Many years ago we students, especially in the parochial trade, had to observe the Palmer Method and write everything out quite fully and properly. And in our family we were lectured about not following the crowd. Or whatever crowd set them off?

Within the last two weeks I took my first day train trip of the summer to Santa Barbara and it was in that town I observed, well, some security going on one doesn't usually see. Most trips I disembark from my great silver caterpillar, do a bit of reconnaissance at the dock down the street, and come back to observe the spectacle and ritual of the Coast Starlight loading up at the station. Due to a Darwin prospect---not hit, otherwise enormous delay---earlier on the run and then this excitement, Big Train was late.

I commenced texting with a brother in another state who is a train buff. The next southbound version of what I had come in on rolled in right after the departing Star-"late" (long-running---ahem---joke of the ferroequine community); usually I am off to Barbaric adventure by then. My own train had been quiet and not very populated, as the trip home was to be. But the assembled multitudes awaiting the south bound were impressive.

Hurriedly I texted my brother: "My train was light half city boarding 7##." Came his response: "Light half city?? I don't get it."

I have to say I'm impressed with my family on this count. So many and far more indecipherable texts have skipped through the air of our anti-egregious society but by golly we real-last-name-of-Dan's stick to our verbiage!

And thumbs.