I took the bus all the way home from work yesterday. Yes, this is a big deal. I don't usually take the bus--I get door to door service in a carpool with D, but sometimes I have to wait insane amounts of time for him to pick me up. Yesterday was one of those days. And I had a free bus pass from Metro Transit. Score!
Anyway, that actual getting home part was fine--it was much easier than I thought it would be: I made it to my transfer and everything. Yea me! So, I got on the correct bus twice and made it home without incident. I won't go as far as saying that the bus is awesome, but my new found knowledge might come in handy every once in awhile.
While the process was easier, the experience was my worst [logical] fear of what would happen on a bus ride. (Although I would have loved to meet Sandra Bullock, Keannu Reeves not so much.) Gross, smelly, wife-beater-wearing guy sat next to me AND WANTED TO TALK! His initial line was, "Can you turn that around so we can talk?" He was referring to my wedding ring. Nice. He then went on to tell me that he is really stressed out and that he finally went to see a "psycho doc" who gave him medication of some kind, "but that won't go well with [his] sobriety." What the...? Why was he sharing this with me? I could have told him my life story, but I didn't. I could have told him that we watched Knocked Up the other night and I was laughing so hard, but then I freaked out because I now laugh like my mother. I could have told him that everyday I feel guilty because my dog is in pain and D and I can't make a decision, which is to say we've made a decision by not making one, but we feel awful about it. I could have told him that I didn't care and that he should take his stale cigarette and B.O. stench somewhere else, but I didn't. I'm not mean, people. I didn't really talk to him, only nodded on occasion and prayed that each stop was his. No luck, he was with me for the duration.
I relayed all of this to D and he couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of me on a city bus. What does that mean? Anyway, I have another free pass that I'll probably use tomorrow. And now that I know the route, I might actually be able to signal for my transfer stop instead of silently praying that my stop is a popular one and another passenger will need to get off as well.
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Oh, and my mom is actually pretty cool, but I think most women get a little freaked out when they do or say something that their mother would do or say. Or is it just me? It can't just be me, the whole 'I'm turning into my mother' thing is on sit-coms all the time!
And, honestly, I wasn't trying to guilt people into commenting. Don't worry about it, people. It's all good--I'm just glad that a few of you check in every once in awhile! :)
kmp - a few tricks from someone who's ridden the bus for more years than I want to admit:
1. Always carry a book with you. Even if you don't really read it, you can pretend to if someone wants to chat.
2. If you'd rather, carry an ipod or radio with headphones. No one will talk to you if you have headphones (or earbuds) on. And if they try, you can always ignore them under the guise that you couldn't hear them.
3. Never make eye contact with anyone getting on the bus. Some people (read: strange men, fitting the description of your new friend) take it as an invitation to join you.
Good luck!
- dm
Diane has some excellent advice!
One time I was on the light rail when a drunk guy sat next to me and tried to make (scary) conversation. I did the same thing you did because I didn't know what else to do!
Oops- I also wanted to say I'm glad you like Knocked Up!
Thanks for the advice! I don't know why I left my bag at work, I guess I thought it would be easier without lugging it around, but my book was in my bag! And I didn't make eye contact! It wasn't until he got off the bus that I even knew what he looked like! But, on my next bus ride I will most definitely have a book with me.
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