February 2003

2/28
I'm fighting to stay awake until 5:00 when I find out when I work tomorrow. I was on 1:00pm call yesterday and I got sent out to drive the 17 for several hours. When I got back at 7:15, I found out that I had 4:30am call today.
That means that someone wasn't paying attention when they put the extra board work together. If I had worked the full eight-to-twelve hours (eight straight or twelve split), that would not have allowed me the eight hours required for fatigue. Fortunately for everyone involved, the dispatcher let me go early. I had eight-and-a-half hours between shifts. And of course, I couldn't fall asleep when I wanted to.
I missed a turn this morning on the 28. Actually, "morning" is a little misleading. It was what many people consider the middle-of-the-night. Anyway, it's a good thing it was, because I just pulled into a driveway along 77th Street and backed out to get going the right way.
The 28 doubled over to an 18. It was pretty decent all day. Luckily, it's a really nice day today. Corey called me from Portland the other day to tell me it was 65. It wasn't that nice here today, but I did see a guy at Lake and Nicollet walking around with his jacket unzipped and shirt unbuttoned.
I had a stomach ache for most of the morning. Early mornings with little sleep mess me up. I still don't feel well.
2/24
I woke up at 3:30 this morning to see Steve looking at me. Yes, I was Steve-sitting at Wyatt and Tina's again. I fed him and let him out, showered and got to work by 4:45.
I was on call at 5:15. I got there early because it was my day to choose my work from mid-March to early June. And I did something I never thought I would. I picked work. Ever since I started working full-time, I have been on the extra board. I love the extra board, primarily because I don't feel tied down. By the time the pick got to me, I could have gotten on the extra board, but I would have had Mondays and Thursdays off. So instead, I picked 9-hour work. I have Mondays and Tuesdays off. I work a short (4-hour) afternoon on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I get done around 1:00am and Saturday and Sunday I get done around 11:00pm. I am going to be tired of the 18, but generally, I think it'll be OK.
Yesterday I drove the 9. It was another really quiet day. And it was literally very quiet until a woman sitting five feet away from me shouted "Hey!!!" at a volume one might use to get someone's attention across the street. Needless to say, she really startled me. She had been paying attention to her book or something and realized that she wanted out at the next stop.
Today I got sent to Uptown on an S-98, as a designated driver to replace bad buses, fill in on routes, etc. I took a nap for about an hour. I read more of The Mysteries of Udolpho. I read The Onion. When I called to see if I could head back to the garage, Control told me that they needed me to fill in on the 852, an express route from downtown Minneapolis to Northtown Mall, which is in Blaine or Duluth or somewhere. I'd never seen this route before, but fortunately, it was easy and I had a few nice ladies to back me up on my directional decisions. I ended up going a little farther down the road from Northtown to beautiful downtown Anoka. It's a real medium-small-town downtown. On my way back to the garage, I drove past the high school stadium. It's the home of the Anoka Tornadoes. While it is true that they get a lot of tornado activity up that way, I've always thought that they should be the Anoka Acorns.
2/22
Hey, wasn't the Asscroft Rainbow of Terror Color of the Day supposed to be reduced to yellow about a week ago? I wonder if my link is working...
I was on call today at 11:00. I went out on the 23 for a full run. That was actually kind of nice, but it wasn't very exciting.
However, it gave me plenty of time to contemplate a special one-time feature for this mess. Yes, very special. I'll probably spend some time on Tuesday and Wednesday getting it together. Unlike the guest writer, who just hasn't pulled through, this will come to fruition.
2/21
I saw Oz today. I gave him a ride to St. Paul. But first we stopped at the Metro Transit police station so he could pick up some of his personal effects. He has a place to stay this month, so he seems to be doing OK. Uh, not counting his March 17 court date. And no, I don't really trust him.
I did the same piece of work today that I did yesterday. It's pretty nice, an 18 that doubles over to a 28. But it wasn't very interesting either day.
You know, that's all I have. My back is getting to the point that I'll visit the chiropractor soon and it's affecting my demeanor...
2/20
I guess it's time to update when I get an email from someone about it.
Let's see... not much news from the bus. Well, I'm a little concerned about whether or not I'll have my job in six months. Or tomorrow. My part-time instructor told us this job was recession-proof. And it might be, but I'm starting to believe it's not Republican-proof.
