#4141

Today was kind of boring, so I'll write about Friday's morning ride - much more interesting.

The "fam" had total ownership of the bus. Newspaper Guy aka Bill, was not there to secure the BTA, so the two little girls perched in full officialness on the back seat, in complete control of the surroundings with smiles as big as a crescent moon. The dad was in the middle of the bus, opposite the back door, guarding the girls and holding the stroller. The mom was in the very front seat, holding the baby on her lap. I sat in my original "regular" seat and exchanged shy looks with the baby girl. She is adorable and had those not-quite-awake heavy morning eyes. All she really wanted was to snuggle her little hoodie-covered head in the crook of her mother's arm and go back to sleep. I must say, I would have happily joined her were such a thing remotely possible. A rocking bus, dim lights and a warm loving arm and shoulder - recipe for the perfect sleep scenario.

The bus turned at Rural, stopped, and the mom and dad shepherded the little ones off the bus. The dad opened the stroller, helped the mom et al get organized and got back on the bus. As the door closed, a chorus of tiny voices yelled out, "Bye, dad, I love you." What a way to start his day. You've just got to admire these people, going to work and managing the kids' daycare all on public transportation. The husband and wife were discussing a doctor appointment for someone later in the day and talking bus times and daycare pickup. It's a challenge to keep all these things going under the best of circumstances and they are doing it without the apparent benefit of their own automobile. May all their buses be on time.

#invisible

Well, we certainly experienced an interesting ride on the 6am66. I almost need to elevate my feet and rest up before recounting the tale.

It began with another drive-by overshoot stopping. Clad in white linen overalls, I felt sure I presented high visibility at the stop today. However, the bus came down the road at an alarming speed and it seemed I would be completely passed by. At the last minute, the bus halted, quite a way down from the stop and another trek across the damp tree lawn ensued. As I got on, the driver apologized and screeched that the lights were glaring and she couldn't see. Refering to the interior lights, I guess, she turned them all off and we proceeded in complete darkness. NG, one of the Steves and I were the only ones on board, sitting in the BTA. We got to Guadalupe and Rural, the fam's mom and dad got on and the bus stopped running. The driver announced "they will send me a new bus", promptly re-started the bus and the ride continued. Not sure if that qualified as an official breakdown - her words implied yes but the actions implied no.

The ride continued in full darkness - felt much like a red eye flight, only missing the little pillows and navy blue blankets. We picked up BG and kept on going. Turning the corner from Baseline onto Mill, once again the bus stalled (?) and the driver easily re-started the craft. It appeared that turns might be involved in the stalls. Arriving at another stop, in answer to a question from a waiting patron, she had to advise that this was the 66 southbound. The bus was quite invisible without lights and the query made me wonder if she overzealously turned off a few too many lights. One of the new passengers needed a transfer and the driver had to bend over, her face almost touching the pad of tickets, to see what she needed. Time to turn on the lights? We proceeded and at the next stop, for reasons unknown, she suddenly turned on the lights. We kept going north on Mill and she roared past a stop where a woman was waiting. The woman yelled, the driver kept on going and Mark suggested she at least stop and wait. The driver just kept saying she couldn't see, the lights were glaring, and at the Broadway intersection, the bus stalled once more. So much for the turn theory. She again re-started the bus and we got underway. In spite of the stalls, we were quite on time although some poor people were definitely left standing in the dark. Today's image honors our invisible bus.

#4136

Quiet ride on the 6am66. Rain threatens today and, as previously noted, life in Arizona comes to a halt when rain falls. Uncommon, yes; however, rain is not rare and it boggles the mind why moisture from the sky creates such havoc. Listening to radio this morning and the traffic report indicates accidents all over the place. We're not talking sheets of rain, not even a steady rain, not even a light drizzle - this driving collapse occurs with 15-20 drops hitting the pavement. People won't ride the bus because some of this moisture might land on them and god knows what happens then. I guess that's why all the wrecks - the bus riders are trying to drive. Needless to say, we had light ridership.

