Entertaining yourself on the train

So I realize I didn't post anything ALL weekend. Which means I need to write three posts today. So here is the first one:

I love taking the metro. I don't have to drive into the city and worry about parking, and it's good for the environment. But usually I'm traveling alone to meet people at our destination, and my train rides are about 30 minutes on average. So I try to plan ahead and have some sort of entertainment with me. Of course most people just listen to music, but I don't like disconnecting from the world like that. And others would automatically start playing with their smartphone, but that kills the battery, and what if I need to make an emergency phone call later that night? Instead, I usually try to grab the daily newspaper, the Express, if there are any left in the box (which depends on what time of day I'm traveling). The Express gives an overview of local and international news, tid-bits on celebrities, and my favorite page, which contains two comic strips, the horoscopes, and the sudoku (Friday has a samurai sudoku which is my favorite!). But, if I'm traveling late at night, chances are that all of the papers are gone. So I go to plan B. I try to carry in my purse either a little book of word searches (a cute stocking stuffer I got from my mom) or a book that is just thin enough to fit in my bag (Anna Karenina will NOT work. So for the train I have a book on narwhals [random, I know]). And you can always chat with the person sitting next to you, but that's a gamble...But anyway, with all of these choices, I'm never bored on the train!