Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Can't Get Enough of You


I just can’t seem to get enough
of your flavor and texture and stuff.
When I have too much, I’m in a daze.
But not enough, and I begin to crave.
Dark, white, milk—
You go down smooth as silk.
Whenever I am lonely,
You are always there to keep me company.
I can have you almost every day,
if only you didn’t cause tooth decay.
Believe me when I say this:
Chocolate always puts me in bliss.

-Christine Chew

I'm sure you've had enough toll tales, so I hope you enjoyed this short and simple poem!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

An Epiphany in My Booth

The view of Tobin Bridge from afar.


Lately, I've been working at the Tobin Bridge. If you've ever driven on it, you know it's a very high bridge that has a great view of Boston. High places also mean another thing...jumpers. Every month, there are at least three jumpers at this bridge. These attempted suicides, some of them successful, don't make it to the news because they don't want to encourage copycats.

More than one coworker have told me, "When somebody pulls over and gets out of the car to get their money in the trunk, I get worried that they're going to jump." As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, there was a 26-year-old woman who jumped and killed herself. My coworker told me, "It's an image burned into your memory. You just replay it over and over again in your head."

Since I'm there sparingly, I've been fortunate enough not to witness such a horrific sight. Just yesterday, though, a few patrons reported to me that there was a man walking on the bridge towards the booths. I reported it to the senior and he immediately called the state police. After about ten minutes, two state police vehicles sped through the fast lane with their sirens on.

At first, I thought they were trying to get off the bridge because the man had jumped. But then the senior updated us and informed us that the state troopers arrested the man because he was intoxicated and carried a gun. I was a little shocked, especially with the shooting massacre that happened recently in Colorado, but was glad the situation was handled quickly.

I never thought I'd have a life-awakening epiphany at the tolls, but I realized that life is short and oftentimes taken for granted. In the words of Albert Einstein, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." (Hint: go with the latter!)

The view from my booth. Too bad they're doing construction!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Toll Celebrities


Working at the tolls exiting the airport, we get some celebrities who pass through to film movies in Boston. While it’s exciting to see them, they’re still required to pay the toll. Here’s a compilation of recent celebrities my fellow toll collectors and I have met. Can you guess who are the nice folks and who aren’t?



Adam Sandler—filming for “That’s My Boy” in 2010. Driving right past the booth, Sandler claimed to have had the fast pass (which doesn’t work in the Cash Only lane). After a few curse words, he backed up to pay the toll followed with some more curse words.










Donnie Wahlberg—visiting home in 2010. When asked if he was the guy from New Kids On The Block, Wahlberg simply said yes and sang a short tune before driving away.












Ryan Reynolds—filming for “R.I.P.D.” in 2011. With a very warm smile, Reynolds paid the toll and made small talk. Apparently, he’s single and still looking for the right woman!












Kevin Bacon—filming for “R.I.P.D.” in 2011. Using his credentials, Bacon tried to get a free pass. After informing him everyone is required to pay, he reluctantly handed the money and drove off without saying a word.









James Hong—filming for “R.I.P.D.” in 2011. Very politely, Hong paid the toll and commended Boston to being a fine city.








President Obama—having lunch with Mitt Romney in 2012. While none of us could see him because he was in one of the two bulletproof black Lincolns, he made his presence known considering we had to shut down the whole tunnel for him. Not only did ten firetrucks, ten state troopers, ten white unmarked vans, and ten ambulances follow him, the bomb squad checked the tunnel for explosives and snipers stayed on the roof keeping watch. We toll collectors were instructed to stay in our booths at all times as they all went through the fast lane.


So there you have it. Celebrities are people just like the rest of us and do not get special treatment (except for the President, of course). Next time, we’ll try to hold up the paparazzi for them.