New twist on "the family". While waiting for the 6am66, the 92 approached. Ever since Dave and I hopped on the 92 by mistake, he is on full alert - making sure we don't go down that path again. As he stood there, waving off the 92, I saw "the family" sitting in the BTA of the 92. Both buses go west on Guadalupe to Rural and since that's where the wife and kids usually get off, it wasn't completely odd for them to be on the 92. What was fun - when our bus turned north on Rural and stopped, husband and wife got on our bus, sans kids. Dave asked if they were juggling buses today and they advised they dropped the kids off at daycare. There are two childcare places within an easy walk of that intersection and I wondered if that was always part of their daily routine. They've been very regular and I might have to dust off the regular crown and have a large-scale annointing.

#4142

Ahhhhh, back on the bus. Thanks to all who offered kind words during my recent flu siege. Hope that doesn't happen again for a long, long while.

An interesting morning on the 6am66. It was late today - not horribly late - maybe 8 minutes - but we're at the beginning of the route and with only a couple of stops in front of us, little opportunity for things to happen and build up bus delay. When it finally appeared on the horizon, Dave and I got our packs on, good passengers that we are, and moved forward, ready to board. The next thing we know, the bus shot past us, just barely stopping. He overshot the concrete pad and we trekked over the tree lawn to get down to the bus door. Now, I must preface that the sun no longer shines at 6am - dark of day prevails and no street light illuminates the stop. When we got on, it was a new driver who announced that he didn't see us, using a tone that implied it was our obligation to be visible. He carried on about waiting behind bushes and trees ... huh? There are no trees or bushes at our stop ... what the hell? Made me almost want to cough on him. Looks like I'll have to find my trusty flashing reflector and start putting it on my pack. At the very next stop, he repeated the same action and, again, blamed the rider for waiting behind the shrubs. While there are shrubs at that stop, I've never seen that guy lurking in them. He usually sits on the bench, in front, at the stop. Unless that guy had a serious need to bush-lurk today, I think the driver was too busy talking to a passenger and not paying attention. Today's image shows the 6am66 flashing past.

On top of the crazy pickups, the dilemma of the family occupying the BTA repeated itself. We were forced to false sit when we got on and then move to our favored locations after they left. Dave hopped first to his regular spot and it did my heart good to see he is as Monk-like about his seating as me. Comfort zones, it's all about comfort zones. Later, I was especially glad I moved up to the BTA since a series of people got on who reeked of cigarette smoke. Smelling strongly in the BTA, I imagine it was suffocating in the main riding area. Is the aroma that comes off people who just smoked a cigarette considered second hand smoke? It smells bad, but it also makes me want to cough. Of course, my lungs are currently in a weakened condition, so it's difficult to judge. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Bedside blogging

Developed a cold with flu-like symptoms or, the flu with cold-like symptoms, and have stayed bedside these past two workdays. Decided to write a bedblog as being home ill is a drag. I won't go to work tomorrow and the way I feel right now, Thursday's not looking much better. The worst thing is the cough. Hacking, chest heaving, gut wrenching coughing. It's hideous!!! I went to the pharmacy for a supply of meds and discovered they no longer put dextromethorphan into cough drops. That's the stuff that really holds the cough at bay, but I guess the teen set were consuming copious quantities of drops and getting "high". Seems like an alleged high to me - I've never gotten a buzz from cough drops, just relief. I'm eating vitamin C, drinking orange juice and water and sucking on zinc-based, get-well quick drops. I guess I'm better than yesterday and hopefully not as good as tomorrow.

The worst thing about illness is daytime TV. Thank god for BBC - I'm entertained by their daily lineup and only wish I had my friends from Ohio around to laugh about "Are You Being Served?" Three of us used to watch that on the local PBS station and enjoyed recounting the episodes. I wonder if they've ever seen "Keeping up Appearances" ... I know they'd love Onslow.

Oh well, I get this every couple of years - I think my antibodies get low and need a booster, so I get sick, build up the antis and stay well for another couple of years. At least it's early this year and won't interfere with holiday food consumption. One has to consider the up and downside of every scenario. Hope to be back with a bus blog in a few days.

#4127

Haven't written in a few - not feeling so inspired lately and not sure why. Today is a Friday the 13th - some of my favorite days in the year. Don't forget to write your Law of Abundance checks!

