Doesn't seem like they care. Hmmm. Almost seems like the powers that be have their minds made up to cancel our route. There's not much use in fighting that. A friend of mine at work sent me this Indian joke...I now pass it along to you:
=====================================
Once PVNR (PV Narasimha Rao), L.K.Advani and Laloo
Prasad Yadav were Travelling in an autorickshaw. They met with an
accident and all three of them died.
Yama Raja was waiting for this moment at the
doorstep of death.
He asks PVNR and Advani to go to HEAVEN.
But, for Laloo, Yama had already decided that he
should be sent to HELL.
Laloo is not at all happy with this decision.
He asks Yama as to why this discrimination is being
made. All the three of them had served the public. Similarly,
all took bribes, all misused public positions, etc.
Then why the differential treatment?
He felt that there should be a formal test or an
objective evaluation before a decision is made; and should not
be just based on opinion or pre-conceived notions.
Yama agrees to this and asks all the three of them
to appear for an English test.
PVNR is asked to spell ' INDIA ' and he does it
correctly.
Advani is asked to spell ' ENGLAND ' and he too
passes.
It is Laloo's turn and he is asked to spell '
CZECHOSLOVAKIA '.
Laloo protests that he doesn't know English.
He says this is not fair and that he was given a
tough question and thus forced to fail with false intent.
Yama then agrees to conduct a written test in Hindi
(to give another chance assuming that Laloo should at least
feel that Hindi would provide an equal Platform for all three).
PVNR is asked to write 'KUTTA BOLA BHOW BHOW'. He
writes it easily and passes.
Advani is asked to write 'BILLY BOLI MYAUN MYAUN'.
He too passes.
Laloo is asked to write 'BANDAR BOLA GURRRRRR.... .'
Tough one. He fails again.
Laloo is extremely unhappy.
Having been a student of history (which the other
two weren't),he now requested for all the 3 to be
subjected to a test in history.
Yama says OK but this would be the last chance and
that he would not take any more tests.
PVNR is asked: 'When did India get Independence ?'.
He replied '1947' and passed.
Advani is asked 'How many people died during the
independence struggle? '.
He gets nervous. Yama asked him to choose from 3
options:
100,000 or 200,000 or 300,000.
Advani catches it and says 200,000 and passes.
It's Laloo's turn now.
Yama asks him to give the Name and Address of each
of the 200,000 who died in the struggle.
Laloo accepts defeat and agrees to go to HELL.
Moral of the story:-
IF THE POWERS THAT BE HAVE ALREADY DECIDED WHAT TO DO TO
YOU,
THERE IS NO ESCAPE.....
=============================
Thankfully I'm American! And I'm going to fight it! Let the games BEGIN!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Potluck Time!
Thursday was Potluck day on the bus. There's another post that deals with your unbelief or your inability to understand this phenomenon. It's from April 3rd and titled Pre-Potluck. You can read there what it is all about.
Well, this one was different. Mainly because it caught me off guard. More accurately, I forgot to tell the CCC Fairy that I needed cookies, so there were none. But there was so much food and it so chaotic (what with everyone passing food, and drinks, and this and that) that no one even noticed that I brought NOTHING. Oh well. It's give and take. Thursday was take. Here's what I took...
Well, there was so much food and I just had so much guilt for not bringing anything that I ate more than my share. Didn't even have dinner when I got home. Very out of character.
We also had a lot of good discussion about what we will be doing on June 1st when they have cancelled our route. Plenty of ideas, and some good word-smithing will probably result in a successful transition to the new mode of transportation. We'll wait and see.
Well, this one was different. Mainly because it caught me off guard. More accurately, I forgot to tell the CCC Fairy that I needed cookies, so there were none. But there was so much food and it so chaotic (what with everyone passing food, and drinks, and this and that) that no one even noticed that I brought NOTHING. Oh well. It's give and take. Thursday was take. Here's what I took...
