We are starting to get some serious repetition with a few new riders. Cat lady and Broadmoor lady are living up to their recently acquired "regular" crowns and we have a young, tall, African-American man who has been riding with a great deal of regularity. He will be the next crown candidate if his current riding pattern persists. He sits in the very back seat and today as he entered the brain trust area, we had official smiles, nods and "good mornings" exchanged between him and Dave and me. He has a very nice deep voice and is a welcome addition to the BTA. A man who is an irregular regular got on and also came to the back of the bus. I knew he talked to NG and BG in the past, so I wasn't surprised when he engaged us in conversation. Dave told me the correct pronunciation for Gallaudet University and that opened the door for the man to discuss regional word usage. He said that in Milwaukee, water fountains are called "bubblers" and Ohio is the only place where people say, "I'll be darned." He had several other examples of regionalisms, euphemisms and mixed metaphors. Not sure what he does and didn't get a chance to ask where he learned so much about naming practices in so many places. His accent was decidedly New York or Massachusetts so, who knows? Maybe he hitchhiked his way across the US to Arizona and learned all about local talk on the way? Probably nothing near so interesting.
14 June 2006
#4135
Well the oddities of the 66 continue. Newspaper guy was again absent and we haven't seen bicycle guy for almost three weeks. Change of schedule, I hope. Dave and I have become permanent fixtures in the brain trust area and pretty much own the bus for the first half of the trip. It's kind of like having a seriously stretched limo but none of the amenities. The driver is nice and the door opens automatically, but that's about it. I guess the upholstery on the seats is a "plush" fabric, but nothing about it gives that lay-back-and-lounge feel of the lovely deep leather found in most limos. But the driver is nice.
We are starting to get some serious repetition with a few new riders. Cat lady and Broadmoor lady are living up to their recently acquired "regular" crowns and we have a young, tall, African-American man who has been riding with a great deal of regularity. He will be the next crown candidate if his current riding pattern persists. He sits in the very back seat and today as he entered the brain trust area, we had official smiles, nods and "good mornings" exchanged between him and Dave and me. He has a very nice deep voice and is a welcome addition to the BTA. A man who is an irregular regular got on and also came to the back of the bus. I knew he talked to NG and BG in the past, so I wasn't surprised when he engaged us in conversation. Dave told me the correct pronunciation for Gallaudet University and that opened the door for the man to discuss regional word usage. He said that in Milwaukee, water fountains are called "bubblers" and Ohio is the only place where people say, "I'll be darned." He had several other examples of regionalisms, euphemisms and mixed metaphors. Not sure what he does and didn't get a chance to ask where he learned so much about naming practices in so many places. His accent was decidedly New York or Massachusetts so, who knows? Maybe he hitchhiked his way across the US to Arizona and learned all about local talk on the way? Probably nothing near so interesting.
We are starting to get some serious repetition with a few new riders. Cat lady and Broadmoor lady are living up to their recently acquired "regular" crowns and we have a young, tall, African-American man who has been riding with a great deal of regularity. He will be the next crown candidate if his current riding pattern persists. He sits in the very back seat and today as he entered the brain trust area, we had official smiles, nods and "good mornings" exchanged between him and Dave and me. He has a very nice deep voice and is a welcome addition to the BTA. A man who is an irregular regular got on and also came to the back of the bus. I knew he talked to NG and BG in the past, so I wasn't surprised when he engaged us in conversation. Dave told me the correct pronunciation for Gallaudet University and that opened the door for the man to discuss regional word usage. He said that in Milwaukee, water fountains are called "bubblers" and Ohio is the only place where people say, "I'll be darned." He had several other examples of regionalisms, euphemisms and mixed metaphors. Not sure what he does and didn't get a chance to ask where he learned so much about naming practices in so many places. His accent was decidedly New York or Massachusetts so, who knows? Maybe he hitchhiked his way across the US to Arizona and learned all about local talk on the way? Probably nothing near so interesting.
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