I just missed the bus this evening, even though I left work early. Apparently the bus driver decided to get an early start too.
A woman on the #704 had some sort of medical issue today. People started asking if there was a doctor or a nurse on the bus (there are often health care workers on this bus too, because we go right by a hospital). I don't think anyone responded though. Some of the other passengers laid her out in the aisle. Another bus came so I hopped on that, so I have no idea what happened. Another passenger that transferred said that she couldn't breathe, I think it might have been an asthma attack.
When I went to sit in a seat on the second bus of the evening, I grabbed the pole in front of it to swing around it, but it wasn't screwed into the roof. Uh, hello lawsuit waiting to happen! I was able to catch myself before falling and I ended up pushing the pole forward until it lodged into place and wasn't rattling about. Later I warned another rider not to rely on it.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Another 8:00 Night
This evening's 704 ride:
The 6:00 bus never showed.
The air conditioning was broken.
Both of the back doors were broken.
With no air and no doors letting substantial ventilation in every few minutes, we had to rely on the tiny windows at the top of the bus to air the place out.
Basically it was hot and stuffy and miserable, in a way slightly different than normal.
The 6:00 bus never showed.
The air conditioning was broken.
Both of the back doors were broken.
With no air and no doors letting substantial ventilation in every few minutes, we had to rely on the tiny windows at the top of the bus to air the place out.
Basically it was hot and stuffy and miserable, in a way slightly different than normal.
Friday, August 15, 2008
waiting
today i spent over 30 minutes waiting on two buses. over an hour of my life totally gone, completely unproductive and not relaxing in any way.
the second bus didn't even come after all that time, and other people had been there longer than me. i finally decided to just walk despite the blister on my toe and the pain radiating from it. luckily, a bus on an alternate route showed up just when i got to its stop. then i got to my transfer point just as that bus was pulling up--i finally caught a break after all that misery.
a loud middle-aged woman was at the bus stop where i transferred. i thought maybe she was a prostitute by the way she was dressed, but it turned out she had just been out with friends, as i later learned. the bus was pretty crowded and she was one of the last on. i was sitting in the back and i had my headphones on, but i thought i heard her say, when she was in the middle of the bus, that she had never been on a bus before.
she made her way to the back of the bus and said, "so do i just stand here and hold on?" i shrugged and said, "yes." she then announce, again, that she had never ridden a bus before. they guy standing next to her must have looked interested because then she explained that she usually drives, a mustang (of course), but she had been out for drinks and doesn't believe in drinking and driving. at least there was an explanation for her volume, even if it didn't make her any less annoying. by the end of her ride she had gotten the number of the guy on the bus after chatting with him for the duration. maybe i should have taken notes.
the second bus didn't even come after all that time, and other people had been there longer than me. i finally decided to just walk despite the blister on my toe and the pain radiating from it. luckily, a bus on an alternate route showed up just when i got to its stop. then i got to my transfer point just as that bus was pulling up--i finally caught a break after all that misery.
a loud middle-aged woman was at the bus stop where i transferred. i thought maybe she was a prostitute by the way she was dressed, but it turned out she had just been out with friends, as i later learned. the bus was pretty crowded and she was one of the last on. i was sitting in the back and i had my headphones on, but i thought i heard her say, when she was in the middle of the bus, that she had never been on a bus before.
she made her way to the back of the bus and said, "so do i just stand here and hold on?" i shrugged and said, "yes." she then announce, again, that she had never ridden a bus before. they guy standing next to her must have looked interested because then she explained that she usually drives, a mustang (of course), but she had been out for drinks and doesn't believe in drinking and driving. at least there was an explanation for her volume, even if it didn't make her any less annoying. by the end of her ride she had gotten the number of the guy on the bus after chatting with him for the duration. maybe i should have taken notes.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I'm in pictures, ya see!
Yesterday morning while I was waiting for the bus, an elderly man walked up and made a comment about all the cars and how most of them probably don't even have to be on the road. Then he made some comment about how he thinks that artificial intelligence will one day take over. They're going to talk, "like bacteria talk to each other," and gather together and rise up. Then he gave his business card because he is in the movie business and I really should give him a call. ???
***
This morning, waiting for the same bus, I looked up the street as the bus was approaching. In my line of vision was this man who looked like he was probably a big Ozzy Osbourne fan in the '80s. He was looking right at me and shouting something I couldn't understand. His face was distorted in total anger and really freaked me out. I was really happy that the bus was there because something was really not right with him and the situation.
***
On the way home a woman pulled the cord for her stop with her cane. I really appreciated that in the moment.
