Notes

Penn is making fun of me right now because I am listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" on NPR. I find it entertaining and when I combine listening to this show on Saturday mornings with watching The Daily Show a few times a week, I figure I pretty much know what's going on in the world. (I'm kidding. Sort of.) Anyway, just now I was sitting here at the dining table wasting time on the internet when I noticed it was 11:00, so I told Penn, "Oh, my radio show is on! Can we listen to it?" And he died laughing. He told me that I'm the only person our age in the entire country who has a radio program I must listen to. He said it's like we're living in the 1930s and I'm excited because The Lone Ranger is about to come on. Think he's right about that? (Answer: Yes, probably.)

Yesterday I was on the bus riding to campus. By the way, I ride the bus now because I did some calculations when it came time to renew my annual campus parking permit and I realized that I could spend at least $1,000 a year commuting to campus in my car or I could spend $350 doing the same commute by bus (or $600 doing the same commute by train). Needless to say, I will not be renewing my parking permit and I'm now even more committed to using public transportation. But anyway, yesterday I was on the bus riding to campus and the bus pulled up to a stop about a mile away from school. It stopped to pick up this blonde, over-accesorized girl who was obviously a college undergrad. When the bus doors opened the girl stepped up into the bus but was still sort of hanging halfway out of it so the doors couldn't close. She asked the driver, "Does this bus go to the University Town subway station?" Already I was rolling my eyes because this particular bus route terminates at the University Town subway station so do you know what it says in bright flashing lights along the front of the bus? University Town Subway Station. And then the rest of the conversation went like this:
Bus Driver: Yes, it goes to the subway station.
Girl: The University Town subway station?
Bus Driver: Yes.
Girl: Are you sure?
Bus Driver: YES.
Girl: [as her cell phone beeps] Oh, that's my brother, he told me to take the bus. Can I call him real quick to make sure this is the right one?
Bus Driver: You want to call him? You need to either get on the bus or get off.
Girl: I just want to make sure this is the right bus.
Bus Driver: This goes to the subway station.
Girl: But are you sure?
Random guy on the bus: Yes.
Girl: Can you wait just one second so I can--actually, someone might be coming to pick me up--
Me: [finally fed up, piping up from the back of the bus] YES, this goes to the subway station, I PROMISE.
Girl: Oh...okay.
And then she proceeded to spend the rest of the time I was on the bus chattering away on her cell phone about how she was taking the bus, oh my gawd.
What an idiot. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason she finally got on the bus was because I, the only other white person on the bus at the time, said that yes, it was fine and it would take her to her destination. And that's really depressing, that there are people so racist (probably subconsciously, but STILL) that they can't even be bothered to trust the person who actually drives the bus for a living just because that person is black. I don't know if that's actually the case or not, but that's what it felt like and it ticked me off. Also, how self-absorbed do you have to be to think a bus that serves a major metropolitan area and has a schedule to stick to will just stop and wait for you while you make a quick phone call? Usually I like people. Sometimes, I really, really wonder what is wrong with them.

Penn and I are celebrating our official one-year anniversary tonight! I have a longer post in the works about that (I've been writing it on and off since March 28th, which is the night we first met) and I'll post it soon. In the meantime, he's taking me on a surprise date tonight. I honestly have no clue where we're going, but I'm excited!