Stuck At Home.
Everyone has cleared out so it is just the kiddo and I tonight, although my brother may show up later. And yes, I am pretty much stuck at home relying on the generosity of others this week. Sure a ride is only a phone call away, but the convenience of getting in the car and going whenever I please is just not available at the moment. Which makes it almost impossible to comprehend that in some places like say, New York City, some people don't even own cars of their own.
I've never been there but I suppose that things are pretty conveniently located then, they must be, but out here things are spread out. Sure we have a city bus system here, and forgive me for saying so, I wouldn't if it weren't true, but a lot of the bus passengers I've encountered were rather frightening people. Now now, hear me out. I hate snobbery as much as anyone else, I promise I'm not being a snob here, but I cannot deny that there have been times I've actually been scared of some of the people I've encountered on the bus. The most disarming part of any bus travel here is the inevitable stop at the main bus station.
Now I don't know if it is just our town, but for some reason there are a lot of people congregating at the bus station who have switchy eyes, have not bathed in while, and are apt to carry on conversations with themselves. Not only that, but it was at our very bus station that my best friend and I saw for the first time in our life a man with extremely large boobs, we were just 13 years old, and it was quite troubling to us at the time. We honestly did not know what to make of the situation. Add to all of the aforementioned a seedy element, and some angry looking youths, and well, anyone can see why some people would rather drive themselves to their intended location. I'm not going to lie, the bus felt dirty, and there were people who smelled bad on it.
In fact, the last time I rode the bus I was 18 years old and had pissed off my parents to the point that they took my car away and I had to get a bus pass. Dad took pity on me after a month of bus riding and finally gave the car back. I never screwed up like that again. It was not a time I remember fondly at all. That's it. Unless I bum a ride from someone, my only option is the bus, and that is why I will pretty much be homebound until hubby gets home again. It is not just the bus passengers that make bus riding so unappealing, the bus system itself takes literally hours off the lives of unsuspecting travellers as well, it takes forever to get anywhere. Mind you I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I'm just relaying the very unimportant facts of my life at the moment. It's pretty much what I do here, and why only about .00001 percent or less of the population of the U.S. reads this stuff, but I do thank you both for stopping by.
When I lived in Salem, MA, you could almost get by without a car, depending on what you did. If you were a college student on campus, then obviously, you didn't *need* one. If you worked nearby, I guess you wouldn't either. There was a train station about a 15-20 minute walk from where I lived, so if you worked in Boston, you could walk or bike to the station, then take the train into town, etc.
ReplyDeleteThings are different in a big city. Having said that, I like living in a smaller one, for the most part.
I think the walking would probably be good for me, I confess I've driven to the mailbox before. And that is just wrong. It is up the street though, but I could certainly walk.
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