Yummy, huh? It's always like this.
Well, there was so much food and I just had so much guilt for not bringing anything that I ate more than my share. Didn't even have dinner when I got home. Very out of character.
We also had a lot of good discussion about what we will be doing on June 1st when they have cancelled our route. Plenty of ideas, and some good word-smithing will probably result in a successful transition to the new mode of transportation. We'll wait and see.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Happy Earth Week...your bus route is canceled
Not the best news in the world. "Due to lack of ridership, we are forced to eliminate your route". OK, so we only have 15 people riding currently, but shouldn't it be the responsibility of the bus company to advertise and promote the routes and make them appealing to as many possible riders as possible? Apparently not. They're subsidised, you know. Free money from The Government (that's really you and me, by the way).
"Hey Riders, you need to get some more people to ride or we'll have to cancel your route". They didn't ever mention this to us. I guess it didn't cross their mind.
"Hey Riders, we need to increase your fare or we'll have to cancel your route". Nope. Never even brought that up. We haven't had a rate increase in YEARS. I'd gladly pay more to keep our illustrious bus and route. Not an option.
"Hey Riders, we're going to add a couple more stops along the way so more people will want to get out of their cars and into the bus". I don't think so, Tim. Never suggested. And what's one or two more stops?
"Hey Riders, did you notice the new billboard on the way to work? No? You were asleep? No biggie. It said 'Come ride the bus, save yourself at LEAST $300 a MONTH! Yes, you can ride the bus to work and buy a NEW CAR with your savings!'". That would be too smart. Advertising never works. Oh, wait...YES IT DOES!
"Hey Riders, our other billboard that you didn't see said "Hey you...yes you all alone in your car. This is Earth Week. Come try the bus for free this week and see how much stress you can shed. Did you know that some commuters suffer more stress than a fighter pilot going into battle? No? It's TRUE. Come relax with us!". Um, nope. Didn't hear that one either.
"Hey Riders, we're going to have to combine your route with another one so we don't have to eliminate your route all together. Hope that's OK with you". SURE it's OK. We're good with that. Just DON'T MAKE US DRIVE IN! But didn't hear that either.
"Hey Riders, your route is canceled effective May 31st". THAT we did hear. In writing. On RED paper...ALERT...ALERT...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...DANGER.
Enough rant. Today is Pot Luck day. Not much to celebrate. I even forgot to ask for cookies from the Chocolate Chip Cookie Fairy. DOH!
If you want to know how YOU can help us keep our route, leave a comment. I'll post the number you can call if I get 3 or more offers for help. We're considering Call3 or News 10 On Your Side too.
Does it sound like I'm FIRED UP? Well I AM!
"Hey Riders, you need to get some more people to ride or we'll have to cancel your route". They didn't ever mention this to us. I guess it didn't cross their mind.
"Hey Riders, we need to increase your fare or we'll have to cancel your route". Nope. Never even brought that up. We haven't had a rate increase in YEARS. I'd gladly pay more to keep our illustrious bus and route. Not an option.
"Hey Riders, we're going to add a couple more stops along the way so more people will want to get out of their cars and into the bus". I don't think so, Tim. Never suggested. And what's one or two more stops?
"Hey Riders, did you notice the new billboard on the way to work? No? You were asleep? No biggie. It said 'Come ride the bus, save yourself at LEAST $300 a MONTH! Yes, you can ride the bus to work and buy a NEW CAR with your savings!'". That would be too smart. Advertising never works. Oh, wait...YES IT DOES!
"Hey Riders, our other billboard that you didn't see said "Hey you...yes you all alone in your car. This is Earth Week. Come try the bus for free this week and see how much stress you can shed. Did you know that some commuters suffer more stress than a fighter pilot going into battle? No? It's TRUE. Come relax with us!". Um, nope. Didn't hear that one either.
