(no subject)
the back story is that i work on the uiuc campus, which is about a half-hour bike ride from home -- but riding my bike every day has proved to be worthless on days with less than perfect weather, and i can't drive because there is only metered 2-hour parking here, which ALWAYS ends in me getting a $10 parking ticket. not worth it. but i get free rides on the mtd bus system here, as a university employee, so today i took the bus for the first time to work. i am a fool about public transportation because i grew up on a FARM and the only public transportation we ever took was a) the school bus which took us two miles down a gravel road and b) MY DAD PULLING US ON A SLED BEHIND A 4-WHEELER.
from emails to kaitlin and larry:
so i rode the bus to work for the first time today and i was NERVOUS but I ONLY MADE A FOOL OF MYSELF THREE TIMES.
I WILL LIST THEM IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
1. there were two buses making three separate stops, altogether, in about a half-hour time span, so i just hung out there. I WASN'T REALLY SURE IF I NEEDED TO FLAG THE BUS DOWN OR NOT so i just STOOD DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE "BUS STOP" SIGN. pretty logical, no? so here comes the first bus, i start digging in my bag for my id, anddd... THERE GOES THE BUS. the driver didn't even LOOK AT ME WHATSOEVER. so i was like DIGDIGDIG...oh. uh. huh. AND THEN I JUST STOOD THERE.
2. the next two awkward things i did should maybe count as one b/c they're the same action, i just did it TWICE: TRIED TO FORCIBLY OPEN THE DOOR TO GET OUT in a semi-panic that the bus driver wouldn't open them himself. alksjdf;sldk
i pulled the stop...rope thing right before WHAT I THOUGHT was my stop, and the first time i tried to FORCE THE DOORS OPEN it turned out we were just AT THE STOPLIGHT BEFORE THE STOP and like, six other people were getting off at that stop so they all just WATCHED ME TRYING TO ESCAPE and then when we got to the real stop THEY WATCHED ME PUSHING ON THE DOORS AGAIN IN A BLIND PANIC before they glided open ten seconds later.
and i only saw two crazies!! the first man was on the bus when i got on and he spent the whole time talking out loud to himself. then at some point we had stopped at a red light and he just stands up and yells WELL THANKS SO MUCH, HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! and tries to open the doors (please note that I WOULD DO THIS MYSELF TWICE later EVEN AFTER SEEING HIM TRY AND FAIL). everyone was looking at him AND THEN WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER and it was so awkward b/c the bus driver didn't hear him/didn't know what was going on!! so then he yells IS THIS HOW I GET OFF???? asdfjkl; asl;dkj and the driver finally noticed/opened the door. GOD I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW FUNNY THAT WAS UNTIL JUST NOW.
ALSO FUNNY: THAT I BASICALLY RECREATED THAT WHOLE STORY NOT TEN MINUTES LATER AT MY OWN STOP.
love,
DAISY DUKE.
I CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE IT HOME.