Bus Report #108

This bus report cheats a little and you'll see why.
Last night I took a VERY SPEEDY 38 Geary and connected to an empty 24 Divisadero, so I could go hear Julieta Venegas at The Independent. I met up with A., R., J. and D.
We managed to score a spot right in front of center stage. We were so close to Julieta that I could smell her perfume! We had a blast, the show was wonderful and you would be foolish to miss her if she comes to your neck of the woods.
Another plus: I was one of the tallest women there!
There's nothing better than seeing a very talented performer rock out on stage with a shiny red accordion. Trust me.

This morning, therefore, I am in a bit of a haze. A I-stayed-out-way-past-my-bedtime haze. But it's Friday and my commute was okay, and at the coffeeshop the girl behind the counter said she liked my brooch. I got it in Glasgow and just put it on my coat last night....

Bus Report #107

This morning I thought K. was washing a lot of dishes in the kitchen but soon realized it was raining outside.
The bus shelter at my stop was packed full so I stood in my usual spot and let the rain fall on me.
Both busses today were wet and stuffy. People knocked soaking bags and umbrellas against everyone else, set the umbrellas down on the empty seats making the seats wet and unusable.
A woman came on the bus with a plastic grocery bag on her head. It makes me very nervous and sick to see that, and I had to look away from her. Which was difficult since she was sitting in front of me.
The man sitting next to me on the 22 spent the whole ride staring out the window and stroking his beard.
Three people wore orange rain slickers.
It's very dark in the mornings now, and even though I ride with the same group of people everyday, it sort of feels like we have become night shift workers.

Bus Report #106

I left the house early this morning, and it was so dark and foggy out all the lights were diffused and soft.
It was so pretty, I almost didn't see a truck rattling down my street.
I had to run to catch the 22 Fillmore. Carmen and I sat together and chatted.
She asked how my party had been and we gossiped in Spanglish.
It was one of those quiet, introspective mornings, a good start to the day.

Bus Report #105

Odd sightings this morning:

Two teenage girls, each wearing one green and one orange chinese shoe.

The crazy man on crutches who should not be allowed on the bus, yelling at all the teens and waving his crutches around.

A man in a decent suit, holding a child's see-through plastic briefcase, empty except for a few one and twenty dollar bills.

Bus Report #104

I was so impressed with myself today, leaving the house early so I could get to work early so that, need be, I could leave early to get to class.
Oh, what a naive and simple-minded person I was at 7 AM!
The 38 Geary was on time, as was the 22 Fillmore.
Alas, at Church and 16th the bus wires got tangled and we were stuck, half way across the intersection for 15 minutes while the driver tried (in vain) to fix them! Finally he called MUNI and they sent two trucks to come help. A few minutes later we were on our way, but my nice early arrival was not to be.
Because he still had trouble with the bus after they fixed it.
And we had to stop at Dolores so they could do more stuff.
And I was not early to work.

Every other 22 Fillmore gets stuck at that intersection at least once a week. I wonder why they haven't done anything to fix it.

Bus Report #103

This morning the 22 Fillmore was actually kind of empty, compared to how it's been lately. The usual suspects got on the bus at Fillmore: The sweatshop ladies, the little family with junior high and kindergarten daughters, the construction workers and me.
Carmen was sitting a few seats into the bus and as I walked past her to sit behind her, I pinched her arm. We said 'hi' to each other, then she asked the half-dead sweatshop lady next to me to switch seats. The woman looked confused for a minute, then agreed.
Carmen and I chatted mostly about work, and about the other people on the bus.
At Dolores, she got out to go to work.
I noticed someone had pasted the word 'Lolita' over one of the Dolores Street signs. Get it? Dolores and Lolita? From Nabokov's Lolita? We have some highly literate vandals in this city!

Bus Report #102

The promised MUNI service changes have arrived, making for very crowded buses and lots of irate riders.
Including yours truly, who refused to take either of the jam packed 22 Fillmores that stopped at my stop last night. Francisco braved the second bus but I took a 10 Townsend and transferred to the 38 downtown, which was also quite crowded.
I got seats on both of them, though, which was good.
Spent my ride home listening to Javier Alvarez in anticipation of his new CD which will be arriving from Spain at my job sometime soon...