Not sure why, but things just seem so much more fun when compiled into a Top 10 list at the end of the year. So, at the request of my many, er, two, followers, here's a glimpse at my life since boarding TheBus three glorious months ago.
The Top 10 Reasons I Love Riding TheBus:
10. When I catch the 40 or 62, they end their routes at Starbucks, which means I can fall asleep on the bus and not worry about missing my stop.
9. The sense of camaraderie among the riders when a reckless driver cuts off the bus. There's never any shortage of head shakes and back slaps when two dozen commuters narrowly escape certain death.
8. Generally, I'm the only non-local (read: white girl) on the bus, which means nobody ever wants to sit next to me. I almost always get a bench to myself. I mean, discrimination is wrong and awful and have we gotten nowhere since electing a black president...but it's kind of nice to have space to stretch my legs.
7. Since there's no eating or drinking on TheBus, I'm forced to throw out what's usually a calorie-laden, whip cream-topped espresso beverage before I've slurped it all. It's a good thing, really.
6. The bus driver that calls me "Sis."
5. No one ever requests a stop at the Honolulu Community Corrections Center.
4. I'm gathering a nice little collection of shiny bus passes.
3. Somehow, even in rush hour traffic, the bus always seems to make great time. And I'm spared from road rage and unnecessary honking and middle finger flipping.
2. I've learned how to pronounce loads of Hawaiian street names that I never would have been able to say. Quiz me. I dare ya.
1. When I miss a bus, I know there's always another one behind it. Except for when I miss the 4:02am bus, then another one doesn't come until 5:12am.
And a few reasons I don't love the TheBus:
3. Rain. Pouring. Sideways. Puddles. Any kind of moisture really bums me out.
2. In a recent, totally unscientific experiment I conducted, I drew the conclusion that chivalry is dead. At least among bus riders on the 19, 20, 40, 40A, 42, and 62. Why do I have to give up my seat so a sweet old Japanese lady can sit down when there are no fewer than 4 able-bodied, early twentysomething men who should have given her their seats? Sad.
1. The loud, insulting homeless people. Case in point: While riding the 19, a route that drives past the homeless shelter, to work a few weeks ago, a man boarded and sat next to me. In the 7 minutes that followed, he managed to push everyone that walked past him, insult a majority of the passengers, including me, and almost start a fight. After he told me to "Get off! Get off and button your shirt, you whore!" I did exactly as he asked (although I refused to button the top button of my polo shirt which apparently makes me a slut but probably would have cut off my airway). I exited the bus, like, 15 stops before I needed to and waited for another one to come by. I am so thankful for Katie, who tells me everyday when I leave for work, to "travel safely." Her words stuck in my mind as worst-case scenarios kept flashing in my slightly overdramatic brain. And when I told her about my run-in with the bus bully? She told me I was the anti-whore. And that I made a smart choice by getting off the bus. And I wasn't even late for work!
Thursday?
8 years ago