Last night Eric and I followed an unsuccessful trip to a casino with a successful trip to The Scoreboard where we pretty much cleaned up on NTN. Well, we soundly beat Tigger, Scooby and nislic (or something like that).
Oh, big news from Oregon. According to the latest ultrasound, Corey and Tara are going to have a boy! Not being a girl saves them something like $14,500 when that kid gets in his teens, right? Unless he's a cross-dresser or plays hockey.
2/16
I drove the 23 today. Up and down 38th Street. Very sleepy.
Driver Groupie found me again. She rode the last round trip with me. And she gave me candy.
I talked a little while with a Vietnam vet who's lived near 38th and Chicago for twelve years. That's about four blocks from where an eleven-year-old girl was shot in November while doing her homework at her dining room table. Some gangstas were shooting it out and she caught a stray bullet. Anyway, the vet told me he was both an honorary Crip and an honorary Blood.
I was stopped westbound at 28th Avenue when a guy came sprinting down the street and jumped on. He told me someone had just stolen his car and threw down 45 cents. He saw his car turn the way we were going. The chase was on! Well, for two blocks anyway. Then we had to stop for a lady and her baby stroller.
2/15
I'm missing a Foot-Notes dance in Decorah, IA this evening. When I get an itch for some Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American old time dance music, a dance in Decorah is the scratch. If you scroll down that page a bit you'll see Bill, a friend of mine from library school. He's the head bobbing next to the bass.
I enjoyed another evening of connect-the-drunks on the 2.
Those of you who have known me for a long time will be surprised to hear that two guys who ran to the bus dropped long globs of snot out of their noses on or near the farebox and I didn't even gag.
While waiting at a stoplight eastbound at Bloomington and Franklin, I watched a couple guys pointing and miming various sex acts in the direction of the car at the front of the line. Then, when we started moving, they flagged me. I kept going. I wasn't sure if they were drunk, but I called Control to let them know I passed them up. I had several women on the bus and I was pretty sure they wouldn't enjoy the show.
Later in the evening, as a hippie chick spilled her guts to her friends about something that made her feel really good, I stopped to pick up one of the sex mime guys. Since he was alone, I wanted to see if he'd recognize me. He didn't. And, though drunk, he was really quite pleasant. I almost felt bad for leaving him earlier.
2/14
And though my friends just might ask me They say "CJ maybe one day you'll find true love" I say "Maybe, there must be a solution To the one thing, the one thing, we can't find"
2/13
I was on call again today. 5:30am. At about 7:00, I got sent out on an S-98. I took a bus to the Gateway Parking Ramp and took a nap for about an hour. Then, at 8:00, my all-action-all-the-time skills were needed to make a bus change with a 17 bus. I left about twenty minutes earlier than I needed to. I had a plan. I was making the switch in NE Minneapolis, right by Blackey's Bakery! I am a big fan of their snegles. (They usually pronounce that "snile.") So I got a couple for breakfast. Here is another nice site...
I kind of took it easy on my days off this week. It was really cold. I had lunch with my parents on Tuesday, then ran a couple errands. I planned to go to the 400 Bar to see Tim Easton, but I didn't feel like going outside so I stayed home. I saw that guy in Iowa City and liked him well enough to buy a CD.
Oh, speaking of Iowa City and CDs, Jamie recently informed me that she went to my favorite record store in Iowa City, Sal's Music Emporium, and it was closed. Bummer. I really liked Sal and he had a great little store. Jamie sent me a newsletter clipping that arrived in the mail today. Sal is working at New Pioneer Co-op now. Oh, check it out.
Anyway, I met Kevin T. for lunch yesterday. I don't see him enough (do I say that about everyone, or what?). We went to the Scoreboard, which is close to his workplace. He's got twins who are about two-and-a-half. And yet, he's doing well. His wife Holly is kind of kicking a$$ and taking names with Mary Kay.
Mark and I completely covered the house with plastic wrap and duct tape. It only took about four hours, but we'll be ready when anthrax falls from the sky. The house looks like it'll be ready when gonorrhea falls from the sky. We went ahead and left the chimney open in case we need to build a fire. I suppose that might be stupid. Um, yes. Lies. All of it.