Today's ride included a bit of a twist. Recently, a family regularly boards the bus between Price and McClintock. A father, mother, three small children and a folded stroller comprise their party and they always get off at Rural and Guadalupe. They usually sit in the very first seats - so noted because it requires a small climb over the stroller to get to the BTA. This morning, however, they filled the BTA (NG was not in situ) so I needed to make a quick seating decision. I plopped down near my original seat of choice and the ride continued. We got to Lakeshore and Guadalupe and a young man, regular rider, boarded. Since I occupied his "regular" seat, like me he faced a quick seating decision. He opted to plant across from me and the ride continued. I found myself wanting to get up into the BTA - I like riding on the bird perch with a view of the whole bus. I felt antsy and, almost, anxious. I sensed the young man didn't care much for his new digs, either. Once we turned the corner and dropped the family, I scooted up into the BTA and the young man popped across the aisle and into his standard space. Whew! A bit of an unsettling start to the day. So what was that about?

Walking from the bus stop to the office, my eyes were filled with the beginnings of one of Arizona's finest attributes - a lovely sunrise. A colleague once said that Arizona is the most beautiful place on earth, twice a day, sunrise and sunset. Believe me, that can be so true. Today's show wasn't overly spectacular, but the contrast of the light and the silhouettes of the trees grabbed my attention. Not in current possession of my regular camera, I used my phone camera. A bit weak, it still gives the idea. There are probably a gazillion Arizona sunrise/sunset pictures on the web and none of them do justice to the real thing. Still, we must try.

It doesn't matter

The 6am66 bus stop has "partial amenities" - chair-quality bench (back and arms) and trash can - no lighting or overhead canopy for shade or cover from the elements. We're a step up from the "natural" or "organic" bus stops with rock seats in Mesa, but not overwhelmed with extras. While waiting for the bus this morning, storms visibly moving in from the south, I wondered how much lightning protection does the typical bus shelter provide? Most Valley shelters seem almost treelike and we know that trees are verboten in lightning situations. However, as the bolts slam out of the sky, I feel extremely vulnerable without any cover.

Golf course protocol for lightning says to lie down on the ground. I understand the logic, but fear the bus driver wouldn't see me and stop if I chose to wait, fully prone on the ground. Or, if she did see me, just drive by and call the police to report a drunk passed out at the stop. Then the police would come and find out I wasn't passed out or drunk, just taking proper storm precautions and they might be angry and arrest me for wasting valuable police time. Then again, they might let me wait for the bus in the cruiser, providing much needed shelter from the storm. Probably not. Fortunately, storms during bus waits are infrequent and the lightning-dodging dilemma rarely surfaces.

Another great blog from Phoenix

Degrees of separation - this web thing has turned the world into one big neighborhood. Through a blog link on the UK bus driver's site, I learned about Flight Level 390, a blog written by a pilot from Phoenix. His writing entertains and his photography catches views only a pilot can see. A great find.

#4131

Monday morning and lots of sleepy eyes on the bus. I tend to over sleep on the weekend and can't sleep on Sunday night. Didn't fall asleep until 1AM and then woke up at 3:30AM. Didn't really sleep that much this weekend, so don't know what that's about. Oh well, if that's the worst thing I ever have to deal with . . .

The bus windows were open and we enjoyed natural air conditioning. How nice to not sit under the icy blasts of cold conditioned air. The outside temperature hovered in the low 70s and felt simply mahvelous, dahling. Not yet jacket weather, but no longer sweating upon arrival at the bus stop. I do believe fall is in the air. The image today reflects the sleepy eyes often found on the 6am66.

Another Valley Metro Bus Blogger!

Got a comment today on my most recent post from a guy named Coach Dave - he writes a blog about his rides on the Valley Metro. His blog can be found at http://davesbusride.blogspot.com/. He's a creative rider and I'm thrilled to read another's experiences riding in this Valley of the Sun - check it out!

Also, while looking at Coach Dave's blog, I found a link to a previoulsy unknown bus blog which led me to another bus blog written by a driver in Torbay, England - Bus Driving is neat - lots of good pictures and you get to hear the driver's side of the story. Definitely worth a visit.

#4138

Back to same old, same old. Except, not exactly. Newspaper Guy (Bill) wasn't there today, but he's never gone for long. Bicycle Guy (Mark) has returned to the regular 6AM66 fold and Dave and I rounded out the BTA. Business as usual prevailed until a review of the riders revealed an abundance of new and different faces with some long familiar and some more recently familiar mixed in the pot. Broadmoor lady boarded and joined us in the BTA. Like trees that lose leaves in the fall and grow new in the spring, bus ridership cycles through change. A core contingent exists, and the rest come and go as life circumstances demand. Feeling a bit reflective today, I guess.

