Alright, this falls under the "Really? That just happened" category.
The other morning as we made our way into the bus and found our seats, the gentleman behind me in line approached a lady that was straddling, on purpose, over two seats in the back row. Mind you, she was not a big lady, per se, she very well would have fit
in just one seat but she decided that she was going to use up two seats by
placing one butt cheek on one seat and the other cheek on the other
seat.Being that there were no other seats left, the gentleman asked her to move over so that he may sit next to her. The man's request was not an unreasonable one. The conversation went something like this:
"Excuse me, ma'am, may I sit there?"
"What? Oh no, uh uh, I'm not moving."
"But you're taking up two seats."
"So. We are already squished back here and you got a big stomach I don't want that thing anywhere near me. Ain't no way I'm gonna have you all up against me. It's too early in the morning. I've already taken a shower and I don't want to deal with that mess. Sh**t." How they expect to have five people back her all squished up"
"But there are five seats."
"Man, shut the (blank) up and turn around. You're not sitting next to me!"
There were a few more choice expletives used but you get the idea. The man finally gave up, hung his head and turned around giving his back to the lady. He had no choice but to stand in the corridor the whole way. If you are wondering if he really had a big stomach like she pointed out. I would say it was no bigger than the average middle-aged man's middle. I'm still trying to figure out what his stomach had to do with him sitting next to her.
After a few minutes, she must have felt remorse because she moved over to one seat leaving the other one empty and tapped the man's shoulder then told him that he can sit now. But the man told her he was not going to take it and gave her the cold shoulder. Good for you, sir.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thanks for Sharing
Some people are so nice and thoughtful. They want to bring you happiness at the wee hours of the morning or after you have had a long day at work, so they share their music with you.
Yesterday on the train on my way home I suddenly heard blaring R&B music. The kind of music that really should only be heard in the privacy of your own bedroom. At first, I paid no attention, figuring it was just someone's loud and obnoxious ring tone but it didn't stop. So I looked up to find a pair of hands holding a mobile device responsible for the distasteful music. To make matters worse, whatever that thing was had the worst speakers so the music was so distorted it made your ears hurt. The young lady holding the MP3 player, didn't care. She was really enjoying her music, swaying her hips back and forth to the beat of her music, oblivious of the crowded train and the unfriendly stares. You go girl! But please do us a favor and get yourself a set of headphones.
Speaking of headphones, sometimes those don't help either. The other morning I had to wedge myself in an empty seat flanked by two huge young men. I was hesitant to take that seat but it was the only seat left. So I asked the two gentlemen if they would make room for me and neither one of them acknowledged my request, ignoring the fact that their bodies were spilling over the sides of the seat between them. I managed to squeeze in but I had to sit on the edge of my seat because if I sat all the way back, I would literally be spooning with one of them! I took a deep breathe and just as I was exhaling I realized that their was this high-pitch and frantic sound coming from the gentleman to my left. I stole a look through the corner of my eye and realized that he was listening to rave music through headphones. Rave music at 6 in the morning! Really?! It was so loud I seriously believe the young man is soon to be deaf. Again, thanks for sharing your unfortunate taste in music, but no thanks!
Yesterday on the train on my way home I suddenly heard blaring R&B music. The kind of music that really should only be heard in the privacy of your own bedroom. At first, I paid no attention, figuring it was just someone's loud and obnoxious ring tone but it didn't stop. So I looked up to find a pair of hands holding a mobile device responsible for the distasteful music. To make matters worse, whatever that thing was had the worst speakers so the music was so distorted it made your ears hurt. The young lady holding the MP3 player, didn't care. She was really enjoying her music, swaying her hips back and forth to the beat of her music, oblivious of the crowded train and the unfriendly stares. You go girl! But please do us a favor and get yourself a set of headphones.
Speaking of headphones, sometimes those don't help either. The other morning I had to wedge myself in an empty seat flanked by two huge young men. I was hesitant to take that seat but it was the only seat left. So I asked the two gentlemen if they would make room for me and neither one of them acknowledged my request, ignoring the fact that their bodies were spilling over the sides of the seat between them. I managed to squeeze in but I had to sit on the edge of my seat because if I sat all the way back, I would literally be spooning with one of them! I took a deep breathe and just as I was exhaling I realized that their was this high-pitch and frantic sound coming from the gentleman to my left. I stole a look through the corner of my eye and realized that he was listening to rave music through headphones. Rave music at 6 in the morning! Really?! It was so loud I seriously believe the young man is soon to be deaf. Again, thanks for sharing your unfortunate taste in music, but no thanks!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Bumpy Beginnings
My initiation to commutership was a bit of a bumpy ride. Tell me you're not surprised.
I was utterly petrified of getting on the wrong bus or not knowing what to do. How do you pay? Where do you go? What is the lingo? I've never pretending to have any sense of direction or any sense, for that matter, when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Why should I start now? So on my very first day of commutership, my kind coworker, A.B. agreed to take me in and show me the ropes. We made plans to meet at the Park-N-Ride and take the bus together.
