Winter in Chicago       When winter comes around in Chicago the city tends to get a little ugly.  I’m not talking about the gray sky, slushy roads or hat hair; I’m referring to our moods.  When it gets cold we’re often no longer the friendly Mid-Westerners we’re known to be and it’s understandable.  It’s hard to smile when we’re bundled up so tight we can no longer feel our limbs, but we need to remember we’re all in this together.         We public transportation commuters especially need to hang in there.  I can always pick out the commuters who have cars and garages.  They come into work completely dry hugging a cup of cocoa in their non-chapped hands praising this weather saying they find it cozy and snuggly; words I think should be restricted to toilet paper commercials with kittens running around.       There are many Chicagoans who have cars, but no garages and they’re finding it easier to take the CTA than waking up hours earlier to dig their car out and put out their lawn chairs, microwaves or velvet Elvis paintings to save their street parking space all day.       So, now we have the usual public transportation users riding alongside the fed-up parking space defenders and sometimes things get a little too close for comfort on the train for us not to be respectful of each others’ space.    First of all, because we all have extra layers on it means that we’re packed in closer to each other on the train.  This doesn’t mean it’s okay or not annoying to read over each other’s shoulders.  I know it’s hard to avert our eyes from our neighbor’s paper that’s telling of Jen and Brad’s break-up or Julia’s twin babies, but we should.  The last thing the passengers want is hot breath on their necks.       Along with that, when we sneeze or cough it’s always an added bonus to cover our mouths.   It’s polite to share, but not everything.       Cell phones on the train.  Cell phone users are annoying to listen to any time of year on the train, but even more so when it’s 10 below zero and the passengers are wondering why they didn’t take that job in Miami.   The last thing passengers on their way to work at 7 in the morning want to be forced to listen to is, “No way, no way, Katie.  Oh my gosh, no you didn’t.  You’ve got to chill-lax.  Oh, yeah, you like that?  I made up that word-you know, chill-out and relax.   Hilarious, huh?”         The passengers are cold and grouchy; we don’t think it’s hilarious.         The poles on the train are for holding, not for leaning against.  When passengers lean their entire bodies up against a pole that means the five other people who could be holding on are now left to float in the middle of the train and bobble around like marbles when the train comes to a stop.       Passengers may be used to tossing their garbage in the backseat of their car and singing along to Journey and AC/DC; just to review—these activities are not acceptable on the train.       Just because somebody else is doing the driving does not mean it’s okay for passengers to lie down and take up two seats while other tired passengers are forced to stand and hover over the sleeping passenger like hungry buzzards.        Listen to what the conductor says.  The other day the conductor announced, “There’s another train right behind me so you don’t have to cram into this one, but don’t mind me because I know no one’s listening anyhow.”  I think I was the only one who even heard him because I let out a big snort of laughter.  My hat would have gone off to him had I had any room to reach it.       I’m not asking the passengers of the el to get along so well that we’re all holding hands and singing Kumbaya— heck, if you tried that, I’d say, “Get out of my space, I’m grouchy and cold.”  If we’d  just realize we’re all miserable together in this weather we could take comfort in that misery.  And, really, sunny skies are on their way…in only 4 months.