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What should I write about today?
This question is part of my morning routine. Between taking out the dog and hopping in the shower, I search my favorite sites for an answer. Potentially blog-worthy material is carefully arranged in new Firefox tabs, which I will read and evaluate during my commute. I had some good stuff this morning.
But Firefox quit unexpectedly so now I’m screwed. Well, not so much screwed. Just unable to give a trivia slant to the news of the day. Conceivably, these tabs could be reopened once I get to work and internet connectivity is restored. But it’s a busy morning. We’re going to have to wing it, live from the bus.
I guess I could tell you about my fellow travelers. One lady called her financial services provider to activate a credit card, which violates the strict no cell phone rule. I was not compelled to complain. The woman beside me is reading every word I type. I find this incredibly awkward.
(She just read the last sentence and is now staring out the window. That was fun. I’d say more but her eyes will surely wander back.)
Nobody else is doing anything particularly notable today. This is trivia in the worst sense of the word.
It’s not always this banal. I’ve seen some magic on this bus. Here are three examples.
If you have any more interesting stories about commuting, go ahead and leave them here.
Clever save!
posted by Miss Cellania on 3-30-2007 at 9:02 am
I work at a university, and therefore have been granted the exalted Faculty/Staff Bus Pass - which gets me onto the campus and the local busses for free. Usually, the commute is uneventful, but occasionally, it gets interesting.
Like, the time they didn’t send an overflow bus (even though up to 60 people sometimes get on at my stop, alone!) and I ended up hanging on for dear life, hoping that the back door wouldn’t fly open at 40mph…
Or the time I overheard two young men who were either a) stoned, b) philosophical, or c) both going on at length about how would we know where an apple ends and the rest of the universe begins, followed by how much better off we would all be if we gave up cars and built a monorail…
Or the time I finally got to be on the bus when one hit the railroad bridge that bisects the road. (The lane opening beneath this bridge is very narrow, and is in the middle of two 90-degree turns to allow the road to shift about 60 feet to the left. Conesequently, it shows a lot of, er, battle damage, and frankly, I’m amazed it hasn’t fallen down, yet…)
posted by Mel on 3-30-2007 at 9:37 am
I used to work a 4-10 schedule. That is, four ten hour days. It made for a three day weekend every week, but I had to go to work very early, so my commute was frequently in the dark. One morning, I was cruising along when I came to an overpass. Immediately on the other side of the ramp entering the flyover was a train track bordered by some fairly thick trees. There are lights and gates where the tracks cross the road, but they were not lit.
The upshot of all this was I was unable to see the train parked RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROAD!!!!! It was perpendicular to the road I was on, and could not have been more than 10′ away. As I passed the trees, I and my little car were transfixed by the unblinking headlight of what appeared to be an oncoming train. I swear every muscle in my body tensed up, including my sphincter. When I got to work, it took me probably ten minutes to work the seat upholstery out of my butt.
After that, it was a fairly uneventful day.
posted by Anthony on 3-30-2007 at 10:44 am
One other story to share.
My commute used to require me to cross no less than five sets of railroad tracks and a drawbridge.
One week, I kid you not, at least three of those was occupied either on my way to work or going home.
By the end of the week, I had had it. I informed my coworkers that if they were in need of entertainment, they should follow me home that day. If there was a train or a boat obstructing my path, they would probably be treated to seeing me out of my car beating on the passing vehicle with a tire iron.
posted by Anthony on 3-30-2007 at 10:48 am