The Mask of Snorro

Week ending 3/09/07:
"The fox so cunning and free,
Snorro, who makes his mark with a ZZZZZZ". "ZZZZZ's" as in snoring. This guy saws some lumber! He's one of our regulars on the morning shuttle. One thing he does enjoy is a good nap. He jumps on in Wilmington and hunkers down pretty quickly. He's a mid 50's white guy. Looks Greek to me. He wraps himself up in his overcoat (just like a big blinky), pulls out his inflatable faux zebra-fur neck pillow, and slips on his black sleeping mask. Within minutes, he's off to la-la land and the fireworks begin. Anyone who sleeps with a snorer knows what I'm talking about. A steady nasal snort and then, as if he's falling, an extended blast, which I would think would wake him up (it's loud enough to wake the dead), but no such luck with Snorro. I'm not sure if natural body sounds qualify as a violation of the "quiet zone" extended to the quiet car.

Some other morning regulars: The Biker, he's a middle-aged sort of out-of-shape guy that wears his Harley garb on a daily basis. He doesn't really look like a biker otherwise, and I'm not sure if he really rides a hog, but his outfit is always accompanied by high black leather boots (like the motorcycle cops wear) which make his jeans look like jodphers. I don't know about you, but I like to see bikers that look like they are out of central casting for a professional wrestling gig. Also on board is Mr. Blackwell, a meticulously-dressed, 70 year-old that looks like he's Orville Reddenbacher if Orville was an Orvis catalog model. Next, Mr. No-Socks, he's a 40-something Wall Street-type that wears a suit, and for some reason, feels compelled to put his socks on at the train station, rather than, say, when he gets dressed in the morning. Why, I don't know. But in summer and winter, he comes, bear-ankled and ready to expose his toes for show. Next is Nona The Hatchet Lady. Nona as in "no cellphones" and "no talking". She relishes in admonishing those who violate the quiet car rules. Not that I disagree in maintaining the quiet sanctuary, but it's her zeal for jumping into the fray that is so interesting. When she hears someone, she's out of that seat like a shot and in their face. She's a 40-something overweight white woman, who pulls her jet black hair up into a Dream of Jeannie high-knotted ponytail. Don't rub her the wrong way!