Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Buses Again
This maybe getting very boring but I do need to have a moan. Bus was relatively empty when I caught it this morning. I took a strategic seat - the back seat in the middle ensures that you can get off before the doors close also there is an arm rest that helps avoid feeling squashed by your neighbour. I was wrong on the latter point, this bloke got on the bus wearing what appeared to be a burst matress (one of those quilted coats), he was babbling into a mobile phone - bad news, he made directions for the seat next to me (arm rest side) - the burst matress coat he was wearing pushed me half way accross my seat. Oh fuck. Fortunately, I had to suffer this for only a couple of stops. I got off the bus and my connecting bus was just pulling up - your carriage awaits - I my earphones in place - switched on the mp3 player to Johnny Winter - Guitar Slinger - cool music, like his guitar style. My pleasure was interrupted by a tinny noise intruding through my earphones, some idiot did not want to use earphones and decided to pipe his crap throughout the bus. Oh fuck, I just could not listen to Johnny Winter and had to put up with the crap that was bizzing in my ears.
Return journey was similar, there was this black guy who decided to PA his music, it was heavily peppered with words such as m~fucker and plenty of the n-word - is this self loathing or what? Maybe I have out-of-date ideas but whatever happened to "young ,gifted and black"..."black and proud"..."black is beautiful"...the ongoing celebration of ethnicity. It's as if this kind of modern rap music is saying "we are all in the gutter, but why should you be looking at the stars n~ m~fucker?"
Having said all that, the makers of this stuff may want to produce such responses as this - a white guy commenting on things that take one to the edge in the daily life, a mere bus journey. Wonder if those buggers who live in those "living with the future" houses are getting such messages with their dinner party jazz.
The bus pulled up by a stop where this white guy with dangerous dog without a leash wanted to board the bus. The driver had given this some thought because he stopped for a few micro seconds to let white guy and dangerous dog on the bus, but decided against it. The wretched animal was without a leash and guess on whose leg he would be dining, mine! Thank you Mr Bus Driver for not letting arse hole and dangerous dog on bus. The arse hole looked somewhat indignant and perplexed. Well if you bought a fucking leash for your fucking dog, you might have better luck in boarding buses.
Return journey was similar, there was this black guy who decided to PA his music, it was heavily peppered with words such as m~fucker and plenty of the n-word - is this self loathing or what? Maybe I have out-of-date ideas but whatever happened to "young ,gifted and black"..."black and proud"..."black is beautiful"...the ongoing celebration of ethnicity. It's as if this kind of modern rap music is saying "we are all in the gutter, but why should you be looking at the stars n~ m~fucker?"
Having said all that, the makers of this stuff may want to produce such responses as this - a white guy commenting on things that take one to the edge in the daily life, a mere bus journey. Wonder if those buggers who live in those "living with the future" houses are getting such messages with their dinner party jazz.
The bus pulled up by a stop where this white guy with dangerous dog without a leash wanted to board the bus. The driver had given this some thought because he stopped for a few micro seconds to let white guy and dangerous dog on the bus, but decided against it. The wretched animal was without a leash and guess on whose leg he would be dining, mine! Thank you Mr Bus Driver for not letting arse hole and dangerous dog on bus. The arse hole looked somewhat indignant and perplexed. Well if you bought a fucking leash for your fucking dog, you might have better luck in boarding buses.
Labels: Travel
Thursday, February 15, 2007
More Fun on London's Buses
I usually drive around, but there are numerous arseholes on the road, who make the experience of driving a trifle frightful. I am on an anti-carbon drive so I am bussing around. Trust me, it's great fun. You have to put up with an awful lot. Careful not to sit in the elderly and people with children seats. Find a perch elsewhere. There is the usual tyranny of those who have pushchairs containing brats who squawk and squeal. There are the mobile phone tyrants who unload their personal lives in the cabin of the bus. There are the huge people who budge you off your seat if you are sitting on the outside and if you are sitting on the inside you are squashed up against the window.