"Hey Riders, we're going to have to combine your route with another one so we don't have to eliminate your route all together. Hope that's OK with you". SURE it's OK. We're good with that. Just DON'T MAKE US DRIVE IN! But didn't hear that either.
"Hey Riders, your route is canceled effective May 31st". THAT we did hear. In writing. On RED paper...ALERT...ALERT...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...DANGER.
Enough rant. Today is Pot Luck day. Not much to celebrate. I even forgot to ask for cookies from the Chocolate Chip Cookie Fairy. DOH!
If you want to know how YOU can help us keep our route, leave a comment. I'll post the number you can call if I get 3 or more offers for help. We're considering Call3 or News 10 On Your Side too.
Does it sound like I'm FIRED UP? Well I AM!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
1 Bus does not = 2 Vans ... or ... intBus != intVan*2
Have I mentioned our beautiful white bus? Someone at work saw us being dropped off once and they have since only referred to it as the "RockStar Bus". And that it is...long and white with tinted windows, hundreds and hundreds of horsepower, smooth like a Cadillac (the old, big, STEEL ones...not these new little cheap sporty ones). It's like a luxury hotel suite on 8 wheels...TV, DVD, Stereo (but please keep all of those off...it's just nice to know that we have them, thank you), AC, Heating, mood lighting (OK, little lights under the seats on the isle so you can find your way out in the dark), recessed lighting (OK, reading lights like airplanes have...only BRIGHTER...and please keep these off because I can still see them through my eye lids), and the best of all...someone else to do all the work. It's like a 787 Dreamliner that you share with 10 of your closest friends. Nirvana.
Contrast that with...hey, you KNEW this was coming and you kept reading anyway...contrast that with a van. Ya...just a plain white van. Where you pack 10 people and all of their luggage into a really small area. You could seriously fit 10 of these vans inside that grand bus. There's no comparison. It's like Air Force One versus The Spirit of St. Louis. It's like a 2 pound Prime Rib versus Beef Jerky.
So we're standing in the cold waiting for the bus and I'm getting more and more awake from the chill. The time for Miss Timex to arrive has come and gone so one of two things must be happening. Either all of our watches are wrong from some recent time warp perpetrated by the Government, or there's something wrong with The Queen Mary. Our beloved Highway Liner had technical difficulties. Then there they come.
Not one, but two vans. You see, we can't all fit into one without writing letters to the powers that be at the Bus Company about the inhumane conditions inside one van. I thought I was riding in the back van, but, well, Miss Timex was driving the front van and the back van had bench seats. Go back and read that part again...BENCH SEATS. Worse than incessant cell phone chatter...worse than a broken air conditioner in the summer (ya, that's happened too)...worse than breaking all three rules (are there only three?...gotta work on that).
So I spun on my heel and headed straight for the front van. I was last from my poor initial choice, so I had to sit almost in the back. The back is a bench seat in all the vans...and I took the last non-bench seat. The poor guy who gets on at the next stop was toast...remember, no butter. But he likes to call random people on his cell phone "just to say hi", so he deserves it. Then when I'm getting prepped to get off he has the AUDACITY to make light of all my essential gear..."Boy! You sure you have enough STUFF?". Oh, you can bet he's riding in the bench seat on the way home...I guarantee it!
Contrast that with...hey, you KNEW this was coming and you kept reading anyway...contrast that with a van. Ya...just a plain white van. Where you pack 10 people and all of their luggage into a really small area. You could seriously fit 10 of these vans inside that grand bus. There's no comparison. It's like Air Force One versus The Spirit of St. Louis. It's like a 2 pound Prime Rib versus Beef Jerky.
So we're standing in the cold waiting for the bus and I'm getting more and more awake from the chill. The time for Miss Timex to arrive has come and gone so one of two things must be happening. Either all of our watches are wrong from some recent time warp perpetrated by the Government, or there's something wrong with The Queen Mary. Our beloved Highway Liner had technical difficulties. Then there they come.