We both arrived at the bus depot around the same time to find that the whole world decided to bus it that day. There was absolutely not one single parking spot. Not one!!! What's more, people were illegally parked all over the place. I was tempted to follow suit but I met a very nice security guard that warned me not to do lest my car be towed. In my desperation, I called A.B. to see if she had better luck than I did finding a spot. And wouldn't you know it, the poor dear got a ticket for being on the phone while driving (in a parking lot)! My bad. I felt terrible.
After about 30 minutes of circling that lot unsuccessfully, we decided to take our chances and drive over to the grocery store across the street and leave our cars there. This, by the way, is not advisable. We were very lucky to find our cars intact when we came back for them at the end of the day.
A few long minutes later we found ourselves standing in a very overcrowded bus, but we were happily on our way. Our stop is actually on a section of the freeway which is actually a bus stop, but on the freeway. I've never noticed these before. The bus driver missed our bus and upon realizing it, she decided to stop right smack on the freeway shoulder. Not knowing any better, I thought this was normal. I was so happy that I had taken my first bus ride, I whipped out my phone to call my hubby and tell him all about it. Distracted by my dialing, I didn't see that a car was coming in my direction and it almost hit me! I swear it missed me by about 10 inches. That was the day I almost died.
Later that week, A.B. was not able to ride with me but I felt I had a good handle on it by then. I got to the Park-N-Ride early, got my parking spot and waited for my bus. I hopped on, found a seat, took out my book and started reading, feeling very proud of myself that I had done it all by myself. I glanced out the window and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that the things I was seeing out the window are not the same things I had seen in the days prior. We were not on the freeway. We were on the streets. I took a few wobbly steps toward the bus driver and asked him where we were going. He said, "This bus is going to Disneyland." "Disneyland? Oh no! I got on the wrong bus!" The bus driver, very calmly told me it would be okay, that I needed to get out on the next bus stop and cross the street and take the bus going the opposite direction and I would be on my way to downtown LA. Feeling very sheepish, I followed his instructions. I had to make the very embarrassing call to my boss to explain why I was going to be late to work that morning. I sat at the bus stop for what seemed an eternity when finally, my bus emerged from around the corner...and it kept driving...it drove right past me. Never even slowed down at the bus stop. What the heck? My next call was to my colleague who is also a commuter and she informed me that if you want the bus to stop for you, you have to stand up and waive at it. Like you're hailing a taxi. Otherwise, the bus driver will assume that you are waiting for a different bus. That is when I learned my first piece of bus etiquette. My goodness. I finally made it to work that morning about 2 hours late. Thank God I'm not sensitive because the amount of giggles I was greeted with that morning was enough to make a grown man cry.
Another day that week, I fed the bus meter with a $5 bill and stood there expecting my change. This was before my bus pass arrived. The bus driver sat there with a blank stare as I asked for my change. Then one of the passengers yelled out to me that the meter will not give you change nor will the bus driver and that I was holding up the bus. Fortunately, the next guy was also going to pay with cash and instead of feeding the meter, he gave his cash to me and we called it even with the bus driver. Bus etiquette rule #2: have exact change.
I must really be a glutton for punishment because even though my first week was crazy, I decided to stick it out. And that my friends, is the story of my bumpy beginning.
I was utterly petrified of getting on the wrong bus or not knowing what to do. How do you pay? Where do you go? What is the lingo? I've never pretending to have any sense of direction or any sense, for that matter, when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Why should I start now? So on my very first day of commutership, my kind coworker, A.B. agreed to take me in and show me the ropes. We made plans to meet at the Park-N-Ride and take the bus together.
We both arrived at the bus depot around the same time to find that the whole world decided to bus it that day. There was absolutely not one single parking spot. Not one!!! What's more, people were illegally parked all over the place. I was tempted to follow suit but I met a very nice security guard that warned me not to do lest my car be towed. In my desperation, I called A.B. to see if she had better luck than I did finding a spot. And wouldn't you know it, the poor dear got a ticket for being on the phone while driving (in a parking lot)! My bad. I felt terrible.
After about 30 minutes of circling that lot unsuccessfully, we decided to take our chances and drive over to the grocery store across the street and leave our cars there. This, by the way, is not advisable. We were very lucky to find our cars intact when we came back for them at the end of the day.
A few long minutes later we found ourselves standing in a very overcrowded bus, but we were happily on our way. Our stop is actually on a section of the freeway which is actually a bus stop, but on the freeway. I've never noticed these before. The bus driver missed our bus and upon realizing it, she decided to stop right smack on the freeway shoulder. Not knowing any better, I thought this was normal. I was so happy that I had taken my first bus ride, I whipped out my phone to call my hubby and tell him all about it. Distracted by my dialing, I didn't see that a car was coming in my direction and it almost hit me! I swear it missed me by about 10 inches. That was the day I almost died.