I travelled on the bus today - it was a catalogue of experiences. The bus in front refused to budge, it would seem that there were around a dozen youth above the age of fourteen who attempted to travel for free. The driver refused to move the bus. I could see things were getting a bit leary on the bus in front. Eventually, the youths caved and got off the bus.
I attempted to read my book. OK until towards the end of my journey. Some fucking selfish young women, well-wrapped for Arctic conditions (thermal hat and scarf etc) decided to open the window - the draft blew into my face and around my ears. This fucking woman decided to babble away into a mobile. Had my journey been longer, I would have insisted that she close the window, if not I think I would have complained to the driver. That young woman was a selfish little shit!
I travelled on the bus today - it was a catalogue of experiences. The bus in front refused to budge, it would seem that there were around a dozen youth above the age of fourteen who attempted to travel for free. The driver refused to move the bus. I could see things were getting a bit leary on the bus in front. Eventually, the youths caved and got off the bus.
I attempted to read my book. OK until towards the end of my journey. Some fucking selfish young women, well-wrapped for Arctic conditions (thermal hat and scarf etc) decided to open the window - the draft blew into my face and around my ears. This fucking woman decided to babble away into a mobile. Had my journey been longer, I would have insisted that she close the window, if not I think I would have complained to the driver. That young woman was a selfish little shit!
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Bussing It
With all the hooha about carbon emissions I have decided to use the car for essential things like going to the laundry. I have charged up my Oyster card with a weekly bus pass - don't put money on your Oyster card, TFL eats it up with every journey you make (i have lost £3 - £4 in a single bus journey.
Travelling by bus brings you a mixture of experiences. These are just a few of them
Parents barging their way through with baby buggies the size of a hospital trolley on crowded buses - it's a real hazardous business if you are standing in the path of one these things. Parent has the get out the fucking way attitude.
Then you have the snotty teenager who decides plays his / her music on public address - the music, if you can call it that, comes out tinny sounding like a panicking bluebottle stuck between the window and curtain.
The territorial imperitave - this is when a bod occupies the two seats. He or she does this by sitting on the outside. You have to be explicit in demanding the other seat. Sometimes I don't bother because there are people on whom I really do not want to use my assertiveness skills.
Then you have the health bod insists on riding the bus in very cold weather with the windows open. There was this woman with this quite horrendous dyed red hair style, heavily gelled so that it stuck up at a diagonal at both sides. I did not want to suggest that she closes her window, I think that I would have been conveyed to another in ambulance! This young man, however, braved the fierce hairstyle and asked her to close the window. She grudgingly did this. Why the fuck do these people insist that they ride with the windows open in extremely cold weather.
Top deck - don't go there, especially if there are school kids occupying that deck.
Travelling by bus brings you a mixture of experiences. These are just a few of them
Parents barging their way through with baby buggies the size of a hospital trolley on crowded buses - it's a real hazardous business if you are standing in the path of one these things. Parent has the get out the fucking way attitude.
Then you have the snotty teenager who decides plays his / her music on public address - the music, if you can call it that, comes out tinny sounding like a panicking bluebottle stuck between the window and curtain.
The territorial imperitave - this is when a bod occupies the two seats. He or she does this by sitting on the outside. You have to be explicit in demanding the other seat. Sometimes I don't bother because there are people on whom I really do not want to use my assertiveness skills.
Then you have the health bod insists on riding the bus in very cold weather with the windows open. There was this woman with this quite horrendous dyed red hair style, heavily gelled so that it stuck up at a diagonal at both sides. I did not want to suggest that she closes her window, I think that I would have been conveyed to another in ambulance! This young man, however, braved the fierce hairstyle and asked her to close the window. She grudgingly did this. Why the fuck do these people insist that they ride with the windows open in extremely cold weather.
Top deck - don't go there, especially if there are school kids occupying that deck.
Labels: Travel