***
This morning, waiting for the same bus, I looked up the street as the bus was approaching. In my line of vision was this man who looked like he was probably a big Ozzy Osbourne fan in the '80s. He was looking right at me and shouting something I couldn't understand. His face was distorted in total anger and really freaked me out. I was really happy that the bus was there because something was really not right with him and the situation.
***
On the way home a woman pulled the cord for her stop with her cane. I really appreciated that in the moment.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
I'll Perform For You
Last night a woman in her 50s got on the 704 as I was heading home. She had a fake Louis Vuitton bag with a not-so-matching fake Louis Vuitton visor in that annoying rainbow pattern. Her hair was bleached beyond repair--almost snow white, but kind of yellowed like old paper, the consistency of straw made into cotton candy. It was long and sort of fascinating in how unnatural it looked.
She sat in the center of the bus on an inward facing seat. A couple of stops later a man, who'd I guess to be about the same age, got on the bus and stood next to her seat. Suddenly the bus lurched forward and he toppled a little before he got a hold of the bar next to him. He must have bumped her because suddenly I heard her screaming, "You just hit me! You should say you're sorry!" He just stared forward and ignored her. Then she screamed, "Oh, fuck you!!" He stood there for another minute before crossing the aisle and standing next to the seat opposite her.
Almost as soon as he steps away she starts fanning her hand in front of her face as though something smells really terrible. She mostly looks silly doing this because everyone knows that waving your fingers in front of your face three times isn't improving the conditions for your olfactory system.
Then she pulled out a bag of some sort of dried fruit or nuts. She threw them in her mouth one by one as quickly as possible and chewed with her mouth open. "Smack smack smack." In case you haven't figured it out, she was hard not to watch.
***
On the second leg of my trip home on the 217, I heard a guy behind me on the other side of the bus saying, "Pssst . . . hey! . . . Pssst!" I tried to ignore him, but I had sort of seen him out of the corner of my eye so I knew I couldn't really pull it off. I turned to him and he asked me about my septum piercing. The general "does it hurt?" question, of course. Then he's asking me why I got it and if I'm into pain. When I said, "It's jewelry," he got defensive and all, "I know it's jewelry!" Gah!
Then he pulls out a bootleg DVD of The Dark Knight and says, "Hey, look at this!" I try to be friendly and all, "Oh that's cool!" And then, the awesomeness--his reply: "Yeah, you know, I could come over to your place and perform it for you. I could put it in your DVD player with my shirt off and, you know leave you alone and let you watch it and all and then when you were done I could help you out however you wanted, you know." Uhhhh . . . "No, thank you." "Do you want to buy a copy?" "No, thanks!"
She sat in the center of the bus on an inward facing seat. A couple of stops later a man, who'd I guess to be about the same age, got on the bus and stood next to her seat. Suddenly the bus lurched forward and he toppled a little before he got a hold of the bar next to him. He must have bumped her because suddenly I heard her screaming, "You just hit me! You should say you're sorry!" He just stared forward and ignored her. Then she screamed, "Oh, fuck you!!" He stood there for another minute before crossing the aisle and standing next to the seat opposite her.
Almost as soon as he steps away she starts fanning her hand in front of her face as though something smells really terrible. She mostly looks silly doing this because everyone knows that waving your fingers in front of your face three times isn't improving the conditions for your olfactory system.
Then she pulled out a bag of some sort of dried fruit or nuts. She threw them in her mouth one by one as quickly as possible and chewed with her mouth open. "Smack smack smack." In case you haven't figured it out, she was hard not to watch.
***
On the second leg of my trip home on the 217, I heard a guy behind me on the other side of the bus saying, "Pssst . . . hey! . . . Pssst!" I tried to ignore him, but I had sort of seen him out of the corner of my eye so I knew I couldn't really pull it off. I turned to him and he asked me about my septum piercing. The general "does it hurt?" question, of course. Then he's asking me why I got it and if I'm into pain. When I said, "It's jewelry," he got defensive and all, "I know it's jewelry!" Gah!
Then he pulls out a bootleg DVD of The Dark Knight and says, "Hey, look at this!" I try to be friendly and all, "Oh that's cool!" And then, the awesomeness--his reply: "Yeah, you know, I could come over to your place and perform it for you. I could put it in your DVD player with my shirt off and, you know leave you alone and let you watch it and all and then when you were done I could help you out however you wanted, you know." Uhhhh . . . "No, thank you." "Do you want to buy a copy?" "No, thanks!"
Monday, August 4, 2008
over here
I waited at my normal morning bus stop for my first bus this morning and many many minutes went by, with no bus. A lot of people were gathered at the stop, which is unusual. It usually comes so frequently that there are only a handful of us waiting when it arrives. Then I notice the Rapid bus that travels the same line turning before it crossed Western. So I start keeping one eye looking down Sunset so if the Rapid returns in that direction I can run across the street and catch it.