2/10
I went to bed at 6:30 last night. My body said it was rested at around 10:00. I fell back asleep after about three hours and my alarm went off at 3:05. Then I had to drive ten hours of the 21. Just the other day, I was telling someone that there are two pieces of work that I don't like: ten hours on the 23 and ten hours on the 21. That 21 really wears me out when I'm not tired. I managed to keep the bus off the sidewalk, though, and I didn't hit anyone or anything.
A guy got on my bus and said that a man had a heart attack on a 17 bus. I haven't heard anything else about it.
It got busy on my last trip. I had a standing load from Hiawatha to Nicollet. A (Caucasian) lady sitting behind me got a little testy when another (Latina) woman sat down next to her. "You need to say you're sitting down!" That rule is new to me. Anyway, she followed that with, "Do you speak English?" I did not hear the answer, but what I can only assume was a simple "yes" or "no" must have confused the white lady because she responded most bitchily with, "Well, then you need to take a class and learn it!" So, what did the Latina woman answer? Yes? Then she wouldn't need to take a class, right? No? Then she wouldn't understand another word out of the Cauc woman's mouth, so why would that woman even bother? Huh. I think we were all confused. Or one of us was really stupid.
It's my Friday. I'm getting my taxes done tomorrow.
2/9
Yup. My alarm went off at 4:15 this morning. I'm really tired.
I was on call at 5:30 today. I drove the 21 for a couple hours.
One guy talked to me almost all the way from Minneapolis to St. Paul. He's a Gulf War vet. He described the sound of Scud missiles exploding overhead as similar to the boom and crackle of fireworks. He told me about lying on the floor of a gymnasium trying to sleep and listening to the Scuds explode, but being more annoyed by a young guy crying. He took off his mask and gave it to the kid and told him to shut up so he could sleep.
And that is all for now.
2/8
I was on call today. I went out for about five-and-a-half hours on the 4.
On my first trip to New Brighton, we got stopped by a train on Johnson Avenue for 19 minutes. I only had six minutes of recovery time at the terminal and I left the north end 16 minutes down. Some of the people waiting for me on that trip were a little unhappy when they got on the bus. It was awfully cold today. They were all very understanding, though.
David rode my bus again today, but only for a few blocks to Franklin, where he caught the 2.
I have to get up early.
2/8 1:04am
Another day on the 2, another quick ride with David. He had yet another coat on today (on top of his other two). He said a guy took it off his own back and gave it to him. He had the signatures going. I signed his back. I think he said I was the 59th person to sign it.
I was the 1:00pm call today. I stopped at Lund's (grocery) for some sushi on my way to work. When I got to the garage Daisy and John were playing cribbage again (see 2/2). I let Daisy try a dynamite roll (made with tuna). She made a horrible face, but managed to choke it down. I don't think she liked the wasabi.
At 2:00, the dispatcher wanted to know if I would work the 2 until 12:15. I wouldn't have had to take it, since it went over 10 hours. But I've been enjoying the 2 lately and it's more overtime, so I basically volunteered to do it.
I actually had a pretty quiet night. But I'd have to admit that it's a bit unnerving to see a street (in Dinkytown, U of Minnesota) blocked by a cop car with its lights off and cops walking around with their shotguns.
By far the best and funniest news of the day was that Paul K. was named the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Driver of the Year! Yeah! I went through part-time training with Paul. He drove us nuts, and yet I ended up liking him. (MVTA contracts work with my bus company. We recently lost that work and are slowly being phased out.) Part of the reason I work out of the garage that I do is that I didn't like doing the MVTA work that goes/went out of my part-time garage. A lot of time is spent sitting in traffic on the highway, and the people are generally very nice until even a minor mistake is made. Then they're quick to complain. It's not good for my company to lose that work, but as far as I'm concerned, Laidlaw can have all that fun...
And don't forget, the Asscroft Rainbow of Terror Color of the Day is a lovely shade of orange. Apparently terrorist chatter has increased.
2/7 1:18am
My days off this week were Tuesday and Wednesday.
I went in and drove a few hours Tuesday evening for some overtime.
Wednesday was my dad's birthday. My mom, dad and I went out for lunch, then Dad and I went to About Schmidt. We both liked it. My favorite part was when Kathy Bates got naked. Or maybe it was when he went to Holdrege. That reminded me of Maggie, a woman with whom I went to college. She was from Holdrege. Or maybe it was all the shots of Omaha. I haven't been to Omaha for a long time. I need to go visit my friends and relatives in Nebraska. Yeah, anyway...
