#4127 (I think)

I looked at the number but it didn't register firmly in the gray matter. I think I'm close. The bus was a little late today - apparently the original one was stalling so our trusty driver asked for and received a replacement unit. I secretly always wanted to ride a bus that broke down, but do appreciate his desire to keep the flock happy and criticism of bus travel to a minimum.

Gotta tell you, this was one smelly ride. At Baseline and Mill a wino got on and he smelled like he spent the night inside a beer keg - whew! He looked odorous - crusty clothes (ugh!) and very weathery, leathery skin. He sat in the front seat, right behind the driver. Dave sits across from me in the first seat next to the front, so he was, unfortunately, downwind of the guy and receiving the odors in waves. About two stops later, a worker guy got on who smelled as though he'd smoked an entire carton of cigarettes while standing in a closed phone booth - geezo pete! He plopped down on the seat to Dave's right and proceeded to fuss with his bag while getting out and putting on some knee pads (carpet layer? tile setter?). The more he moved around, the more the smoke smell swirled. Dave was surrounded with odor and almost needed a nitro pill to survive.

As we walked toward campus, Dave and I talked about the smells and he said the cat lady still had a strong odor. She got on today and sat next to me, but I didn't notice it. Of course, I reallly dislike bad smells, so at the first hint, I go into subtle mouth-breathing mode. I was non-nasal from the minute the wino boarded, so I couldn't have smelled cat lady if I wanted to (hello??? who wants these smells????) It was an interesting ride and today's image will be used on future AROMA trips.