Commuter Necessities.

If you're a commuter, you've got to be prepared for many possibilities. Be it your comfort or your fellow commuters', it doesn't hurt to have some bare essentials without weighing you down.

Glove Love
Grab that pole and you'll grab whatever it was that the person before you that held that very same pole, umm... grabbed. So on and so forth. Dig? So, one of the biggest favors you can do yourself, especially in the winter months, is bring a pair of gloves and wear them on the subway.

Your Sleeve Won't Do.
Whistling along on the IRT, you're suddenly struck with the creeping feeling in your nose. Next your nose is running faster than the train you're on. Carry a pack of tissues and you'll never have to... yuck... suck it in. Don't ever let me catch you doing a "snot-shot," that's just vile.

Candy with Strangers
We all brush after a meal... right? For those commuters we're stuck with that couldn't, it could be unbearable. Halitosis is not cute. Carrying gum or minted candy helps. Pop one in your mouth... it'll help to redirect your sense of smell.You can offer them a piece, if the dragon is melting your eyebrows and you want to be blunt. The whole "candy from strangers" thing may put them off however. If they're a friend... FIRST pop one yourself and THEN offer them a piece. So as to not insinuate anything.

The Soundtrack of your Ride
The monotonous droning of two, slightly half-deaf, Asian ladies or the "Garden State" soundtrack? Pack your iPod or appropriate MP3 player. Your world is more serene when you can control the audio content and volume.

Shining in the Darkness
Hmm... traveling in a tunnel, powered by electricity, with a good chance some vagrant, homeless person wants to keep warm and lights an inferno in a switch room. Or, remember Aug. 14, 2004.. Northeast Seaboard, no power... yeah.. my birthday was something. All of which could leave you in a dark tunnel. Pack a flashlight. MagLite makes a keychain version. Never hurts to be ready.

If you walk to work... well... bully for you.

This has been a service provided by evilBuddha. Not always evil, sometimes quasi-evil.