Today was Tina's birthday. After I got done driving at 10:05, I met a bunch of people at Mario's Keller Bar in honor of the occasion. But naturally, I forgot to take real-people clothes to work with me, so I had to come home and change first.
I drove the 2 again today.
On my first trip, a drunk (or something) guy got on the bus. He was upset because he'd left his briefcase on a 6. He eventually calmed down and decided he'd go home and call Lost & Found tomorrow.
David, the guy with the signatures on his trenchcoat, rode my bus again. I was glad to see that he had a second, heavier coat on. That one had writing all over it, too. But I don't think it was signatures. I think David did it himself and I couldn't tell what it said. He tried to get a woman to sign one of his gloves, but she refused. He made her nervous.
2/3
I drove the sleepy 6 today.
Sometimes I get mildly concerned about myself. A lady asked me if I went to 40th and York. My first response was "no." She pressed a bit and it dawned on me that I went to 39th and York. What exactly makes me so easily confused sometimes? While I was trying to figure out if I went to 40th and York, my mind was swimming. It's kind of weird, and I really hate those days.
Why must I be such a Grinch? Is there anything more annoying to me than Cathy Rigby playing the Cat in the Hat in Seussical the Musical? Did you see that picture of her? Ugh! Why do these people do this to me? First it was Sebastian Bach as Jesus, now it's Cathy "Stayfree" Rigby as the Cat in the Hat?!? Since when was the Cat in the Hat a woman? You know, I made it through Life cereal's "new Mikey" being a cute little girl. Stupid and predictable, but whatever. But seriously, the Cat in the Hat is hardly a cute little pixie. A 55-year-old English butler with a mean streak should play the Cat in the Hat. (Or yeah, I guess Mike Myers will be fine...) And ever since I signed a petition against The Last Temptation of Christ before I even saw it (and liked it), I've tried to be a little more careful about spouting about things that I clearly know nothing about. Apologies for that right now. I'm sure Seussical the Musical is very well done (I see Eric Idle helped write it), but I have to believe this is the biggest casting mistake since Jack Nicholson made the Joker an old, fat guy.
2/2
It's snowing! It's rather beautiful. And I suppose I don't even need to mention that the local news folks are acting like we've never had more than 2" of snow at one time before.
Warning: The following paragraph is pretty much a pile of potentially boring shop talk.
I lost my holddown. I work the extra board, which is basically like being a substitute. The extra board is a list of work and the drivers who work it rotate through the list. I think the board consists of work that's left over after the drivers who pick their work have picked, and also the work of people who call in sick or have taken floating holidays, vacation days, days off without pay or family leave. If those people are going to be off work for more than the rest of the week, their work goes on a list of holddowns. Extra board drivers can bid on the holddowns and they get assigned according to seniority. If a holddown doesn't get picked by anyone, it gets assigned to an extra board driver, starting with the driver with the lowest seniority. That's called getting forced on a holddown. I was forced on a holddown last week. I kind of liked it, so this week I bid on it, indicating that if I was going to get forced on a holddown, that was the one I'd want. Several of us got forced and I got the one I wanted. Well, the dispatcher who put this week's work together made a mistake. One guy didn't like the holddown that he got forced on, so everyone who was forced on a holddown lost it. That work went on the board for the week, and the drivers are on the regular extra board for the rest of the week.
Well, that got long. I hope it makes sense.
I was on call today. I guess everyone showed up for work. The cribbage wins went like this: CJ - 2 games John - 2 games Daisy - 0 games. Aww, too bad. But she's a Packers fan, so really it's OK.
Then I watched The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle and came home.
2/1
I drove the 2 again today. Unlike last week, it wasn't very exciting. It was, however, a typical connect-the-drunks day out there.
Adam rode my bus. When he got on, I thought I recognized him, but I wasn't sure. After all, I probably last saw him about six years ago in Des Moines, and I barely knew him there. I didn't say anything because I was pretty convinced that it was just someone who looked like him. Not knowing for sure might've killed me, but fortunately, another guy got on the bus who spoke with him and I asked him if that was Adam.
And the space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas today. That was quite sad, of course. Joyce Donsky, a 53-year-old sixth grade teacher from Rochester, NY said, "My first thought was that it was terrorism because of the Israeli."
<sigh>