Have taken the 81 home most evenings recently. My timing to catch the 66 just sucks and I'm so glad I have a choice. Always a bigger 6400 class bus, the 81 feels like a workhorse next to the cartoonish quality of the 66. I like the contrast and will probably continue to do the dual route thing for awhile. Gives me that much more potential for blogging material. Last night a man with a white cane got on the bus, talking on his cell phone. He couldn't seem to pay and talk and board all at the same time and, to his credit, he abandoned the call to take care of business. He told the driver where he wanted to get off and then sat down and made his call. When he got off, he apologized profusely to the driver for his lack of attention when boarding. Amazing how a little courtesy leaves such a positive feeling. I might have thought less of him for using the phone, but he recognized the problem and made amends.

#4130

Welcome back, eh? Took off last week to boost Amtrak's earnings for 2006. My mother and I flew to Chicago and trained to Seattle on the Empire Builder, then to Los Angeles via the Coast Starlight and finished back in Maricopa (yes, a train station lives in Maricopa, Arizona) on the Texas Eagle. A nice adventure which I hope to document somewhere on the WWW. While in Seattle, nothing would do but to photograph a bus so I captured this image of one of their articulating craft. Didn't realize a right turn was imminent or would have waited to shoot and display it in full articulation. Note the electric trolly poles on the top! Seattle's streets flourished with buses and the train station held "Sounder" cars - commuter-style trains covering the length of the Puget Sound region. They don't seem quite as enchanted with their autos as Phoenix, but still not as mass transit sophisticated as New York or even Chicago.

Speaking of Chicago, we experienced the death/thrill-ride of a lifetime on the Blue Line! Our pre-train train adventure occurred as we traveled from O'Hare airport to Union Station in downtown Chicago. The trains are much like NY subway cars - a bit shorter perhaps but with that same well-worn, industrial essence. We sat at the end of the next-to-the-last car on the train, right beside the car-connecting mechanisms. Not sure if that combination of car choice and body location worked to enhance the violence of the ride or not. The train would speed up to what felt like 100 MPH and then slam down to 0 MPH in a single intake of breath. While roaring along the track, the car swayed back and forth, in extremis. Envision a game of crack-the-whip and we were the last man attached. An awesome beginning to a train adventure.

Just like riding the 6AM66, I found that people constituted the best part of our train trip. You just gotta love public transportation.

Believe me, it doesn't matter

Today's post does not discuss today's ride. Last night I experienced my most unique bus ride yet, so prepare for a longer than usual entry.

I worked late and headed for the bus stop about 7:10 PM. The bus "should" arrive at 7:28 but in the evening, schedules seem to get skewed. Luckily (hah!) I left early as the bus came at 7:20. Thus began a ride to remember. When I boarded, oddly, all the wheelchair site seats were set in the fully locked and upright position. This left only the two front seats and the brain trust area open for seating. I hate those front seats, so proceeded to the back where a young couple occupied the rear bench seat. We rode in comfortable silence, south on Mill, adding just one more rider. The bus pulled into the left turn lane to go east on Baseline and stopped for the light.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The lights went out, the air conditioner turned off and the engine became silent. The lights flickered on and off, but no action from the engine. The driver tried to re-start, but nothing worked. The driver opened the doors, said he couldn't identify the problem, didn't know if we would get a mechanic or a shuttle or another bus or what. He said he couldn't let us off the bus since we were in the middle of traffic and he would be liable if any of us got hurt. A very busy intersection, I had already envisioned us inching around the bus to get to the crosswalk area. The young couple and I started chatting - they questioned me extensively about my needle and thread tattoo - the other passenger talked on her cell phone. We relaxed in a what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it attitude and only the driver seemed rattled. Another bus pulled up alongside and I heard that driver ask our driver if we were broken down. Our driver affirmed and the other guy drove away. Turned out, that bus was the next 66 and the jerk eyeball ass driver didn't offer to let us get on his EMPTY bus and continue on our way. Not that it mattered, really, but what in the world happened to customer service?

