Life as a Duck: Getting Around

Don't you hate it when you hear someone getting in the shower just as you're getting ready to? And don't you hate it when you know the hot water only lasts for about ten minutes tops, so you have no idea how it's going to be when you get in? No, just me? Alright then. That's why I'm writing this now, instead of cleaning myself. Bleurgh.

I didn't write one of these last week, and now this thing is on Sunday? Will it ever have a permanent slot? I'm working on it. Anywho...

This might be Track Town USA, but there's not just runners here. There are bikes everywhere.
Bikes are probably the most popular mode of transportation in this town, and there are plenty of good reasons why. There are a lot of bike paths both on the roads and all around, so it's a great way to get around. Plus it's cheap and a good way to get exercise. Not paying for gas is a pretty big deal for most college kids, because they'd rather be spending it on... education. Let's say that.

As you know, I'm a little iffy when it comes to bikes. You know when you see people running and think, "Oh dear. I can walk that fast."? Think that, but on a bike. However, I've been hopping on my purple and silver ride quite a bit recently. (Good lord, is everything I own purple?)

I rode to Ross on Thursday, and decided it would be nice to ride over to my Aunt's house today to bake bread and study.
Now, when I bake bread, I use a baking stone. For homework, I needed to finish editing a paper on my laptop. I also thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry over there. Can you see where this is going?

That's how I rode over there. Sure it was only three miles, but with that... it's a challenge.
Luckily, I was able to get the laundry, stone, and bread back to my house without having to bike back with it. Still... I'm kind of an idiot for taking so much stuff in the first place.

On the ride back home, it became apparent how terrible at biking I am. What happened was I thought there was going to be an edge on the sidewalk, right? Well, I stopped. I stopped fine... and then I just fell over. I wasn't even moving, I just fell over. It didn't hurt because I wasn't moving, but it was just ridiculous. I just popped back on my bike and kept moving like nothing even happened. The whole scenario probably happened in twenty seconds. Geezus, I can't bike. Why am I considering signing up for tri?

Wasn't I talking about how students get around? Oh yeah. Other than biking, people walk a lot. And run. Sure, there's driving, but not much on campus because students walk everywhere. That includes in the streets. Therefore, it takes a car twenty minutes to get anywhere that takes five minutes to walk to. So walk.

As for the bread, I need to work on my baking time. This bread is undercooked, dangit! That's the second loaf I've underbaked. Surprisingly, it still tastes delicious. I'm still going to eat it, but I need to work on my baking time.

What sport are you ridiculously incompetent at?

Adventures on Public Transportation

It's always nice to have transportation readily available, isn't it?

That's why it's nice to have a car. If you own a car, that means you don't have to rely on others for rides, you don't need to know the bus schedule, and you go places on your own time. Having a bike is another nice option for most, mainly if you're living in the city.

Because of having a car I can drive, I tend to not ride the bus. Really, there's no need and why should I pay fare for a ride that doesn't leave when I'm ready? But today, I decided to go on the adventure that the bus gives.

The whole idea started when I remembered what day it was. Today was July 11th, or 7-11. Every year, I want to participate in the day, so I was determined to get my booty down to get my free mini slurpee. I had to go on a run today as well. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, I took myself on a 5.5-ish mile run to the 7-11. I got my slurpee and walked about a mile to the bus stop. (The next bus was coming in about an hour, so what would be the point in riding a different bus there?)

For some people who don't ride the bus often like myself, it can feel kind of like an adventure. You're in town with the only other way to get home being a long walk home. The bus decides when it wants to come, and where it wants to go. I suppose it's the same idea of how people get excited to ride the train. It's not something you get to do everyday.

There is simply one thing that I learned from my ride on the bus today. There are some strange people that ride the bus.
Before even embarking on the journey, I sat at the bus stop and listened to two idiotic stoner preteens talk. One threw his backpack on the ground, then freaked out because he remembered the pipe he just bought was in there, and hopefully it didn't break. Then they talked about other stoners they knew who were on probation for getting caught with pot. Oh yes, there was more than one friend of theirs they knew who was on probation.
I got on the bus with the two stoner kids, one woman who looked like she'd hit the hard stuff, and another woman who gave off the vibe "When I'm around people, I talk to them even if they're not listening. When I'm at home I talk to my cats." She was just a little creepy. There were some normal people who got on the bus as well, but the weird outweighed the normal.
Out of all of the people on the bus, there was one person who concerned me the most.

A young boy.

Now, you may think it's strange to have a young boy worry me, but let me just tell you the story of this young boy. I know it, because he told it to the bus driver loudly and proudly. He had ridden almost every bus, and decided that he wanted to ride this bus today to see where it went. Once this bus went on its loop, he would ride another bus home. He wants to be a truck driver when he grows up.
No, his parents weren't around. Yes, he just liked to ride the buses.
He was 11 and 3/4ths years old.

I suppose I could have admired his spunk, but all I could think was, "Where are his parents?! Aren't they worried that their kid is just randomly riding around on buses?"

Finally before snapping because of the guy who decided to sit next to me that was constantly sniffling, I arrived home. (I can't stand annoying sounds. They just stress me out.)

I think the buses might be a little more normal during the school year when there are more students, but for now? There's an odd bunch that ride the bus.

When was the last time you rode on a bus? Who has been the strangest character you've ever seen riding on the bus?

Driving Around and The Vehicle Invovled

Oof. What just happened to today? Well, a lot of driving I suppose.

Yeah, stuff really hasn't slowed down much for me as of late. How long until the weekend again?

Speaking of driving around, I'd like to talk about my mode of transportation. I don't think I've ever mentioned it before here, but I have a car here on campus. The car I happen to have is a blue minivan.

Yup, it kind of looks like that.

When you first get into the minivan, it may seem in pretty bad shape. The right rearview window holds on with the help of deteriotating duct tape. The inside smells a tad musty from spilled water. On one of the back seats, there is an unknown rip, with many different reasons explaining how it came to be. We still don't know why. When the van has finally been started, the sound of something working too hard begins. It stops from time to time, but you never know when. If you happen to turn on some tunes, you'll hear the blown out speaker create booming bass.

Still, I'm glad to have a vehicle avaliable. Plus, it has heated seats.

Alas, when driving back to campus tonight, a minuature battery started glowing on the dashboard. The letters ABS started glowing as well. I'm thinking that it's going to need to go in. Yeah, not looking forward to that.

What was the first car that you got to drive around? Technically, the van isn't my car but I get to drive it. Woo!