~Wednesday~ Today’s buscapade revolves around how acoustics can affect getting “the dirt.” Imagine this depiction of the first few seats on the bus. In the past, whenever I’ve referred to a bus having two center-facing seats in the front, this is the kind of set up I’m talking about, and it was the seating arrangement on this morning’s bus.
Okay, Heart gets on the bus first and takes his indicated aisle seat in the first front-facing row on the left side of the bus. About three stops later, Moon gets on and takes her seat toward the front of the right center-facing seats. Moon chit-chats with the bus driver for a couple of stops, at which time Star gets on and takes the back center-facing seat on the left side.
Moon to Star as Star takes her seat: Girl! How ya been doin?
Star: Uh, pretty g…, uh alright.
Moon: You do anythin’ fun for the fourth?
Star: I worked.
Moon: Well that’s a good thing. Girl, did you get your divorce?
Star lowers her voice to a whisper, evidently not considering that fact that sound waves loud enough for Moon to hear are also loud enough for Heart to hear. (And trust me, Heart is listening.)
Star, whispering: That was a sham.
Moon: What?
Star, only a slight bit louder: That was a sham.
Moon: Sham? What you mean?
Star: The divorce. I mean the marriage. When I went down to see if he’d filed the divorce papers, I found out there was never no marriage license applied for. It was a sham. I was never married to him.
Two stops later, Heart exits the bus by the State Employees Credit Union (SECU)—with his wallet in his back pocket, with his cards lined up in order from top to bottom: his SECU ATM card with a crack in it three-fourths the way across, his American Express card, his Mastercard, and his driver’s license. But Heart digresses…
From 9:30-11:00, I attended the July (bi-monthly) meeting of the University Information Technology Committee meeting, at which I’m responsible for taking the minutes. I forgot my laptop power cord, and my manager was gracious enough to run back to my office to get it for me, returning just as the meeting was called to order.
At lunchtime, a voice mail message I had left for myself from the bus stop this morning reminded me to send this email:
| To: Meters.Operations@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Subject: Water Meter Cover Safety Issue!!! To whom it may concern: There is a water meter cover that has come off and dropped down into the ground at the corner of Kent Rd and Kaplan Drive, right beside the sign for the CAT Bus (#12). What’s particularly bad about it is that the bus stops right in front of it, and anyone not looking could step off the bus and right down into that hole potentially resulting in a serious foot, knee, leg, or hip injury. I think it needs immediate attention. |
Signed,
Johnny-do-good
On the bus on the way home, the lady sitting two seats behind me took two calls on her cell phone, and she was absolutely screaming into her phone.
“I’m gone to da stoh on Monday. Tryin’ to tell me I ain’t paid my bill. I’m gone walk out there with a free phone…” [short pause] “No my credit’s good! They done checked it already. I approved. Gone out to da stoh on Monday. Tired a messin’ wif dem. You watch.”
Getting off the bus at my stop, I could see that my email made absolutely no difference, not today at least. I carefully walked around the water meter injury trap as I have for the last week or so.
Early on in my reading of the 817-page tome, Anna Karinena, I found an insurance card (Nationwide) stuck amidst its pages, evidently having served as a previous reader’s bookmark.
Today I took the name and address on that insurance card, wrote it on a pink stationery envelope, put the insurance card in the envelope, put a stamp on it, and wrote this in the return address area: Anna Karenina.
I wish I could watch the recipient get that envelope in the mail.
Dancing was fun tonight. We had a decent number of dancers, and a lot of folks taking the lesson, which was for Texas Tattoo.
I left at 10:30, picked up Joe at the Southwest terminal, and we returned back to Flex, where we hung out until a little after twelve. I spent some time talking with Al, who had arrived just before I left earlier, and I didn’t get to talk to him then. Joe and I also spent some time talking with Alex, and having some good laughs.
Near time to go, Van asked if I could give him a ride home, so we dropped him off first and then I took Joe home. A little late for a “school night,” but it was a fun time.