Eventually, a Tempe police officer arrived to help manage traffic. A large bus, stopped dead in the only left turn lane of a major intersection, seemed worthy of police intervention. He held up traffic so we could get off the bus and the four of us proceeded across Mill and then across Baseline to the next bus stop. I figured I'd just wait for the next 66 as I had no one to call and come get me. The young man from the bus called his father and arranged for a pickup. It turned out that they lived near me so I accepted a ride home. A motorcycle accident blocked the intersection at Rural and Baseline, so the rescuer had to drive down to McClintock to go south. I had him drop me off at Walgreen's - just didn't feel right having him backtrack to my house. I walked home and as I headed west on Guadalupe, what comes rolling up? The next 66. Timing rules everything.

This crazy bus ride produced a lot of interesting interactions. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Aaron and Isha, the young couple. She works at Trader Joe's, so maybe I'll see her some time when I'm shopping. What a disappointing lack of customer service from Valley Metro, though. I think the situation befuddled our driver and his critical thinking skills failed him. He could have asked the next driver to let us on his bus, but we were not on his mind. I guess we were on my mind because I was one of us - perspective. Oh well, get to blog about it and any blogworthy bus experience equals time well spent.

#41something or other

Geez, I looked but have totally lost the number. Whatever, it was a great discussion day on the bus. Bicycle Guy (Mark) is back on the 6am66 and he and Goatee Guy were talking about bus riding and the city of Mesa.

Apparently Mesa doesn't want to put much money into public transportation, so it really doesn't have many routes and maybe 10 bus stops have benches. GG said he called Mesa to inquire about getting a bench for a stop and whoever he talked to said, "Doesn't that stop have a rock?", referring apparently to a semi large boulder near the bus stop sign. Not sure how many the rock seats, however. Outstanding customer service, eh? BG and GG then went off about an imaginary city council meeting where all the chairs were removed and replaced by a single rock. Also, council members had to walk two miles to get to the meeting. Also, a really large hole was cut in the roof of the council chambers to insure that rain and sun could enter. Also, oops, the meeting must have started early, so they'll have to wait 30 minutes for the next meeting to start.

It was a great discussion; just a shame council people are too busy driving their oversize, gas-guzzling, jerk eyeball trucks to worry about incidentals like public transportation, traffic congestion and the environment. I looked at Mesa's website, and, shockingly, they received an award recently from the EPA for being a "commuter friendly" city. Duh and hello????? Wonder how much the church city paid the EPA to get that award? Gosh, I hate it when I get political. Today's image is supposed to be depressing as in what I get when I think about cities like Mesa and their insulated, isolated, center-of-the-universe policies.

#4138

Wow, it has been a few since my last post. I've become temporarily irregular as a rider and it damages my ability to blog, buswise. Oh well, helps me better understand the comings and goings of others on the 66.

Dave said yesterday the 6am bus never arrived and he had to wait until 6:30. He seemed to think it was an act of rebellion or vengeance on the part of our new regular driver. I didn't quite follow his reasoning. He said it was based on information he received about our driver from other drivers, but that didn't make sense to me and I'm thinking I just didn't hear him correctly. Anyway, when we got on the bus he questioned the driver about yesterday's missing 6am66 and she said the bus broke down. That seems more logical to me than a purposeful plot to upset the rhythm of the 6am66 route.

NG and EG were on the bus today - makes for a great sense of camraderie when everyone is chatting away. We had some rain this morning and ridership was light. People in Arizona behave strangely in the rain. Much ado about getting wet, as though they might melt if a drop of rain hit them. I've heard of people cancelling appointments because they didn't want to go out in the rain. Talk about a failure to understand the logic. That is one mindset I just can't seem to follow. Today's image is detritus. That's what I feel like so that's what you get.

#4143

Whew - long time gone! Worked from home last week while new windows were installed. Missed the whole first week of school and I'm not complaining. Too many people - what are they thinking?

Wondered if the bus would have new wrinkles, but will take a few weeks to see what's up and who's riding. Bicycle guy is back, along with Engineering guy. We were all in the BTA and it felt nice and comfortable. If grades stay good and all goes well, we'll have some graduations in May. Need to have a bus party - mimosas at 6am?

A young girl got on the bus and I wondered about her destination. I wanted her to be in kindergarten, but reality told me she probably wasn't on the bus alone unless she was at least in high school - puhleez god don't let her be in college. Gloriosky, she got off at Mill and Broadway, the corner where Tempe Union High School lives. She just looked so very, very young and I didn't want to think I was old enough that college kids could look as young as her. Bad enough she's in high school, but hopefully a freshman. I remember when the NCAA basketball players looked like old men - somewhere along the line, they started to let children play the game. So what's up with that?