Not one, but two vans. You see, we can't all fit into one without writing letters to the powers that be at the Bus Company about the inhumane conditions inside one van. I thought I was riding in the back van, but, well, Miss Timex was driving the front van and the back van had bench seats. Go back and read that part again...BENCH SEATS. Worse than incessant cell phone chatter...worse than a broken air conditioner in the summer (ya, that's happened too)...worse than breaking all three rules (are there only three?...gotta work on that).
So I spun on my heel and headed straight for the front van. I was last from my poor initial choice, so I had to sit almost in the back. The back is a bench seat in all the vans...and I took the last non-bench seat. The poor guy who gets on at the next stop was toast...remember, no butter. But he likes to call random people on his cell phone "just to say hi", so he deserves it. Then when I'm getting prepped to get off he has the AUDACITY to make light of all my essential gear..."Boy! You sure you have enough STUFF?". Oh, you can bet he's riding in the bench seat on the way home...I guarantee it!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Idiots and Maniacs
So, the world ended on Tuesday. I had to drive in. I haven't driven in, in like months. Literally. I can't REMEMBER the last time I subjected myself to that torture. Next time?...Just shoot me first.
It's been my opinion for a long time that there are only two kinds of drivers: Idiots and Maniacs. You know who you are, and I know who you are. I am even one of you, but not according to me. It's all based on perspective.
As I drove in I noticed both Idiots and Maniacs. The Maniacs, as we all know, are the psycotic drivers that think they can get to work earlier by weaving in and out of traffic, going as fast as they can and cutting off as many people as possible. They enjoy that subtle pleasure of blocking other Maniacs when they try to cut them off. It's a game to them, I'm sure, to be as nasty as they can by using their car as a weapon to punish other drivers while promoting their own agenda: get to work before...before...before WHAT? They are racing to GET TO WORK! IDIOTS! (Wait...aren't they Maniacs?)
Then there's the Idiots. Those are the ones who sit in the same lane and go slower than everyone else in that lane wants to go. They leave this giant gap in front of them that every Maniac drools over. Maniacs are CONSTANTLY pulling in front of Idiots, without even signaling (gasp!). So if you are directly behind an Idiot you are toast. You can't change lanes because every other lane is going faster than yours, and the Maniacs are going so fast in those lanes that you would surely die if you pulled in front of one of them. Black, crunchy toast...no butter...that's you.
Now you may think that there must be THREE kinds of drivers...Idiots, Maniacs, and You. But, alas, you are mistaken. You see, you are either an Idiot or a Maniac. The Idiots think you're a Maniac and the Maniacs think you're an Idiot. So there you are...you are BOTH.
So the simple rule is: Anyone going faster than you is a Maniac and anyone going slower than you is an Idiot.
And by the way, I was more of an Idiot than a Maniac. But I did pass a few Idiots...sorry about that. If you rode the bus you would be neither an Idiot nor a Maniac...you would be BRILLIANT.
It's been my opinion for a long time that there are only two kinds of drivers: Idiots and Maniacs. You know who you are, and I know who you are. I am even one of you, but not according to me. It's all based on perspective.
As I drove in I noticed both Idiots and Maniacs. The Maniacs, as we all know, are the psycotic drivers that think they can get to work earlier by weaving in and out of traffic, going as fast as they can and cutting off as many people as possible. They enjoy that subtle pleasure of blocking other Maniacs when they try to cut them off. It's a game to them, I'm sure, to be as nasty as they can by using their car as a weapon to punish other drivers while promoting their own agenda: get to work before...before...before WHAT? They are racing to GET TO WORK! IDIOTS! (Wait...aren't they Maniacs?)
Then there's the Idiots. Those are the ones who sit in the same lane and go slower than everyone else in that lane wants to go. They leave this giant gap in front of them that every Maniac drools over. Maniacs are CONSTANTLY pulling in front of Idiots, without even signaling (gasp!). So if you are directly behind an Idiot you are toast. You can't change lanes because every other lane is going faster than yours, and the Maniacs are going so fast in those lanes that you would surely die if you pulled in front of one of them. Black, crunchy toast...no butter...that's you.
