Barefoot and whistling...

Barefoot wonder strikes again! This time I saw him crossing the street with his overstuffed L.L. Bean backpack...

Peace and calm

Maybe because of all the comedy I see, or because I'm not in charge of doing anything as a passenger, I realized that I probably spend the least stress-crazed moments of my day on the T. I mean, once the stress of figuring out my stop is out of the way, the journey itself is pretty peaceful. Yeah, the trains stall, the buses brake really hard, and I often stand up longer than I'd like, but I'm not responsible for anything except de-boarding. And once that's figured out, I don't have to do anything but sit there, observe, read, listen, and laugh... So, apart from the occasional rank smelling bus, person, or tantrum-throwing child, public transit is a great idea!

Barefoot in Slummerville

Talk about taking chances. This morning I saw a grown adult walking barefoot on strip of un-suburbanized sidewalk in Somerville (aka Slummerville, to give you an idea of the non-beautification, although I suppose the sidewalks were recently redone...). He'd just passed a car wash, and must have stepped over not a few cigarette butts after passing an area where I've seen smaller mammals roaming free... I mean (sigh), I guess. It's not like there's glass strewn everywhere, but put your shoes on, please! I'm the first person to walk barefoot on a hot day, provided there are clean sidewalks, or a beach nearby... but in Cobble Hill? Really sir? Then again, I'm 80% sure this is the same guy I saw playing a brass recorder on his morning walk not long ago. You know what, keep it up. You're providing mild entertainment for my life.

Welcome to Stinky-Town!

So, Bus Tales is all about enjoying the journey (and/or making fun of it) but how can I do that when the bus smells like pee??? I might have to quit riding buses after the last Greyhound trip. The T is still serving up its standard fare of mediocrity, but the Greyhound went above and beyond for writing material. This last adventure was like a trip to R. Kelly's bedroom - a faint and then much stronger odor of urine permeated the air for the entire trip. Double eww. And closing the bathroom door didn't help.

Highlights? I had my own seat!?! There was a cute guy next across from me in a Kangol, although, was that a can of beer in his hand?? Whaaat?? I also saw someone sexting," LOL! Stop yourself, honey! You see what kind of trouble that got Weiner into...

Fidgeting Frenzy

Something about people fidgeting on the train is so unsettling. Whaaat are you looking for? Maybe I'm just scared they'll pull out some wmd's... I've seen a handful of crazies doing it recently, and just wondered if I was alone in my self-diagnosed ailment: FOF (Fear of Fidgeters).