Later that week, A.B. was not able to ride with me but I felt I had a good handle on it by then. I got to the Park-N-Ride early, got my parking spot and waited for my bus. I hopped on, found a seat, took out my book and started reading, feeling very proud of myself that I had done it all by myself. I glanced out the window and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that the things I was seeing out the window are not the same things I had seen in the days prior. We were not on the freeway. We were on the streets. I took a few wobbly steps toward the bus driver and asked him where we were going. He said, "This bus is going to Disneyland." "Disneyland? Oh no! I got on the wrong bus!" The bus driver, very calmly told me it would be okay, that I needed to get out on the next bus stop and cross the street and take the bus going the opposite direction and I would be on my way to downtown LA. Feeling very sheepish, I followed his instructions. I had to make the very embarrassing call to my boss to explain why I was going to be late to work that morning. I sat at the bus stop for what seemed an eternity when finally, my bus emerged from around the corner...and it kept driving...it drove right past me. Never even slowed down at the bus stop. What the heck? My next call was to my colleague who is also a commuter and she informed me that if you want the bus to stop for you, you have to stand up and waive at it. Like you're hailing a taxi. Otherwise, the bus driver will assume that you are waiting for a different bus. That is when I learned my first piece of bus etiquette. My goodness. I finally made it to work that morning about 2 hours late. Thank God I'm not sensitive because the amount of giggles I was greeted with that morning was enough to make a grown man cry.
Another day that week, I fed the bus meter with a $5 bill and stood there expecting my change. This was before my bus pass arrived. The bus driver sat there with a blank stare as I asked for my change. Then one of the passengers yelled out to me that the meter will not give you change nor will the bus driver and that I was holding up the bus. Fortunately, the next guy was also going to pay with cash and instead of feeding the meter, he gave his cash to me and we called it even with the bus driver. Bus etiquette rule #2: have exact change.
I must really be a glutton for punishment because even though my first week was crazy, I decided to stick it out. And that my friends, is the story of my bumpy beginning.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Six months ago I made a lifestyle change. A major lifestyle change. Major for a Los Angeles native. I quit my habit of driving to work. Cold turkey. And embarked on an adventure known as the Public Transportation System for my daily commute and I have never looked back. In fact, I will do almost anything not to have to drive in to work. Including getting up an hour earlier! After decades of driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeways and on roads that make the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland seem like a smooth ride, I swear I would have visions of car parts falling off as I negotiated my way through pot holes and bumps and more potholes, paying through the nose for gas and parking, I finally had enough. I bought my commuter pass and have never been happier.
Well, if you know me, then you know I'm exaggerating...about the never been happier part. Everything in life is a trade-off. Relationships, jobs, schools, homes, vacations, staycations, hobbies. Everything. This my dear and fair readers is no exception. Riding the LA Metro Line, be it bus or train, comes with its fair share of, well, things that you must put up with. Granted, I am saving money and the environment. That's the trade-off.
Enter, my purpose for this blog. In the last six months, I have seen things and heard things worthy of the Wednesday Night NBC Lineup. Maybe I watch too many sitcoms and have a really warped sense of reality but we humans are an interesting species. Silly, I tell you. Know that I include myself in that category. If you ever want to get to know the human race in its rawest and most primitive form, ride the bus. It is cheaper and maybe just as dangerous as an expedition to some far off continent.
The purpose here is not to belittle my fellow commuters or paint them in a bad light. Most of the time, you will see, I am making fun of myself. I invite you to see this as a way to make bearable the sometimes unbearable situations of a commuter's life. Also, I think that most things that happen in real life are comical. Even more so on the bus or train. So my advice to you is to approach my posts as nothing more than what they are; a collection of stories told for your mere entertainment, maybe more for my own entertainment, but whatever. Some will be funny, some sad, and some downright not right. So sit back and relax. Well first I have to write the stories. They are coming. Believe you me, they are coming.
Well, if you know me, then you know I'm exaggerating...about the never been happier part. Everything in life is a trade-off. Relationships, jobs, schools, homes, vacations, staycations, hobbies. Everything. This my dear and fair readers is no exception. Riding the LA Metro Line, be it bus or train, comes with its fair share of, well, things that you must put up with. Granted, I am saving money and the environment. That's the trade-off.
Enter, my purpose for this blog. In the last six months, I have seen things and heard things worthy of the Wednesday Night NBC Lineup. Maybe I watch too many sitcoms and have a really warped sense of reality but we humans are an interesting species. Silly, I tell you. Know that I include myself in that category. If you ever want to get to know the human race in its rawest and most primitive form, ride the bus. It is cheaper and maybe just as dangerous as an expedition to some far off continent.
The purpose here is not to belittle my fellow commuters or paint them in a bad light. Most of the time, you will see, I am making fun of myself. I invite you to see this as a way to make bearable the sometimes unbearable situations of a commuter's life. Also, I think that most things that happen in real life are comical. Even more so on the bus or train. So my advice to you is to approach my posts as nothing more than what they are; a collection of stories told for your mere entertainment, maybe more for my own entertainment, but whatever. Some will be funny, some sad, and some downright not right. So sit back and relax. Well first I have to write the stories. They are coming. Believe you me, they are coming.
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