Now you may think that there must be THREE kinds of drivers...Idiots, Maniacs, and You. But, alas, you are mistaken. You see, you are either an Idiot or a Maniac. The Idiots think you're a Maniac and the Maniacs think you're an Idiot. So there you are...you are BOTH.
So the simple rule is: Anyone going faster than you is a Maniac and anyone going slower than you is an Idiot.
And by the way, I was more of an Idiot than a Maniac. But I did pass a few Idiots...sorry about that. If you rode the bus you would be neither an Idiot nor a Maniac...you would be BRILLIANT.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Monday Monday
Ah, life in the slow lane. Pick one...they're all slow.
I was fast asleep this morning after a rather hot weekend, compared to the past 6 months, but nothing compared to the next 4. As 'out' as I was I still stirred when the now-familiar "beep beep" of our drivers Sprint phone blared. Do they have a volume for those beeps, cuz MAN they're loud!
BEEP BEEP
"You seein' what I'm seein'?"...BEEP BEEP
"Ya...nuthin' but brake lights for miles!"...BEEP BEEP
"Hey 66...where you at? You seein' this?"...BEEP BEEP
"66 here...ya, I heard there's a small accident a few miles ahead."...BEEP BEEP
"No kiddin', we're in a PARKIN'lot back here!"...BEEP BEEP
"Mumble mumble...blah blah blah"...BEEP beep
"hd jdhjlkaue jdh ue ajdh"...beep be
If you could see me grinning in the dark when they said "accident" you would understand. Bliss...utter bliss. That 12 Liter, turbocharged, 430 horsepower Detroit Diesel rumbling in the back worked almost as good as when mom used to tuck me in REAL tight and sing a lullaby.
It took me an hour and 35 minutes to get in today and I slept every minute of it...minus a couple for the BEEP BEEPs. It doesn't get much better than that...and on a Monday even.
Seat 1D had to wake me up when we got to my stop. Thanks! She's the greatest.
I was fast asleep this morning after a rather hot weekend, compared to the past 6 months, but nothing compared to the next 4. As 'out' as I was I still stirred when the now-familiar "beep beep" of our drivers Sprint phone blared. Do they have a volume for those beeps, cuz MAN they're loud!
BEEP BEEP
"You seein' what I'm seein'?"...BEEP BEEP
"Ya...nuthin' but brake lights for miles!"...BEEP BEEP
"Hey 66...where you at? You seein' this?"...BEEP BEEP
"66 here...ya, I heard there's a small accident a few miles ahead."...BEEP BEEP
"No kiddin', we're in a PARKIN'lot back here!"...BEEP BEEP
"Mumble mumble...blah blah blah"...BEEP beep
"hd jdhjlkaue jdh ue ajdh"...beep be
If you could see me grinning in the dark when they said "accident" you would understand. Bliss...utter bliss. That 12 Liter, turbocharged, 430 horsepower Detroit Diesel rumbling in the back worked almost as good as when mom used to tuck me in REAL tight and sing a lullaby.
It took me an hour and 35 minutes to get in today and I slept every minute of it...minus a couple for the BEEP BEEPs. It doesn't get much better than that...and on a Monday even.
Seat 1D had to wake me up when we got to my stop. Thanks! She's the greatest.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Motunesday
Ya. Me too. Didn't they just kind of blend together? Here it is Tuesday and I was all psyched up for Monday. Mondays are usually a blur, though. The bus ride in was FINE...almost an hour and a half. And everyone was just wiped out...especially me. So, here's to the Monday morning commute!
Tuesday morning, though...that was different. Seems like the entire front of the bus was all recuperated from Monday already. Whoa...not the BACK of the bus. They were all looking like they were still living Monday over again.
