Tuesday Morning Tube Rant: People Who Search For Their Oyster Cards In Inconvenient Places

Alright, I admit it - I'm not a very patient person (John snorts at this as it's a mild way of describing my temperament in general).  But what is it with people who stop right in front of the barriers at tube stations to search for their Oyster cards?  Have it ready, people!  In Lauren Conrad's under-enunciated words, srsly!

This morning, I made my usual way down the stairs into Maida Vale tube station, by-passed the copies of the Metro on offer underneath the service update bulletin and turned a sharp right to make my way through the barriers.  It just so happened that there was only one barrier available this morning (aside from the big, slow, handicapped one) and a man was standing in front of it.  Not in front of it, like, as in, leaving a space for other people to get past, but in front of it as in, his body was touching the barrier itself.  In other words, A Barrier Hog.  He patted his left chest pocket for his Oyster card.  Nope, not there.  Right chest pocket.  Nope, not there either.  By this time, I was hemming and hawwing, pssshing and puffing behind him (this is the point where John laughs uncontrollably at my distress if he were present).  So I took a step forward in effort to rudely shove my way past.  Oh no, he stepped forward too.  Checked his back pocket.  Nope.  So I stepped back.  He stepped back.  It was like we were doing some kind of two-step dance.  Front pocket.  Ah, bingo.  FUH-FREAKING FINALLY!  Four pockets later, he found his travel treasure. 

It's not a first - people do this all the time - especially during the most convenient times, like, rush hour at Oxford Circus, or in my case, Embankment.  Look, if you can't find your Oyster, kindly step aside and search your four, five, six, seven pockets.  Don't hold up the rest of the people who are, you know, like, on their way to someplace?