Blurred Thought

Buses

I like riding the buses. No really, I do.

In the last seven or eight years I never went by bus more than two days in a row. In the rare occasions that I did use the bus, it was to watch special events in the city, like the pride parade or other major celebrations where the whole world and his wife showed up. So this week, when I had to go to work by bus for almost the entire week, on the account of my son being sick, It felt nice. When going by car you just get in your car, closed in a metal box with your music and the AC on, and no interaction with anyone whatsoever. You hardly walk outside (unless walking from the building entrance to the rare/side of the building where the parking lot is considered walking) and you hardly meet strangers. I’m not even talking about reading a newspaper or a book while someone else is doing the driving.

You’re probably reading this and thinking, this guy has gone mad, he WANTS to go by bus? But I assure you this is the least of the reasons why I might be considered mad (there are plenty of others). And I can tell you that I would choose to use the car over the bus any day of the week. There is however some favorable interaction in public transportation that does not exist in the privacy of your own car. When I was younger, I met people on buses. People that I had umm… relationships with. Sure, 99.99999999% of the people you see on buses do not care about you and nor do you about them but still.

After marching last night through the gusting winds and frozen rain to the bus stop and waiting for 20 minutes for it to arrive. I thought to myself that it happens sometimes. But after being jammed between a guy who didn’t bath for a week and don’t know what a deodorant is, an old lady who had to hold her shopping bag up in the air with the same hand that holds the rail so the bag would bang against my head every time the bus stopped or started moving or turn or do any kind of movement (I tell you these old ladies are strong, don’t mess with them) and another huge guy who probably didn’t brush his teeth since Monday. I think I’ll give up the buses for another while.

posted by TheBlurredOne at 10:38 AM