I was alert enough to notice this while boarding. Not the best idea, to be alert that early, but it sure paid off today. They were all talking, and laughing...that's REAL trouble. So seeing this I mumbled "g'morning" to the driver and just took my pack and kept walking...back to about row 10.
It's a good group, the row 7+ group. They were grumbling and complaining...I even heard some expletives, which I am not impressed by, to be sure. But they were only venting. You see, they too noticed the din from the front and were anticipating a noisy ride in which is a formula for a tired day.
This new bus we have is WAY too quiet. Seriously. You can hear EVERYthing. Ear plugs in...cocoon all cinched up tight...pillow...sunglasses...tighten the ear plugs a little. I was DETERMINED not to hear them...just going to concentrate on closing my eyes and thinking about nothing...sleep...yawn...not gonna bother me...nope...warm...mmmm...Zzzzzz.
Tuesday morning, though...that was different. Seems like the entire front of the bus was all recuperated from Monday already. Whoa...not the BACK of the bus. They were all looking like they were still living Monday over again.
I was alert enough to notice this while boarding. Not the best idea, to be alert that early, but it sure paid off today. They were all talking, and laughing...that's REAL trouble. So seeing this I mumbled "g'morning" to the driver and just took my pack and kept walking...back to about row 10.
It's a good group, the row 7+ group. They were grumbling and complaining...I even heard some expletives, which I am not impressed by, to be sure. But they were only venting. You see, they too noticed the din from the front and were anticipating a noisy ride in which is a formula for a tired day.
This new bus we have is WAY too quiet. Seriously. You can hear EVERYthing. Ear plugs in...cocoon all cinched up tight...pillow...sunglasses...tighten the ear plugs a little. I was DETERMINED not to hear them...just going to concentrate on closing my eyes and thinking about nothing...sleep...yawn...not gonna bother me...nope...warm...mmmm...Zzzzzz.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Pre-Potluck
Have I mentioned that we're like family? Well, maybe we're more like a club. And any good club has functions. Social functions...like where you eat. But how can you do that on the bus? Easy!
Seat 1D or Seat 2D usually do the planning, which is really just to remind us that we are having a potluck on day whatever. We make sure to do this when no one is on vacation...don't want to slight anyone...it's a CLUB, remember?
Sometimes it's for a special occasion. Like when a really great driver is getting replaced. For those we have the potluck BEFORE the driver's last day. Sometimes it's when a really BAD driver is leaving...and yes, we have it AFTER they move to another route.
Our potlucks are legendary. When we get a new driver, they ask, "Do you guys really have potlucks on the bus?". And we say "Maybe...we'll let you know in a couple of weeks".
People at work just look at me like I'm from another planet or something when I tell them that the goodies in the fridge are for the Bus Potluck. It's like "Riiiiight...ok...sure".
I always bring chocolate chip cookies...my wife's specialty. I exagerate how many people are going to be riding that day so there will be LOTS left over...I even start snacking on them in the middle of the day! We get chips and bean dip, those really tiny sandwich triangles...it's a chick thing I guess, salami and pepperchini (sp) rolls, mini hot dogs, LOTS of chips (that from the guys who forgot it was potluck day until that morning when everyone was talking about what they brought for that night. OH! And we usually get those little crunchy chicken wings from some place called "wooters" or "hooters" or something. Those are YUMMY! And someone (Seat 5B) always brings something healthy. Sigh.
It's hard to sleep on those days. Too much good food, then a little more. Dinner is tough on those days too. "No, really, dear, I couldn't eat another bite. YES, it was good. It's just, well, your cookies are GREAT!"
I'm getting hungry. I wonder when the next potluck is...I heard them talking about it this week or last in those far-away voices like when you're asleep...oh ya, I WAS asleep. I'll ask Seat 1D in the morning...if I'm not too sleepy to remember. Maybe tomorrow night. Oh ya...tomorrow it's Friday morning...bummer (super-short ride in). Maybe there'll be a car fire or something. Nothing where anyone gets hurt or anything. Just where traffic is SNARLED. That would be SWEET!
