Bus karma

Well maybe not karma exactly, but someone must think my transit rides have been too easy lately. As a result today was crazy old man at the bus stop day.

First, on my way to church I have to change buses. So I get off one bus and I head to the next bus stop and it's absolutely pouring down rain. Naturally, I go to stand under the cover, but I notice someone else is already there. No big deal right? Who wouldn't stand under cover waiting for the bus in this rain. Incorrect, big deal indeed. It's the friendly neighborhood drunk. He's polishing off a bottle of probably vodka and he's chatty. Of course, he's also drunk and doesn't have much coherent to say. I've got headphones in and a hood over my head and he's slurring a little. I think I made out the phrases "I'm drunk", "I'm an alcoholic " (shocking thanks for the revelation), "I'm waiting for the bus" and something about the Seahawks. Turns out it feels really awkward flat out ignoring someone who's talking at you, but I barely want to talk to sober people at the bus stop never mind sir slurs-a-lot. When the bus finally came, I got on and I think the old guy tried to get on, but when the bus pulled away he was sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of the stop (don't worry though...he probably didn't feel a thing).

Later, thinking I was done with crazy for the day, I made my way to the bus stop to go home. This time there was an old guy eating a sandwich. Now not everyone who waits at a bus stop is looney tunes, mostly it's just other normal people or at least crazies who have the decency to keep to themselves, so I had no reason to suspect this guy was also whackadoo until...
"Nice hair"
So far not too weird. After all, my hair is purple, people comment.
"Yeah, I really like your green hair"
Oh boy...maybe he's color blind?
"Your green hair looks really good especially with the orange highlights. Is green your favorite color?"
And I'm out. Luckily the bus wasn't coming for 10 minutes so I had time to walk to another stop.

It's so nice when everything goes right

Don't you love it when it's your first day of teaching for the quarter and you get up early so you'll get to school in time to do some prep before class. Then you're waiting for the bus and it doesn't show up. Ten minutes later when you've given up hope of an early bus, a bus shows up, but it's got the wrong number on it. Luckily the bus driver tells you it's actually the correct bus. However, then at every stop you get to listen to the bus driver scream out the bus number along with things like "let's go" and "what other bus runs here?" Then when you're almost there, you take an extra long stop for some other transit dude to get on the bus and try to fix it...because in the middle of the route seems like a good time for that.

I get it; it sucks that your bus is broken, but how exactly are the people at the bus stop supposed to know that? You can hardly blame us for being confused and slightly hesitant to get on the "55 to Alaska junction" when we're trying to get to UW. I've had bus drivers pull up to the wrong stop before, so sorry, but they don't get to be pissed at us for not just assuming they are driving the correct bus; I don't have that much faith in transit, or humanity for that matter.