The Riders on the Bus...

Since I ride the bus almost everyday to get to school, I notice that I spend my time with a vast variety of people that I normally would not spend time with, unless -- I was sitting on a bus with them. I will say, in the beginning, it was quite an enjoyable experience to sit in the back of the bus and observe the different types of people with whom I share a ride with between my apartment and campus. It was almost humorous and sometimes even put a smile on my face. But after five months as an avid "busser", much of that novelty has worn off. Here are a few of my keen observations, gripes and daily experiences:

1. Mr. Dry-Oatmeal-in-a-Large-Tupperware-Container in a Brown-Paper-Bag Man" disgusts me now.

2. Playing the "From Where, or Whom, Is That Smell Coming?" game has lost its luster and is no longer a game, but more like intuitive curiosity. Kind of like when someone says, "Who farted?" then everyone in the room sniffs real big to 1) confirm that someone farted by smelling the fart for themselves, then 2) saying, "I don't know, it wasn't me, but yeah, someone definiitely farted."

3. Just when I thought there was no other combination to add to 1) cigarette smoke, BO and onions, 2) cigarette smoke, BO and pastrami, and 3) cigarette smoke, BO and BO, just yesterday I discovered a new combo: cigarette smoke, BO and whiskey.

4. The riders who scream while on the bus annoy me the most. Luckily that has only happened a few times.

I do give Lane Transit Authority as an entity props though for having some of the nicest bus drivers around. I miss my old bus driver from fall quarter who would always yell from the front of the bus, "Have a nice day!" whenever anyone got off the bus, or "Study hard!" when he made his drop at campus. Most of the bus drivers say "Thank you" when people depart the bus and I have not yet once had a bus come late or depart behind schedule. They do a good job here.

I guess another positive observation are the mornings where I sit on the bus and try to imagine what kind of lives these people live or have lived. How did they get here? What kind of life experiences have they had? What talents do they have that I don't? There are many fellow riders who seem very interesting to me.

In particular, we pick up several mentally challenged regulars. Same time, same place. I look at them and I see how content and happy they are. They all have some kind of carrying case for their lunch. They get off at various stops around town and I wonder where they go. Work? School? I listened to one of the girls read a story about her cat to another passenger and though I thought the story was weird and lame and feared that one day I would revert to writing a story about my cat, I was enamored by her simple affections for her fuzzy friend and the pride she took in the story she wrote.

Observing the people on the bus has become a normal part of my day and when I am not totally disgusted by the smells and the crazy things people do to their hair, it is actually an entertaining and interesting experience.