Winter Wonderland!!

Well, we got blasted with about 10-12 inches of snow today. I had to come in because my co-worker had the day off, and they frown on both of us not being here. Not that it mattered any.

It really was not that bad. Lots of blowing snow, but I had no problem driving to Macomb Mall. Waited a bit for the bus, but I'd rather take the bus than be driving in this stuff.

565 came pretty much on time. And wouldn't you know it, some schmuck tried to get off in the city. But the bus driver held his ground, and the guy huffed to the back of the bus, where he proceeded to snort and sigh. I turned in my seat to a co-worker and said, "Did we pick up a horse?"

Snoring on the bus

A bus mate sent me this fun photo of a snoring sleeper. What kind of beverage is he holding?
bus rides = entertainment.

Things You Get To See

I just want to inform you all that it can be visually advantageous to be higher off the road surface by riding in a bus. You get to see all sorts of folks in their vehicles doing all sorts of things while commuting. Reading, applying makeup, smoking, chatting on the phone, drinking a beer - you get the idea. Sometimes you get to see things you don't really want to see. Yesterday I saw a man in a truck pick his nose and eat it - gross!
bus rides = entertainment.

Late to work

Murphy's Law - if you want the bus to be on time it will not be on time and if you do not care about the schedule it will be on time. Yes I was running extremely late this morning and I discovered the bus was running late as well. The bus stopped to get me and there was a driver in training at the wheel. No worries - late is late. the cool thing was the bus directly behind ours took all of the passengers that were getting off in the city after 8 mile and our bus went straight downtown. Now that is what I like good decision making. Good luck to the new driver.
bus rides = enterainment

Change in the weather

It is now the beginning of a cold Fall and Winter here in Metro Detroit. I finally hauled my big winter coat out of the closet. I was putting it off as long as I could because my coat is big, bulky and quite warm. Warm is good when you are waiting outdoors for the bus to arrive. There will be days when it is so cold and windy that you wished you didn't take the bus, especially downtown where it's shady and real windy. The one thing I hate is that it is so warm on the bus that I sweat if I don't remove a my coat. It is this extreme that has become my new winter weather bus pet peeve. Why can't there be a happy medium? Not sure, but three or four months of this and it will be over.
bus rides = entertainment.

Optimistic mood - post election

This day after the election on the inbound commute the mood seemed elevated. I could hear several conversations about the election results which were optimistic. I'm proud to be an American were we can exercise our right to vote and make our voice be heard.
A bus regular that I sat with told me of her morning and the car accident she had right before catching the bus. She was thankful no one was hurt including herself. I hope she is able to find a suitable car to replace her smashed up car.
bus rides = entertainment.

Wave of sickness

I've often wondered what I would do if I ever were to get sick on the bus. Unfortunately I got that experience on Monday. I've been battling a cold with head and chest congestion for a week or two but nothing to make me stay home in bed. Monday morning I was fine until I was on the bus for about 10 minutes and suddenly a huge wave of sickness hit me - nausea, blurred vision, full body sweat, chills, sore throat, headache. I was trying to stave off the illness by taking deep breaths and telling myself to hold on until I got to work and then I could deal with it. Questions that ran through my mind as I was sitting there were - what am I going to do if I really need to vomit? I guess I decided I would hurl in my back pack if I had to. What would I do if I lost my sense of balance and fell? Thankfully it didn't come to that. What a horrible feeling of being physically sick and having to sit it out on the bus. Well, I exited and staggered to the office with everyone telling me I looked like death warmed over and had an office courier take me home. Now I have a plastic bag I will carry in my backpack - just in case.
Bus rides = entertainment.

Interesting morning commute

The morning commute started out fairly normal for the most part. I made my way to the back of the bus and sat on the edge of a seat due to the sleeping man taking up a seat and a half. A few stops later I was able to gain a full seat of my own and proceeded to read my short novel. The young man across from me was nervously scanning his surroundings and proceeded to take a covert swig of his beer. I could care less if anyone drinks on the bus but beer at 8:00 a.m. seems a bit much. Maybe it's his own version of the breakfast of champions. Meanwhile, the older guy who snagged the back corner seat was talking to the young mother across from me asking all kinds of questions and tooting his own horn. Fine with me to toot your own horn and take an interest in a young mother but when I kept hearing the clip, clip, clip I turned to see this man trimming his nails on the bus. Real suave of him.
bus rides = entertainment.

Saw Ted Today...

I decided to park at the Park & Ride at 16 and Schoenherr(sp?) today. Ted, you remember, the Rocker Dude, and I got out of our cars and stood while the bus came around to pick us up. I can't recall the last time my hair was as long as Ted's. He was flipping it back and forth to dry it whilst carrying his Wayne County Sheriff's uniform. What a contrast!

Anyway, we all clambered aboard and off we went. I too, have noticed the increase in people taking the bus because coming in it seems very crowded, but going home hasn't been too bad.

