Riding to work today, I looked around at the bleary faces and dull eyes all around me--the closed, anonymous "train face" city dwellers tend to assume. I have nothing agains anonymity, but today I wanted to see everybody dancing.

Wouldn't it be great if, on the train, everybody could bossa nova?

I'd love for there to be a sound system and some atmospheric lighting, too. Put down that newspaper, Mr. Yuppie, and start moving those feet! Old ladies and kids could dance too, and even that homeless guy, unless he's napping. We'd all be grooving to "The Girl From Ipanema" and the journey to work would be much more fun. (That dreary business of shuffling on and off the train would be much improved by some smooth moves, too.) I bet even the conductors would cheer up; maybe we'd even find that guy who used to call the Howard/Dan Ryan route "The Love Train."

It would require some doing on the CTA's part, particularly getting the sound system in shape, but I think it would improve our quality of life immeasurably. I'll be writing the mayor directly, or maybe he'll stop by here.

Here's how they bossa nova at Club Martini.

I know some of those dance-allergic guys are scoffing. But even Elvis knew the score, and you don't want to get upstaged by Elvis, do you?

"She said, "Hey bossa nova baby keep on workin'
For I ain't got time for that."
She said, "Go bossa nova baby keep on dancin'
Or I'll find myself another cat."

Put on those dancing shoes...