Monday, September 03, 2007

Saturday In Pasadena - The Heat of the Moment

It was hot. It was 107 degrees hot. It was so hot I didn't want to go directly home so I was going across town to pick up a bus pass. If you don't latch on to a bus pass by Saturday afternoon you are SOL and you will be forking up $5 a day Metro pass.

I had gotten out of class early. I caught the bus in less than 10 minutes which was a blessing due to the heat. Made it to Lake and Colorado and that is when life got interesting.


One of the most stressful jobs in Los Angeles is being a bus driver. The idiotic things people do with their cars and pedestrians will age you before your time. Things like a bike rider approaching from the left, getting off his bike and then expecting to board the bus.

The driver has the option of not allowing the passenger on the bus. Especially if you almost get yourself hit by pulling up in front of said bus. Rest assured you will not be allowed to board the bus if the driver told you to remove your bike from the rack.

But this isn't really about the bus and the bike. It is about men and women. Self determination. Fantasy thinking and when do you accept defeat honorably and go about your business? It was dang poetic.

I had to leave before the Metro (cough) police arrived. Actually the driver encouraged us to catch the next bus.

A brief explanation. Although the driver called the police the Los Angeles Sheriff department is the law enforcement agency for the L.A. Metro transit system. Pasadena police could not respond unless it is life threatening (don't hold me to that, that is just bus rider intuition.)

And although there is a sheriff station in Altadena there was no way of knowing where this particular sheriff would be coming from. It would be a long wait. Once the driver called for the sheriff she couldn't move.

For all I know they are still facing off. The music is by Ralph Wooden, the tune is Bent String Blues.

4 comments:

  1. Almost makes one wonder what makes a person think being stubborn is the right thing to do. It almost got him arrested.

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  2. Well, we don't know that for sure.

    What I did understand was that these folks were strong in how they perceived the situation. There was no way to either to yield.

    What I wasn't able to record was two guys trying to talk to the gentleman.

    There was no discussion possible with the driver. She did not want him on the bus.

    Shakespeare would have known how to make this a play or at lease a good second act.

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  3. This is insane. I wonder how it played out in the end.

    I liked the way you captured it and the music you added.

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  4. I love that you let the music speak and our imaginations do the rest...

    As when the driver's cellphone-wielding right arm floats into the picture.

    Great story; well told.

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