Mean Bus Drivers
What pleasure could one possibly get from waiting for some poor passenger walking up to the door of the bus and then taking off just before they can get on?
I mean, really…
I can understand if the passenger was taking their time, sauntering up the street like they owned the town. That type of arrogance should be rewarded with a face full of exhaust.
But when the poor soul has been running for a good few blocks just to catch the bus. It’s not really fair.
Not all bus drivers are like this, mind you. Most are awesome.
I’m only ranting about this because I’ve seen it happen twice this past week.
Streets Suck
Sometimes I wonder what city planners are smoking when they design streets.
I mean, I know that grids are overdone, but they make it easier to get around.
If you don’t know what I mean, go to New York. Pick two places, then ask for directions from anyone on the street…
YOU: Hi there. I’m trying to get from the United Nations property to the Empire State Building. How do I do this?
ANYONE IN NEW YORK: Go to hell.
Honestly, they wouldn’t say that (often). The directions they’d give you would be relatively straightforward, as the streets are laid out and named in such a way as to facilitate finding your way around effectively.
However, go to Sao Paolo and ask for directions….
YOU: Hi there, I’m trying to get from A to B. Can you give me directions?
ANYONE IN SAO PAULO: [Explodes, leaving behind a tuft of singed hair.]
Why am I writing about streets? Well, I was inspired by a conversation I overheard yesterday…
OLD LADY: Excuse me, miss [Approaching some other lady.]. Does Dundas St go North from here?
SOME OTHER LADY: Dundas St West goes Dundas St West.
OLD LADY: Um…
We have a street in Toronto named Dundas St W. In some places it goes North/South. In most it goes East/West. It crosses Bloor St W at least twice, making directions a bit more challenging to give. Seriously, tell someone you’re looking for Dundas & Bloor and see what they say.
As awkward as that sounds, though, it’s not as bad as King St in Kitchener/Waterloo. At any given point it could be King St N, King St S, King St E, or King St W. I think it even crosses Weber St three times…
YOU: [Getting in Cab.] Hi there. I’d like to go to King/Weber.
CABBIE: [Applies gentle bathing to you with flamethrower.]
Ah, gotta love city streets.
Experiment a Success?
I wrote an article yesterday engineered to capture many hits from search engines. The thing about that article is that it will demonstrate its effectiveness in the weeks to come.
Any new article is attached to the front page of one’s blog after it has been written, attaining hits by virtue of being front-and-center. Eventually, though, it is moved down the list, and off the front by newer articles. Occasionally you will see footprints from web-searching-spiders.
Now that the spiders will run amok inside my article and it will move up the hit charts, causing the counter to rise steadily rather than taper off.
That’s the hope, anyway.
I’ve never really been all that scientific…
Filed under: Anecdotes, Experiments, Rants, Spaces Archive | 9 Comments »
Barking Space 