The Wheels on the Bus

Yesterday was a very interesting day. I developed a healthy fear for the subway, and just when I had conquered my fear of the bus, it came back. I've been reading the short story book I bought about the subway, and most of them are very interesting, innocent stories about the subway that make you laugh. However, there were a couple that have completely put the fear in me about getting pushed in front of a train. Now the one story I read where the person actually got pushed was in a really bad part of town in the 70s, but it was from a complete stranger for no apparent reason other than he was crazy. The other story they're pretty sure was a suicide, and a woman jumped in front of a train. Regardless, I used to stand near the edge of the platform and stare down the tunnel waiting for the train. Now I stand in at the back of the platform or in the middle of two platforms and patiently wait for my train. To make matters worse for the first time in a long time, I stopped paying attention while riding and then actually missed my stop. So I had to get off at the next stop and turn around to go the other direction.

In the last couple of weeks I have ridden the bus enough to where I'm not afraid of the machine and how to stick my metro card in and where to sit, etc. Yesterday I went up to the Bronx which took about an hour to get up there to try and look at the mattress. After taking the subway, the bus and walking a little bit, I found out that the Sears in the Bronx does not actually sell mattresses. Well fine. So I walk back up to catch the bus and see the bus sitting at the corner. I hurry and wave at the bus driver who opens the door to let me on. As I'm about to put my metro card in the machine the bus driver looked at me and said, "do you know where this bus is going?" I'm in the Bronx, I had my directions for myself in my pocket, and my mind was going blank because I was in such shock that the bus driver was asking me if I knew where the bus was going like it was a prerequisite to board the bus. Since when do you have to know where a bus is going to get on it? Like he's responsible if I end up going to the wrong place. I stood there awkwardly for a moment going "ummmm" when suddenly I remembered the stop I was getting off at and said "Valentine and Fordham???" He said "ok good, just as long as you know where this is going." It was by far one of the weirdest things that has happened to me.

So I finally make it back to Chelsea after my pointless adventure in the Bronx and decide that I am going to eat out tonight and forget all of my troubles. I was thinking that I would eat at a pizzeria I walk by almost every day when I remembered that I wanted to eat at a place called Cafeteria that Jessica recommended. I called Scott to find out what street it was on so that I could walk there and as I start heading that direction I pass a protest for the Tropic Thunder movie for using the word "retard" in the movie. The protesters were very loud and very angry. As I'm crossing an intersection I get honked at. Now in New York cars have the right away unless you are in a crosswalk with a walk sign, which I was. I'm not sure what the idiot was doing, but he was definitely in the left lane trying to keep going through the crosswalk when he had a red light. He couldn't turn left because it wasn't a one-way street. So my afternoon already and the fact that this guy was being an idiot make me so mad that I yelled back at the guy. I think I might be turning into a true New Yorker. So I make it to Cafeteria only to find out that they are closed for this week only. What are the odds??? So I walk back up to the pizzeria I was going to eat at originally forgetting about the angry protesters and ducking and walking into the street as I pass them. I ate dinner and called it a night!