Does she not notice a pattern?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that ridership is up from this time a year ago due to rising prices. Well, there is a woman who flags down the bus everyday on the way out of the city and pops her head in and sees a bunch of us standing and tells the driver that she will take the next bus. Apparently this woman has no sense of seeing a pattern like the rest of us. Last night I made a comment about this woman after we took off from her dismissal and a bunch of the regular riders cracked up - gee, am I sarcastic? You betcha! Just one of the little things that bug me - oh, well.
Bus rides = entertainment.

Ooooo, that smell!

Well, I had a seat this morning, which was better than yesterday. The gang was all there; Rocker Dude, The Mask. I sat next to The Mask, who was in the process of final touchup. Still a bit squished to bring out my crossword, so I resigned myself to sitting and half-dozing. This black man came on the bus and made his way to the back. He REEKED of cologne. Don't know who he was trying to impress, but he just plain stunk to high heaven. I gagged, it was that bad. I had to breathe through my nose for much of the way downtown. I was sure grateful when he got off, let me tell you!

Standing on the Bus...

Sometimes it's just one of those days. I had to stand on the bus all the way in this morning. The bus before mine never showed, so it had all those passengers as well as us. Wonderful! This is one of those days that you wonder if your underarm deodorant truly works. I actually panicked a teeny bit, because as the bus was coming toward me, the bike rack was down, and blended in perfectly (with my myopic vision) with the black bumper. As it was, I was able to climb aboard. Wish I had just waited for the next bus. My right arm ached from all the blood running out of it trying to find a handhold so I wouldn't be dashed to the floor of the coach. Hopefully the rest of the day is better!

Happy Baby

This morning on the way into work there was a very happy baby and he put me in a good mood. Thank you happy baby.
bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

I also answer to being called Kevin

Last summer on the way home from work I boarded the bus which was standing room only. I was standing with another woman at the rear door and leaned against the wall expecting to ride the 20 to 30 minutes home standing. It was quite noisy on the bus with all the regular people chatting about everything under the sun. I made some small talk with the woman I was sharing the aisle with but kept hearing a woman at the back of the bus shouting, "Kevin" over and over and over. I paid little attention but thought to myself why is Kevin not responding to this woman. If I could hear her he should be able to hear her as well. I finally turned around to check out the situation and a regular rider waved to us saying there were seats in the very back. I offered the lady first choice and followed her to the back. I asked her if she was calling me and she responded yes. I smiled and said that's great but my name isn't Kevin it's Patrick. Her quick response was, "well I knew it was something Irish", which elicited a roar of laughter from several folks at the back of the bus. She wasn't to happy about the laughter but I assured her it was fine and I thought it was hilarious. The woman no longer rides the bus downtown but I will always remember her for this bit of comedy.
To this day I still get teased about being called Kevin. A few of the regular riders jokingly call me Kevin as I was reminded of this past Monday by a regular who pointed out a seat at the rear next to her.
Bus rides = entertainment. Patrick

Orange and Postal Day!!

Here is a colorful lady that was on the bus this morning...

Her coat was made of "eyelash" material, or something very close. Very eye-opening!

Onto later events, I finally got a bit of revenge upon the mail person this morning. He has got to be the most nastiest person ever, and I've never done anything to warrant it. I was taking my bicycle into the freight elevator, and he tried to cram his damn basket into the elevator with me. The doors started to close, and I made an automatic, albeit half-hearted attempt to open the doors. But they closed in his face. Revenge is mine, sayeth the Lord!!

Newbies on the Bus...

Occasionally you see people who have never ridden on the bus. Rare, but it happens. We all have to start sometime, right? Well, the two women who rode the bus last night were like children in a candy store. The one in the corner has rode before, but her companion had not. Very loud and enthusiastic, these too. And the one had the most annoying laugh I've heard in a while - long and drawn out to remarks that I never thought were funny. Guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round.

Steak Knife

The bus was crowded this morning but one of my regular bus friends called me back to the back of the bus as there was a seat next to her. "I thought I heard someone calling me," I said. We were chatting about the weekend weather and other things when she brought to my attention an old man with a steak knife next to him. He woke from his nap shortly afterward and put the steak knife into his cargo pant pocket and exited the bus. We looked at each other and wondered....
bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

Crazy man

I came across an old journal entry the other day and thought I'd publish it. This incident was on a very crowded rush hour bus back in 2005. This crazy man kept repeating loudly, "Willie Nelson Mandela", which was cracking me up. It's actually cleaver in a way to put two well-known names together.
Bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

Old Men - Old Transfers

The bus ride home last evening was interesting. I had stayed late at work and took a 7:55 p.m. bus which was quite empty. A few miles up we picked up a real drunk old man who reeked of beer and stumbled with his fare and then to his seat. All I can say is thankfully he wasn't driving. We picked up another old man who was having difficulty with his transfer - it wouldn't scan. The driver asked to see the transfer and declared that this is September and your transfer is from August. He proceeded to dig around in his pockets and his wallet but didn't come up with a fare so the driver stopped to let him off. She received a phone call so didn't take off right away and wouldn't you know it the old man came back on with another transfer. A what do you think happened? It too was expired and he exited the bus. Another passenger and I chuckled at this little display and he exclaimed, "I want to know why he keeps all those old transfers?" All I can think of was that this man suffered from transfer hoarding syndrome.
Bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

Make sure you want the bus you're boarding

Last week at approximately 5:40 p.m. the bus driver asks a man boarding with a bike if he is crossing 8 mile (the city limits) because he can't let anyone off in the city until after 6:00 p.m. (I'm assuming it's an agreement with the city buses). The man answers yes and pays his fare. We stop to pickup some passengers near 6 mile and the man runs up to the front and tries to exit the bus but the driver won't let him. The guy is ticked off but sits back down and later made an attempt again. Some folks just want the rules broken for them.
bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

Nice and quiet - then boom!

