Pavlov's Dogs

I walk to work now. From Cambridge, over the Longfellow Bridge, to MGH. It's a nice walk, except for the harrowing near-misses from death crossing the road outside of the Liberty Hotel. I pass by the Charles/MGH T stop, in all its curtain-walled glory and I can hear the 'ding! Attention passengers: The next train to Braintree is now arriving..."

This convenient announcement of the approaching train was not instituted until last December, when I arrived back from my annual trip to Hong Kong. It's only instituted on the Red Line as well. It has gone through some variations, like adding the "Attention passengers: The next train to Braintree is now approaching" announcement when the train is some distance off still. It is convenient, especially when you are fumbling with your wallet to add more value to your Charlie Ticket or Charlie Pass and you knew time is of the essence in order to catch this approaching train.

However, when I walk by the Charles/MGH stop in the morning, I cannot resist the urge to break into a run in order to catch this approaching train. Silly me, I'm not even waiting for the train anymore. The 'ding!' sound has the same effect on me as the bell does for Pavlov's dogs.