Bus surfing...

I thought about this one day while on my commute to work. I thought of how I used to "bus surf". What is "bus surfing"? Here's how I define it and how it happened. When I was younger and was fearless I used to ride the 38 Geary line. This was if I wasn't lucky and if on the way home we found a transfer. While I was on the bus I knew I was suppose to hold on to one of the bars, but I didn't. Instead I would try and balance. Maybe it's more like skate boarding. I don't know, but either way I would try not to fly or fall while on the bus without holding on.

This soon later came in handy when I would ride other buses and the light rail. I still surf on the light rail today. You just stand like you're surfing and light rail surfing goes.

Horoscope: It's never too late (or too soon) to start paying attention to your health.

African American light rail driver...

My complaint today is this African American light rail driver. I had an incident with her last year and I'm still fuming about it. Today's issue was this: the driver had the option of opening all the doors to make it more efficient for people to get on and off.

Well she opened all the doors so people can get on. Of course I was still waiting to get on because people were still exiting from the door I was waiting at. As I'm getting on to the light rail car she hits the button to close the door. Lady! I'm not even on the train and you're closing the doors on me. Is this revenge for when I gave you a coupon for discount that had no date stamp? Or was it from the other time when I did have the correct date and you were too blind to read it?

It must be the second one because at Cole and Carl street you did the same thing. I understand you got to get to where you're going, but you have to let people on. You didn't even see the guy wearing the florescent yellow jacket selling transfers to those that were getting on. You didn't check your mirrors. And of all the days today you remembered to put the steps up while you just enter the tunnel. Bravo to you because most of the time you're putting them up as we're at Van Ness.

You should have common sense lady. I don't know how you got your job, but I think you're doing a crappy job at it. You try to announce the main stops that people get on and off at, but you fail to call it by the correct name. It's not UC Medical Center. It's USCF Medical Center. I don't think you need to announce the mall at 7.30am. No one is going to the mall at 7.30am.

Horoscope: If you aren't ready to end things, don't slam the door. Leave it open just a crack.

Commuting pet peeves...

Every morning it's the same thing, just different stupid people. I've observed that some drivers who drive the light rail cars will either open all the doors or just the one door in which people need to pay. I don't know which way is more efficient, but as someone who has used this form of public transit I get it. I've been riding the light rail system since I started middle school. That has been since 1992 or 1993.

The old street cars or light rail cars you has to enter through the front door and all the side doors were for exiting only. However, they slowly retired the older ones and are now using the current silver French made ones.

Now back to my issue with people and doors. If a door is closing and someone uses a foot or arm or anything to keep the door from closing it will make a high pitch noise. This isn't pleasant and if you're half awake in the morning even more annoying. The next issue I have is that while the people are trying to get off they don't know that they have to press the bar to open. If everyone did that and held the doors open, they wouldn't be out of service nor make that high pitch beep.

My second thing is when the driver chooses not to open all the doors to let everyone on or off at the same time people don't know how to press the button outside of the car to open the door. I've noticed that they all run to the door that's open and hope it stays open. Also when the doors don't open automatically and it's open from the inside no one seems to understand you need to hold the bar to keep the door from closing. I've had the door almost close on me because people don't understand that concept.

Now I'm assuming that everyone that rides the light rail knows how to open the door from the outside and the inside. If you're going to stand by the door at least press the bar and keep the door open so people can get on or off. If you're just going to stand there and do nothing then move away from the door. I can't stand those that just move to be close to the door and don't do anything to let people off.

So the moral of this bitching and moaning is that: use the bar on the inside of the light rail to OPEN the door. Use the button on the outside of the door to OPEN the door. I swear sometimes you wonder if the people getting on in the morning have a brain or if they left it at home. I'm sure it's not their first time riding the light rail so keep the fucking door open!

Horoscope: Take charge and make it happen. You can get more done than you think at the moment.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate...

One night I was bored. I found myself on the Food Network. I saw the strangest yet fascinating show on. The show's name, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. I started to watch and thought, the people on the show are professionals and they should know what's the best thing to eat.

After watching one episode I am now hooked. I might not watch it, but I always check out the website to find out if there are any places in San Francisco worth trying. Much to my surprise there actually are. They're in Bay Area, which would cover more than San Francisco.

I went to Food Network and decided to make a map of my own. And this is what became of it:


View Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate Map in a larger map

I admit it's not pretty, but once I start something I try to maintain it. There's a lot of places and if you get the chance go and try them out.

Horoscope: You have enough good ideas. You don't need to take credit for someone else's

She's just not that into you...