#4133

Haven't posted in a few - things have been same old, same old, so nothing to report. I can verify, however, that today's bus had a white wall in the back and it does make a difference in bus lighting. Breathtaking news, eh?

Dave was back in the BTA - medical report must have indicated he is still alive as he got on the bus and sat upright without assistance. Good going, Dave. One of the Steves was riding and eventually we were joined by a man I will call Liberal Guy. He's been on before, but no discernible pattern of riding. I call him Liberal because he uses all the language and commentary that would make a good liberal proud. This is not a criticism, especially since I tend toward the left of center myself; however, he is so negative, it almost makes me want to be conservative. He definitely sports the half-empty perspective which indicates to me that no matter what happens, he wouldn't be happy with it. Even if everything happened as he thought it should, he'd find fault with why it happened or how it happened or etc., etc., etc. It's interesting to listen and, hopefully, learn.

On a totally non-bus topic (I know it's a bus blog, but it's mine and I'm the writer) I have to explain today's image. Through a feed from 37Signals, I read a blog entry about "pimp cups" which led me to a website called IcedOutGear. It is a place for the hiphop fan to outfit his/her gangsta self. What fascinated me most were the "grillz" - appliances that fit over the teeth for the ultimate dazzling smile. Initially, I could see the food trapped between the rhinestones; however, the ad cautions that these are decorative and not for eating. Since I'm not much of a hiphop fan, I probably won't ever get to see some grillz in person. Have to settle for the internet.

#4154

Made sure and looked at the bus number today. The bus seemed different when I got on - finally decided the back wall was covered with dark carpet and it changed the lighting effect. Lighting effect on a bus? Seems a bit incongruous... Hope I remember to look tonight and see how the back wall is decorated in this evening's bus.

Today is a mishmash of uneventfulness - ridership was low, but this is one of the slowest times of year on campus and most humid in Arizona. I think people head for the hills and there's only a skeleton crew of us left to hold the place together. When I got on today, the driver was talking and it sounded like she was placing death-like threats on her husband. Newspaper Guy was fearful of more male-bashing when I joined the group, but I told him I'd save it for another day. Need to hold those cards sometimes. NG, who unintentionally collects dogs, was pleased to announce that two of his current collection are leaving his nest. Round of applause and yay!

In other news, Dave is in absentia - he's having some medical tests done and hope the results are good. He helps anchor the BTA on Mondays when NG is off and we need him back in position.

Not much else to report from the 66.

#41.......

Back in the saddle today - spot on time for the 6am 66. When I got on the bus, the driver and Newspaper Guy were chatting away and I joined the fray. Quite a bit of friendly male-bashing - NG was battered and bruised, but he'll get even, I'm sure.

Engineeering Guy was back! Said he's moved closer to the Southern/Mill stop and thinks he can make the 6:10am 66. He's so refreshing - hope we see him more often. No exciting engineering terms today; however, we discussed polynomials - one of my favorite words. Apparently, he looked at prime-rich polynomials from a new, non-math point of view and discovered (created? invented? not sure how new things evolve in math) a unique approach. His discovery so impressed his math professor, he will make a presentation at MathFest, the big annual conference of the Mathematical Association of America. We have a math celebrity on our route! Is that cool or what? In searching for polynomials to help create today's image, I found a nice website about math. Check it out. We'll send positive thoughts and karma to EG as he prepares for his presentation.

4130, I think

A bit of a twist today. I fiddlefarted around and missed the 6AM 66. It wasn't a mad dash to the stop only to see the bus drive away - I knew I wouldn't make it, so hung around the house until time for the 6:30. I believe we can chalk this up to my vertigo, another dizzying experience.

The 6:30 was great, though, as Mark AKA Bicycle Guy got on and we had a nice catch-up chat as we rode to ASU. He said he'd be back on our 6am ride once classes start again. The 6:30 had a nice bunch of riders and the scooter guy from the other morning was there. It was just enough more people, I almost want to try the 7, 7:30 and 8am buses to see how they populate. I'll be staying late for a class on Thursdays starting fall semester, so maybe I'll use that as my experimental day and go in later to test the water. I'm thinking bus research could become a semi-career if I let it. There are places I want to go and things I want to do on the bus - just need to find the time.