I finally dragged my sorry ass out of bed in time to catch the Gratiot Limited. I boarded and found a seat in the rear and cracked the window. It was nice and quiet so I dragged out my book I've been trying to finish for a while and started to read. After about fifteen minutes or so I hear this booming female voice from behind me talking to one of the regular guys. When I say booming I mean it - she could fill the Fox Theatre with just her talking voice and shake the rafters. Maybe she is a speaker or singer but obviously has no sense of what an indoor voice is. Needless to say it was so distracting I had to put away the book. She had to nerve to talk about the most mundane items too - the nerve of her. If I have to passively listen in on her conversation at least she could make it a little juicy, salacious and intersting.
bus rides = entertainment. Patrick.

Not so much Bus, as Bums today...

Today I decided to get off on Woodward, as I had to go to the bank. I met up with a homeless guy who asked me if I could help him out with something for food. I automatically said, "Sorry, I don't have anything." But as I passed him and walked up towards the bank, I started feeling a bit guilty, as I obviously had something (in the form of my lunch bag) and still didn't give him anything. I didn't recognize him, or else I would not have given him the time of day. So as I wandered on back towards my building, I resolved to offer him my lunch at least. As I came up to him, he was asking someone else for help. I caught his attention, and offered my sandwich. Would you believe that bum said, "No thanks."? It's people like him that make you not want to help anyone at all. He probably wanted money for booze or something.

Got the Double-Whammy today...

With both The Mask and the Guy Who Shares His Music. Luckily, I found a seat up front so I didn't have to suffer from GWSHM, but still had TM in sight. But that's entertainment, so didn't bother me. I tell you what though, that road has GOT to be the worst in Michigan. I can't even begin to do my crossword easily until we hit Gratiot. Nearly stabbed myself today, trying to do it. So I waited. Going to be a busy day today, with the various festivals going on and traffic being rerouted. Have a great weekend!

People Who Wish To Share Their Music...

Can be mighty annoying on a bus. Especially if it is music you have no interest in hearing. Take today. Long-haired gentleman who works as a Wayne County Sheriff downtown. Loves his music, and loves to share it with everyone on the bus. Fortunately, today it was not too bad. Motown-type music. But sometimes you just want to sit and not have annoying noises. Today was not the day.

Bus Ride from Hell yesterday...

Such fun. The bus broke down along the service drive before it even got to Gratiot. Gotta love people in general. Instead of finding out what is going on, they sit and complain up a storm. "What's going on? I'm going to be late. Why isn't the bus moving?" and so on. I finally got up and asked if there would be another bus, because I have to unload my bicycle. The driver said yes, so I took my bicycle off the rack. The next bus came, and because I have to load the bike, I'm among the last to get on. Needless to say, I stood the rest of the way home. I was very grateful to get on my bicycle and sit for a while!

Got the HARD OF HEARING lady today...

It is truely amazing to me that people are more than willing to talk about their personal issues on their cells on the bus. Unless it is something mundane, I refuse to entertain others around me with my laundry. This morning, it was rather tame by comparison, but this woman answered her phone WITH A REALLY LOUD VOICE. To make it worse, the receiver TALKED JUST AS LOUD back to her. You could hear both sides. Thank goodness it was mercifully short and she hung up soon after!

Colorful Images of Detroit...

Look at this fashion plate. She was such a radiant beauty, you just could not keep your eyes off of her!

Morning commute

I finally was able to get a seat this morning. Due to the economy the ridership has been up and at times you have to stand. I don't mind standing as long as it's not too crowded. I moved to the back of the bus today and said hello to one of the regular riders. There was a guy in the back corner who was strung out on some drug or extremely tired because as I was leafing through my BH&G magazine a hand appeared in my line of sight. I looked back and the guys eyes were closed. He woke a few minutes later and immediately pulled the signal cable stood up and fell on top of the regular that I said hello too. Her immediate comment was, "it's too early to be drunk", but clearly this guy wasn't listening. He stumbled off her and past everyone and off the bus. I think he was on some drugs. Thankfully he was not behind a wheel and putting others in danger.
bus rides = free entertainment. Patrick.

Welcome to Detroit!

Taking the bus can be exciting and fun. Hell, just standing there waiting for one can be very entertaining. Take Our Buddy for example. He's a homeless bum who is constantly trying to get money from me. We (my co-worker Patrick) have a high suspiscion that he isn't what he seems. I finally told him off one day and he stopped asking me. But it doesn't stop him from asking everyone else...

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