Bus Report #359

Last night I had to catch a 33 Stanyan to get down to the Mission for a show at 12 Galaxies, probably the last 12 Galaxies show I'll ever go to (sadly, they are closing at the end of the month).
I thought I was in good shape, time-wise, and hadn't seen any buses pass while I was walking.
Suddenly, the 33 flashed by and I ran (in new shoes!) to catch it.
I tore around the corner but the bus had already taken off.
There were a few preteens sitting on the sidewalk hanging out.
I started to curse at the bus and the kids looked up at me.
I decided to walk out to Geary, hoping that I could at least take a 38 to the 22 and then walk.
The 33 was idled at the Geary stop and I watched the light change and the bus just stay there.
I decided to run and see if I could catch it.
I ran past a man walking a dog and a guy riding his bike on the sidewalk.
There was someone standing in the step well of the bus.
I got on and flashed my fast pass at the driver.
He grunted, told the step well stander that he either needed to pay or get off the bus.
The guy got off the bus.
I collapsed into a seat, relieved and secretly glad the guy had been taking so long to not pay his fare.
At the next stop, a couple of kids asked the driver if he wouldn't mind waiting a moment for their friend who was running to catch the bus.
The driver waited a moment, then told the kids he could not wait, that he would get behind schedule, that another bus would be along soon.
"But man, you know how slow the 33 is at night," said the most vocal of the kids.
But the driver wouldn't budge. We took off without the kids.

This morning my 38 was a minute early and pretty empty.
At Fillmore I went to wait for the 22. I was listening to some music and felt sleepy.
I got on the 22 and sat down behind the woman who always looks like a model. She was listening to something on headphones and it was making her smile.
The catfish face man sat in his usual spot by the door.
In the back of the bus, the borderline homeless recovering addict guy was telling the neck tattoo woman, "It got to the point that heroin wasn't getting me high enough anymore, so it was like I was throwing my money away."

And I keep forgetting to mention, but after weeks not seeing the alien donut man, I have seen him three times this week.
Yesterday, since it was really warm out, he had ditched the parka for a long sleeve button down shirt which he had buttoned up to his neck and down to his cuffs.