Due to car problems I've been on the bus to and from work the last few days. I had forgotten how awful it is to take the bus in a large city because of all the psychos and homeless that ride public transportation. By the time the ride is over I'm exhausted from all the false alarms being set off in my head from my flight-or-fight responses. I'm not over-reacting. When the two guys in the seat next to you are ranting in a verbal salad and keep twitching and jumping in their seats it keeps you in a kind of an accelerated hyper-aware mode.
Yesterday I had been waiting for the bus to show at the scheduled time and it didn't. It happens, but I was a little concerned about it because of how long it takes to get to work using the bus and being in management, I don't like to be late. It's bad enough I have to leave work early because if I miss the last bus for the evening at the connection it is a 6 mile walk up and down our California hills. FYI: Hills in California are what people in other states call mountains. Normally I can drive to work by car in about 10 minutes via the freeway into La Jolla. By bus it takes just over 2 1/2 hours.
That totally sucks.
One bright spot though in my public transportation adventures over the last few days is a conversation I had with a lady at the stop near my home. She was reading a heavily marked, highlighted and annotated book. I guess I should have looked closer at what she was reading before I spoke to her.
"Hi. Uh...The last bus didn't show up. Do you know when the next one arrives?"
"God bless you."
"Yeah, okay...Uh..."
"You need to be prepared because Jesus is coming."
"Well, I hope it's soon because I need a ride to work."
Tags: Public Transportation Religion
Bike, man, bike. It gets you away from (at least some of) the weirdos, the exercise gives you a vast feeling of superiority, and it's probably only slightly less safe than, I don't know, backyard wrestling.
ReplyDeleteAt my old job, I sometimes took the bus in the winter, and a trip that was an hour on the bike was like two and change on the bus. I don't miss it at all.
Barring not riding the bus, get some headphones. Even if you can't stand music, it's a defensive measure.
Can't go on the highways with a bike here.
ReplyDelete"Can't go on the highways with a bike here."
ReplyDeleteIn Austin, Texas, there are signs at most of the highway on-ramps (including the interstate) which read "No bicycles." Only in Austin, Texas, is this warning necessary...
Heh, reminds me of a skit from an Ice Cube album.
ReplyDelete"So you ain't gonna do nothin' with your life but sit here and wait for Jesus to fall out of the sky?"
"Mm-hmm."
....
"Damn, so you still out here waiting? You don't mind if I take your watch and car keys?"
"Naw, Jesus will get me another one."