The next bus to come along wasn't the Rapid though, it was the Local! So for some unknown reason all the buses were being re-routed.
A bunch of us ran across the street to catch the bus at the Rapid stop there. I waved my hand at the bus since it wasn't a designated stop (and this is what metro.net says you should do this every time you are catching the bus). When I got on the bus driver said, "You don't have to wave at me. I know my stops." I didn't really process what she was saying until i sat down. If I have I might have pointed out that she should know that her stop is on the other side of the street and her route doesn't travel down Sunset. Grrrowl!
I find it so aggravating and disrespectful that the city doesn't post notices at stops and on the buses. There have been so many times that my bus has been re-routed for events around Hollywood and Highland and I've never seen notices posted. And almost every time, the bus driver picks their own route which vary widely. I suppose if you are anywhere near all that action then you know your bus is likely not going to show, but I still think that is no reason not to give notice so people can make alternate plans. I was lucky since I could see where the bus was actually stopping--I have no idea what people further up the street did. Of course, I was still late to work, so lucky is a relative term.
The next bus to come along wasn't the Rapid though, it was the Local! So for some unknown reason all the buses were being re-routed.
A bunch of us ran across the street to catch the bus at the Rapid stop there. I waved my hand at the bus since it wasn't a designated stop (and this is what metro.net says you should do this every time you are catching the bus). When I got on the bus driver said, "You don't have to wave at me. I know my stops." I didn't really process what she was saying until i sat down. If I have I might have pointed out that she should know that her stop is on the other side of the street and her route doesn't travel down Sunset. Grrrowl!
I find it so aggravating and disrespectful that the city doesn't post notices at stops and on the buses. There have been so many times that my bus has been re-routed for events around Hollywood and Highland and I've never seen notices posted. And almost every time, the bus driver picks their own route which vary widely. I suppose if you are anywhere near all that action then you know your bus is likely not going to show, but I still think that is no reason not to give notice so people can make alternate plans. I was lucky since I could see where the bus was actually stopping--I have no idea what people further up the street did. Of course, I was still late to work, so lucky is a relative term.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
OUCH!
As I headed to work Tuesday morning, I just missed my second bus, the one that takes over an hour to get me to Santa Monica--the 704.
I wait and wait and many more people show up, as does another bus. Great. I'm waiting at the curb, none of that hanging back. The bus pulls up and it is packed. It doesn't pull up anywhere near where the buses usually do, it stays back about 10 feet. So I am forced into a line behind a ton of people. People who all showed up after me, who weren't waiting at the curb, who would probably be fine taking the local #4. Fine, whatever.
Then, just as I put my foot on the bus to step up the bus driver shouts, "No more, no more!" and shuts the door before I can move. He hit me right in the side of the face with the door! What the hell?!?!
I was so stunned and mad that I was missing yet another bus, that I didn't even have a chance to register what had happened. Standing there, waiting for another bus that would get me to work 10 minutes late, it sunk in that I had just been assaulted by a bus and there was nothing I could do about it.
I wait and wait and many more people show up, as does another bus. Great. I'm waiting at the curb, none of that hanging back. The bus pulls up and it is packed. It doesn't pull up anywhere near where the buses usually do, it stays back about 10 feet. So I am forced into a line behind a ton of people. People who all showed up after me, who weren't waiting at the curb, who would probably be fine taking the local #4. Fine, whatever.
Then, just as I put my foot on the bus to step up the bus driver shouts, "No more, no more!" and shuts the door before I can move. He hit me right in the side of the face with the door! What the hell?!?!
I was so stunned and mad that I was missing yet another bus, that I didn't even have a chance to register what had happened. Standing there, waiting for another bus that would get me to work 10 minutes late, it sunk in that I had just been assaulted by a bus and there was nothing I could do about it.
magic!
Today's bus ride home:
Waited less than 5 minutes before the bus showed up.
Got on the bus and every seat was empty. being the first person on the bus, with every single seat to choose from, is sort of like being granted a special favor from the metro fairies. I take the back corner of course--there's something special about being able to put yr feet up.
There wasn't much traffic, but we didn't seem to be moving all that fast. I was lucky though--I got home about 5 minutes early. Now that is something special!
Waited less than 5 minutes before the bus showed up.
Got on the bus and every seat was empty. being the first person on the bus, with every single seat to choose from, is sort of like being granted a special favor from the metro fairies. I take the back corner of course--there's something special about being able to put yr feet up.
There wasn't much traffic, but we didn't seem to be moving all that fast. I was lucky though--I got home about 5 minutes early. Now that is something special!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)