Bus Temperatures and Waiting

The one thing that I really don’t like about the bus system is the change in temperature.  Each bus driver has the ability to control how hot or cool the bus may be – or so that is my guess.

The regular driver, who takes Jenna and me from West Valley to Tannersville each morning, keeps his bus at a comfortable temperature – the way I like it in my house and room.  The way I keep it when Roland’s away.  Windows open.  Fans running.

Most of the older drivers keep the bus at furnace temperature – the way Roland likes it.  The way that makes me hot and uncomfortable and worn out. 

 

Long before I got married and was working downtown.  Taking the bus in summer wasn’t generally that big of a deal – not like it was in winter.  I would always sit in back next to a window that had been pried open.  I would remove my hat, my coat, my sweater and whatever else I could.  I’d pant. Before arriving at my designated spot I’d bundle up all over again.

Right now I wear a back pack in order to carry my coat, umbrella and sweater as needed.  I won’t need it when spring comes.

I’m actually getting familiar with some of the bus lines and how to get from here to there.  Yesterday I went out to see Harold.  It took only 30-40 minutes from Jenna’s school.  But the return home was not great.  The weather would have been fine with it.  My body was okay with just a sweatshirt but my ears and fingers felt frozen all day.  No hat seemed to work.  My ears felt like they would break off.

I should have gone back the way I came, but I took Desa’s advice at trying another route.  I must have just missed it and the other way late.  I think I’d been waiting for 30-40 minutes (the same amount of time it had taken for the entire trip between Alpine Ridge and Jenna’s school).  It took nearly two hours for me to return home.

Not quite as bad as it had been on Monday when I’d gone downtown to a rather expensive salon.  I wouldn’t have gone at all if the services offered hadn’t been free – well, free financially – but it did cost in time.  After I dropped Jenna off at school, I caught an 8:30 bus and transferred to go downtown.  90 minutes.  

I had arrived an hour before my appointment, but it just didn’t seem worth going home for just half an hour.  The hair dresser was late getting started which accounted for another 30 – 50 minutes. The process of fixing my hair was over two hours – which wasn’t a surprise.  I have a LOT of hair.

I was going to try another route on the return, but when I looked at the clock, I knew I should head back the way I came for there would not be enough time to go home.  I would have to return to the school for Jenna.  My bus arrived at the same time the first bell rang for dismissal.  Fortunately Jenna is a dawdler and hadn’t known how late I was at coming for her.

It’s true that I don’t like to wait for busses, but overall I have developed a sense of comfort – even though it does cost in time.  I’m okay with it at this point in time.