Monday - 6/11/12

6/11/12 - Monday

It's 3:15am. My alarm's going off. I'm exhausted. It must have caught me in deep sleep. I did part of my reports last night. It should be ok to go back to bed for 15 minutes. I set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes and go back to bed.

I'm feeling really rested now. I'm surprised 15 minutes did that, but glad. Wait. It has to be at least 15 minutes... Why isn't the alarm going off?!

I look at the clock. It says 4:45. I definitely slept more than 15 minutes! I think I can still make the bus though. Why didn't the timer ring?! I check the timer. It says it was set for SIX hours and fifteen minutes! Wow. I'm glad I woke up! Wait... If it was set for six hours and I only slept 20 minutes or so then the timer should have had five hours something left, but it had four hours something left, before I stopped it. My brain must still be fuzzy! That's right! I should be at the bus stop now!

I grab the bills I need to send to the office and stuff them into my backpack, throw on my clothes and try to think of anything else I need. I grab the things for the deposit. My brain's still fuzzy. I want to make sure of the timing. Google maps still doesn't have the orange county lines. How frustrating! I check to see how to. Get to Disneyland. That's all la line. It says I've definitely missed the first bus, but can make the second. My brain's still fuzzy, not figuring it all out. I decide to go to the alternate stop, just in case... Since my mind isn't managing to remember what time the original bus gets there.

Partway to the bus stop. My brain is clearing. I can't believe how rested I feel! I've remembered that the bus arrives there around 5 after. If I'd been sleeping in my clothes or something and had left right when I got up, I might have made it. I keep moving quickly, just in case.

I'm at the stop. No bus. I wasn't expecting one, but I was hoping. I want to make sure I get to class! Nothing to do now but wait. Right now, the bus is reaching my main bus stop. It will take another fifteen minutes or so to get here. I sit down cross-legged on the concrete, pull my hairbrush out of the backpack and finally take the time to brush my hair.

Since I have the printouts of the 43 and 55 lines in my backpack. I pull those out and try to figure out the timing. The good news is that it looks like the 43 is running every 15 minutes this time of the morning. The bad news is that we'll get to Disneyland a minute or two after one left. That's frustrating!

The 55 is another one. I know I've seen it running every 10 minutes in the morning. This schedule is saying every 20 minutes or so. Is this new? Have they backed off of runs, or was that just somehow how it worked out and it will still be happening? I wish I knew. I know I need to go as far as I can on the 43 and then make it over to 17th street. Wait for the 55 there or go forward on the scooter is the question. It's faster if I can catch the bus, but I don't want to be standing waiting for a bus that isn't coming either.

I'm still hoping the 43 will be late or we'll be early and I'll manage to catch the earlier one. No luck. We're at Disneyland. No 43 here.

On the 43. The nice older gentleman who always rides this later bus is here. Once again, everyone here seems to know and like him. He's conversing with them in Spanish.

A guy just got on. He's in his thirties maybe. He seems really agitated. There is some kind of problem with his bus pass. I guess it got resolved. He came to sit down. He sat down for about 2 seconds, then popped back up and went to talk to the bus driver. All I can think of is that this is extra time that could delay us. I can't hear everything he's saying. It sounds like the bus driver had originally thought it was the 12th, said his pass was expired and asked him to pay the fare. I'm sure that got cleared up. I know I didn't see the guy paying any fare. His body language is really violent he win't leave the poor bus driver alone. Fortunately, we start moving. The guy is jumping around, shifting from foot to foot, but doesn't leave the spot there, near the driver. He starts moving around more and more almost boxing footsteps All of a sudden he's stopped just harassing the driver and is now yelling at the bus full of people. He's yelling that the bus driver is a thief and tried to steal from him. I'd gladly give him the dollar fifty. I'm sure others on the bus would too, but that wouldn't stop him. That's obvious. Now he's yelling that he knows we hate him because he's ugly. Such a weird thing to say. He isn't ugly, and if anyone here is at all close to hating him it's because he's delaying the bus.

He's moving around more and more. Boxing type movements, especially with is feet, but choppy. He almost hits the lady sitting nearest where he's standing. She yells out for him to watch out. The older gentlemen leans forward gently and talks to her. She agrees, gets up and moves back farther into the bus. It's a full bus, but there must have been one seat left. Now, the older gentleman switches seats with the other lady on the bench seat, taking her out of the guys way. It all happens so smoothly the ranting guy doesn't notice. Now, the older gentleman leans forward, smiles and talks quietly with the two ladies there.
They have their own world now, unaffected by the guy ranting near them.

The ranting guy was moving farther down the bus. He's still in the very front, but as he Challenges the people more and more he moves closer to the bus aisle, then back again. Quietly and smoothly a male passenger comes up and blocks the way down the aisle by holding on, each hand holding a hand strap on that side. I'm impressed at how he did it. It just seemed like sole one getting up, ready for his stop. Yet, from my point of view I know that wasn't it, he was there to block the way, protect the bus full of people. Now ranting guy turns on him tells him he knows he hates him because he's ugly at first he doesn't answer. After about the third attempt from ranting guy, he does answer. He says he doesn't hate him, and calls him sir. They go back and forth a few times, ranting guy telling him he's lying and if it was true he'd tell it to god. The other gentleman just keeps blocking the way, holding onto the straps. When he does answer it's always with kindness and always respectfully, always using the word "sir".

Some people are getting on here. I wonder how that's going to happen? Ah! The bus driver must have told the lady to go around to the exit and get on there. She paid her money and got off the bus. The guy who got on walked past ranting guy. The guy who was blocking the way let down one hand just long enough for him to walk through.

Another stop. I don't know where we are, but I can see a sheriff standing there waiting for the bus.