On a Bus to St Cloud, Minnesota
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| Tue, 10-17-2006 - 9:14pm |
I thought I saw you there, with the snow falling down around you, like a silent prayer...
Not that I was on a bus to St Paul, but I was on a bus, and I like that song...
So, it isn't exactly something new, but sort of. Today I took the bus to work, which I only do sporadically, since driving is more convenient, but also more expensive. I happen to work for the bus company, so I have a few connections, haha, and it's nice when the timing works out since I can get some homework done, but I haven't been taking the bus for the past couple of months.
Anyhow, I took the bus today, and was amazed at the people watching I was able to do. SO much for homework. There are basically several types of people on the bus I ride. Those headed to/from work who can't/don't drive, those headed to/from work who choose to bus like me for whatever reason (parking is a nightmare in my area, and a ton of people consciously choose not to drive for environmental reasons), those not headed anywhere in particular but in an awful big hurry to get there and willing to make sure everyone knows it at the top of their lungs, and those who I'm pretty sure just sleep all day long on the bus they happen to get on in the morning.
The ride home is even worse because younger people (I would say 15-24ish) who are trying to act like older people are on the bus after school trying to get home. Their conversations were... interesting. I'm not sure some of them were paying attention in sex-ed, but I debated the wisdom of telling them that no, you can't in fact get pregnant from certain acts, but thought better of it and minded my own business.
The whole point of my story, though, is that on the ride home the bus was very crowded, and a guy sat next to me. We ended up chatting, and as it turns out, he uses the same park-and-ride I use, so we ended up getting off at the same stop. Nothing major, he was just a pleasant guy to chat with on the bus, just a little flirty, gainfully employed, as equally amused by our surroundings as I was, and overall a nice travelling companion, as it were. I don't know why today of all days I chose to take the bus- nothing out of the ordinary prompted the decision, I just wanted to.
So, tomorrow, maybe I'll do something else out of the ordinary, and see where it leads me. If all I get out of it is a pleasant conversation, it sure as heck beats gritting my teeth in traffic. The only downside, as far as I can see, is while on the bus I can't sing along to the radio. Well, I suppose I could, but I'm not entirely sure the other passengers would enjoy it quite as much as I do.
Moody- who talks to strangers

Lol - I love people watching on the bus!!!
I take the bus every day, and you get to know the regulars, which is always a riot.
But I hear what you're saying about the kids on the bus- I had to take the bus a few months back to the dentist, and there is a high school on the way.
Well, we want you to take the bus more often!!!
So that is what you had up your sleeve when you commented on my story - from doing something by yourself.
Good work!!
Alison, I'll sing along on the bus if you will! Actually, a lot of our buses don't have radios, something our drivers are protesting, but in the morning I'm too tired/not awake/trying to read/trying not to spill my coffee/trying not to annoy the person accross from me with all of my luggage... to sing. I do it on my drive in to try to wake up... I'm not a morning person by anyone's stretch of the imagination.
In the evening, you couldn't hear the radio if it turned as loud as it goes- the people who don't seem to have gainful employment are also the people who are extremely vocal. The rest of us really just want to go home, and I think the majority of the worker drones would fall asleep if it weren't for the monkeys in a barrel that ride along with us.
But if I am alert enough and can hear the radio, I will certainly think about singing along, and think of you, if I do it. My singing certainly can't be worse than some of the conversations that people are having! Others might think of it as a nice distraction, actually.
Moody- who may become the ambassador of peace, if not harmony ;-)
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Actually, it isn't exactly what I had in mind, but it's a start. I'm going to find something to do by myself, but lately I've sort of been feeling like I'm in a rut- not a bad thing, just, dronish.
I do the same things the same way every day. I can't say my life is boring, I'm very busy, and I have fun, but I want to do something different, and know myself well enough to know I should start small. The bus is a good starting place. From there, who knows.
Moody- taking baby steps out of ruts-ville
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