I ride the bus to and from work. It's not because I'm overly socially responsible, it's simply because the bus is free and it picks me up a block from my house, then drops me off a block from my office on campus. Stingy and lazy. Yesterday on the way home I got paired up with Buck, the bus driver. Buck is consistently unfriendly and belligerent. He grunts as I board the bus and rolls his eyes when I show him my University ID (which allows me to ride for free). He honks at cars, flips off crossing pedestrians, and--this could be just my perception, but I doubt it--never acknowledges Asian passengers. Now rudeness I can forgive; road rage I commend; however, if your abrupt stops cause me to lurch forward nauseatingly at every corner, I will bring it. By the time I had travelled the 19 blocks home, I was about ready to vomit. I exited the bus without my typical cheery, "thanks," and immediately dialed the number for the mass transit district. I asked to speak with a supervisor. She put me on hold. After waiting 3 minutes on the phone, Lori arrived home with the kids. Brennan announced that he wouldn't be getting out of the car until I was off the phone (which made me feel like Robin Williams in Hook); this made me giggle and I walked over to the car to see how serious he was. He was serious.
Brennan: Who are you talking to?
Me: The bus company. I had a really bad driver today who almost made me throw up every time he stopped the bus.
Brennan: So you are trying to get him in trouble?
Me: No, I'm trying to give him the opportunity for rehabilitation and improvement.
Brennan: Did anyone get hurt?
Me: Well, no.
Brennan: You don't have to call and tell on him.
Me: No, but I should.
Brennan: Why?
Me: Because...(as I hung up the phone)
Had I stayed on the phone longer not only would I have ended up needlessly busting Buck's chops, Brennan and I may have only found Waldo 10 times, as opposed to the 18 times we did end up finding him. And I must say that searching for the red-and-white-sweater-wearing-Bob-Sagat-look-alike was a worthy alternative to causing tension in the workplace. Today however I sought to restore balance by striking the bus system and walking home from work. I left the office around 9:30pm, followed two ATOs for 4 blocks (seriously, the strong scent of their cologne was more nauseating than 46 blocks with Buck), and by the time I had walked the 19 blocks home, my DSW Johnston Murphy wannabees had given me six blisters. Moral of the story: same as the paucity of nope--Gentzy sucks at being a hard ass. The universe wants me to be a Franz.