Seat 1D or Seat 2D usually do the planning, which is really just to remind us that we are having a potluck on day whatever. We make sure to do this when no one is on vacation...don't want to slight anyone...it's a CLUB, remember?
Sometimes it's for a special occasion. Like when a really great driver is getting replaced. For those we have the potluck BEFORE the driver's last day. Sometimes it's when a really BAD driver is leaving...and yes, we have it AFTER they move to another route.
Our potlucks are legendary. When we get a new driver, they ask, "Do you guys really have potlucks on the bus?". And we say "Maybe...we'll let you know in a couple of weeks".
People at work just look at me like I'm from another planet or something when I tell them that the goodies in the fridge are for the Bus Potluck. It's like "Riiiiight...ok...sure".
I always bring chocolate chip cookies...my wife's specialty. I exagerate how many people are going to be riding that day so there will be LOTS left over...I even start snacking on them in the middle of the day! We get chips and bean dip, those really tiny sandwich triangles...it's a chick thing I guess, salami and pepperchini (sp) rolls, mini hot dogs, LOTS of chips (that from the guys who forgot it was potluck day until that morning when everyone was talking about what they brought for that night. OH! And we usually get those little crunchy chicken wings from some place called "wooters" or "hooters" or something. Those are YUMMY! And someone (Seat 5B) always brings something healthy. Sigh.
It's hard to sleep on those days. Too much good food, then a little more. Dinner is tough on those days too. "No, really, dear, I couldn't eat another bite. YES, it was good. It's just, well, your cookies are GREAT!"
I'm getting hungry. I wonder when the next potluck is...I heard them talking about it this week or last in those far-away voices like when you're asleep...oh ya, I WAS asleep. I'll ask Seat 1D in the morning...if I'm not too sleepy to remember. Maybe tomorrow night. Oh ya...tomorrow it's Friday morning...bummer (super-short ride in). Maybe there'll be a car fire or something. Nothing where anyone gets hurt or anything. Just where traffic is SNARLED. That would be SWEET!
Tuesday and a new driver
"Mornin'"
"Mornin'"
"New driver today"
"Oh, reeeaaaly...and just how do YOU know THAT?". I'm cocky, expecting the first of many April Fools pranks.
"Because she was on the bus yesterday learning the route...THAT's how"
"oh...". I was out sick yesterday. All of a sudden it's not so cold out here any more...especially around my face.
So...new bus driver this morning. That can be good or bad. Our regular driver is the BEST! She's not in any big hurry to get us anywhere...she's set-your-watch punctual...she has zero road rage (unlike a lot of other drivers, believe me)...she knows all of our names...did I say she was the BEST?
For some reason, they (the bus company) sent our new driver on the bus yesterday to get familiar with the route. It's not rocket-science but drivers have been known to get COMPLETELY lost on our route. There's a map and everything that shows the route and stops, but that must be confusing or wrong because it happens all the time. Maybe bus drivers are auditory learners and not visual learners...anyway...I digress.
Typically we find out we have a new driver when the bus shows up 15 minutes late in the morning because they couldn't find the first stop (granted it's DARK but it is a hotel parking lot, after all). Then that night...wow, it can be really bad. Some times they are over an hour late picking us up. We had one driver (I laugh in hind site) who, after an hour overdue, was so lost that they just accidentally happened to drive by our stop...and we're like FOURTH on the list. We were all jumping up and down and yelling! She was so relieved to find SOMEONE who she was supposed to pick up that we just couldn't be mad at her...OK, maybe a little. After we all got on, we helped her find the first stop and the second stop and the third stop, then we skipped our stop and on to the fifth stop. Outrageous. Pitch dark when we got home.
