linked to you -- love the blog, and definitely want to hear about your encounter. I actually just met up with my first blogger-buddy. Pretty friggin' cool.

(and happy birthday, Kirsten!)

[Ali G]

cockfosters! oh how i so so want to live there now!

say hi to marina!

and happy (belated) birthday to kirsten!

and congrats on the dooce publicity! that rocks!

[Peyton]

Man, it was sloooow loading this page. ;-)

Bet you got even more hits than when Amalah linked to you!

[little miss]

Thanks for welcoming me! I plan to stick around. I've read your posts, and I love your style!

p.s. can I have your autograph? (i figure if i can't get dooce's, perhaps I could get yours??)

too funny!

[Louisa]

found your site via DOOCE and love it !! will keep reading. As a side note regarding the cockfoster line. do not worry you are not the only one to think the underground was insulting you. As a Canadian that went on that line for the first time , I just kept thinking ' Cockfoster?? that has to be a made up name not real'

anyway keep up good site will keep reading !! :-)

[stacey]

Guilty as charged...found you through dooce, also. Great writing--keep it up; I'll definitely be back!

[merel]

voor de eerste keer een blog (en dan nog wel de jouwe) gelezen. Grappig! "t is nog een beetje vroeg mijn eerste morgen in NYC; je hebt weeral een nieuwe fan.

[Sierra]

Hilarious! Thanks to dooce for introducing you!

[Julie]

Holy crap, Joke, you're famous! I'm so proud to say I knew you way back when you were a nobody...

[Sara]

wow, i know someone who is a famous blogger now! i hope you will still hang out with me when i come visit :)

[dogra]

Wake Marina up, and tell her that the Czech hockey team just beat Russia in Turin.

[Heather Sanger]

I remember giggling like a stupid teenager the first time I took the "cockfosters" train. Who am I kidding? I still giggle like a stupid teenager when I take the cockfosters train.