I've discovered that the only time I'll probably ever get to play Park Street Red Line is in the mornings; it's a popular location. But the past couple weeks I've tried South Station and it's been occupied, so I've gone back a couple stops.

This time, a T inspector came up to me, and I was all ready for a confrontation, when he said, "You know, you might want to move down a bay. That's where people usually play, and it's probably more profitable."

I said, "But the sign says to play here."

"Don't believe everything you read."

Nice helpful T employee, which is a rarity around here.

I am saddened that I will not be able to play at North Station for a while, as it has a nice wide-open performer's area and is fairly lucrative in the mornings.

Why can't I play, you ask?

North Station is becoming a member of Team Charlie.

While I do not have the aversion that some do to the Charlie machines, the work that goes into installing them seems to take months. I couldn't play at Stony Brook for weeks on end because of Charlie, and now that I can, North Station is off-limits.

I can play "Charlie on the MTA", but I think I'm the only one who finds it funny, since I can't sing and fiddle at the same time.

Also probably nobody wants to hear me singing.

Also probably I'd get kicked out of the T.

*~*~*~*

Speaking of Stony Brook, though, the T person who works there on Friday mornings was telling me all about how her uncle played violin, and her mother sang, and that's how she knows most of the songs I play. I can hear her singing along with me sometimes, when she's not trying to help some poor patron figure out the Charlie machines. She said she used to play violin when she was in junior high, and I wish now I'd told her that it's never too late to pick it up again. Maybe next time I talk to her, I will.