Don't get me wrong...we're not always nice. We can be brutal at times. It's deserved, of course. We once had a bus driver just stop the bus half way home at a park-n-ride and call in and say they couldn't drive the bus any more (it might have been because we were not as nice as we could have been...not sure exactly). Can you imagine? We're about half of the way home and we stop and wait for a replacement driver to come drive us the rest of the way home. OK, THAT took an hour minimum. So we all went out to eat while we waited. Wendy's. It wasn't fancy.
The worst "new-driver-torture" that they ever put us through was when our regular driver was on vacation for two weeks. I kid you not, we had a DIFFERENT driver EVERY day both in the morning and in the evening. NONE of them had the slight clue where to go, or how to get there. The "union" told them not to listen to directions from the "passengers". I guess we can't be trusted (like we'd send them to Reno or something...Hmmm...well...oh never mind). That was the worst...legendary. 20 different drivers in two weeks. 20.
Oh...and by the way?...today's driver was AWESOME. She took forEVER to come to a stop...drove in the slow lane all the way, AND even went really slowly around corners. Seat 5B had to wake me up when we got there. Thanks, by the way...I owe you one.
"Mornin'"
"New driver today"
"Oh, reeeaaaly...and just how do YOU know THAT?". I'm cocky, expecting the first of many April Fools pranks.
"Because she was on the bus yesterday learning the route...THAT's how"
"oh...". I was out sick yesterday. All of a sudden it's not so cold out here any more...especially around my face.
So...new bus driver this morning. That can be good or bad. Our regular driver is the BEST! She's not in any big hurry to get us anywhere...she's set-your-watch punctual...she has zero road rage (unlike a lot of other drivers, believe me)...she knows all of our names...did I say she was the BEST?
For some reason, they (the bus company) sent our new driver on the bus yesterday to get familiar with the route. It's not rocket-science but drivers have been known to get COMPLETELY lost on our route. There's a map and everything that shows the route and stops, but that must be confusing or wrong because it happens all the time. Maybe bus drivers are auditory learners and not visual learners...anyway...I digress.
Typically we find out we have a new driver when the bus shows up 15 minutes late in the morning because they couldn't find the first stop (granted it's DARK but it is a hotel parking lot, after all). Then that night...wow, it can be really bad. Some times they are over an hour late picking us up. We had one driver (I laugh in hind site) who, after an hour overdue, was so lost that they just accidentally happened to drive by our stop...and we're like FOURTH on the list. We were all jumping up and down and yelling! She was so relieved to find SOMEONE who she was supposed to pick up that we just couldn't be mad at her...OK, maybe a little. After we all got on, we helped her find the first stop and the second stop and the third stop, then we skipped our stop and on to the fifth stop. Outrageous. Pitch dark when we got home.
Don't get me wrong...we're not always nice. We can be brutal at times. It's deserved, of course. We once had a bus driver just stop the bus half way home at a park-n-ride and call in and say they couldn't drive the bus any more (it might have been because we were not as nice as we could have been...not sure exactly). Can you imagine? We're about half of the way home and we stop and wait for a replacement driver to come drive us the rest of the way home. OK, THAT took an hour minimum. So we all went out to eat while we waited. Wendy's. It wasn't fancy.
The worst "new-driver-torture" that they ever put us through was when our regular driver was on vacation for two weeks. I kid you not, we had a DIFFERENT driver EVERY day both in the morning and in the evening. NONE of them had the slight clue where to go, or how to get there. The "union" told them not to listen to directions from the "passengers". I guess we can't be trusted (like we'd send them to Reno or something...Hmmm...well...oh never mind). That was the worst...legendary. 20 different drivers in two weeks. 20.
Oh...and by the way?...today's driver was AWESOME. She took forEVER to come to a stop...drove in the slow lane all the way, AND even went really slowly around corners. Seat 5B had to wake me up when we got there. Thanks, by the way...I owe you one.
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