This is my usual pattern on my way home. I get on BART. I enter about mid way, which is about car five or six depending on the length. I enter the car and I walk either backwards or forward depending on if I’m going to the new mall or straight home. While walking though each car I look at all the seats. I’m looking for either the Chronicle or the Mercury (or equivalent). The sections I usually read are the sports and entertainment (datebook or time out). I happen to find the whole paper and was going to take a little bit of time to read the usual sections and then browse the rest of the paper.

As I start reading a guy comes up to me and starts talking to me. He got on at Concord or North Concord. He makes small talk about how people leave their paper on the train. Yes, people leave it on the train I reply. He then asks if he could have the paper. I haven’t even read the whole thing yet, so I say OK. He asks me what I usually read. I tell him what I read. By this time I’m done reading the entertainment section and I ask him for the sports section. He asks me what kind of sports is reported. Again I reply with all kinds that are local teams. He asks me what I’m reading and I tell him I’m looking to find any baseball news.

After I’m done reading I hand the section back to him. So this point he has the whole paper. I take out my note pad and write something down for work. I put that away and then I take out my ipod. I get comfortable with my seating and try to rest. I’m tired when I get off work and usually like to nap on the ride home.

I’m resting my eyes and the guy who was talking to me starts to crack his knuckles. First I think that’s gross and second he’s making noise. After he’s done cracking his knuckles he starts to snap his fingers or whatever making noise. At this point I’m getting pissed because he’s disturbing my nap time.

Nap and tired plus a guy making noise equals I’m going to be a grumpy person. He finally gets off at Orinda. I wasn’t facing him with my body language and by putting on my ipod it pretty much means shut up and leave me alone. I guess he didn’t understand that. If he was trying to flirt with me he wasn’t getting any response.
I don’t mind if you ask me when you get on for the paper when I’m done, but to ask me while I just have it sitting there is just rude. You didn’t even ask if I was done with it. Being nice I’ll just give it to you and keep the section that I want. Dude. I’m JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. You’re pissing me off and I’m tired. I don’t want to be bothered on the fucking train.

I’m glad your ass got off the train and that your stupid finger snapping left with you. If I ever come across you again I’m going to cuss you out.
This is why you don’t bother a Chinese girl sleeping on the train.

Horoscope: Today, take a break from the breakneck pace you've been going at. You need a rest!

The N Judah...

Over a period of a week I thought I would just observe what kind of people right the light rial in the morning and in the evening. This is what I have observed and this is my story.

There is one lady who wears a messenger bag and as soon as the N gets to Van Ness she will move into her position. She moves from wherever she is and stands right by the door. This is when the car is full just so when the N gets to Civic Center she can dash out of the N. This isn't good because everyone that gets off to let others off can't really cram back on due to her. Shame on you.

I notice a girl with orange hair. I wonder if it's a weave as she is African American. I then notice an older lady with the same except her hair is red and orange. Later in the week I find out they are mother and daughter. They do not sit together. The daughter gets off at Church and Duboce and the mother gets off at Van Ness.

The next person is this man with a leather jacket. He gets on the N at Carl and Cole. If I remember correctly. He gets on and then proceeds to just stand in a military stance for "at ease". He doesn't hold on to anything. He just shifts around as needed. Very odd.

My biggest enemy is the one African American lady who I got into an argument with back when I had to take the N to work. I had one of those coupons that had a date with a later time. I pick them up when I get off Bart when I exit when I'm going home. One part is for taking Muni that same day the other half is for the next day. She said that it wasn't the correct date. I told her it was the correct date and that it was good. Sure the time was for later in the afternoon, but that's when I picked it up. Then she told me over the intercom to calm down. Calm down!? I'm not the one that didn't know that the date on the coupon was the exact same date as the transfers she was handing out. I was so mad at her. What really grinds my gears is that she doesn't raise the steps on the N until the car is in the tunnel and or even at Van Ness. She has no clue and she tries to sound nice by telling everyone to have a good day. She's an absolute phony!

There's this Asian kid who sits either on the first car or the second car. I want to say he's in speical education but I don't think I'm wrong on this one. He looks at his watch to make sure he's on time. He gets off at Van Ness every day there is school. He speaks to everyone and it seems like he's practicing his English or what he's learned in school. He says, "Have a good weekend. How are you doing? Let me off. (If he's at his stop and there are people blocking him.)" He also compliments people on their clothes and I think he says the time out loud.

The one that I've seen every once in a while is a dad taking his two sons to school. The younger son wears a sailor suit and the older one wears his uniform. I think both are uniforms, but the younger one has to wear a different one. The older brother can't stand his younger brother as that's how it is. I sat next to the younger brother and he took out a note pad that he drew a "computer". He was treating it as if it was one. His imagination is probably what annoys his older brother. The older one reads while on the N.

This is more than one week, but just what I have observed over six months.

Horoscope: Get outside and do something exciting! A whole world is waiting for you.