A friend of mine often caps his Facebook status updates with ftw or ftl. I presume it to mean "for the win" or "for the loss."
Today's installment of My Bus Adventure is on its way into the ftl column.
As you may recall, today represented the first true test of my pledge - commuting to an 8 a.m. class by bus. According to the transit system's interactive schedule, I would have to be at my stop by 7:05 a.m., and I would have to leave the house 10 minutes beforehand to ensure I catch the bus. Compare that to my typical departure time of 7:35 a.m.
My bedtime on nights before early class is 11 p.m. Sitting at my desk yesterday evening, I made a plan: go to bed with my microbiology lab books at 10 p.m., finish my lab report, go to sleep, wake up at 6 a.m. or so. ...
It was about midnight when I gave up on my physics homework, shut down my computer, staggered upstairs, and displaced Rogue from my side of the bed. New plan for tomorrow: roll out of bed at 7:15 a.m., pull on jeans and a hat, DRIVE myself to campus. ftl. And for bonus points: breakfast from the Burger King drive-thru.
This self-deprecation is not new. As a child, say pre-teen-ish age, descending the stairs of my parents' home ... "If I step on the bottom landing with my left foot, then I win the game." ... A loss was agonizing, despite the result obviously being predetermined by which foot I had begun with at the top of the stairs.
I awoke this morning to an unexpected sight: snow. A reprieve from failure. After all, I did not sign on to do this in snow, or whatever you call this slushy mess. New rule, new opportunity to succeed.
After all, I ought to be able to win at my own game.
Perhaps at the end of 30 days, I'll yet be able to say ... ftw.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day 2 - Vastly Improved by NPR
I learned a very important lesson yesterday as I began My Bus Adventure. An MP3 player is essential. So I charged up my Creative Systems Vision: M, which hadn't last seen the light of a full battery since August. I excitedly tuned it to 91.5 before I'd even boarded the #2.
Now, I have nothing against KUCV in Lincoln ... in fact, I still donate $5 a month, partly because I don't know how to stop the automatic bank drafts ... but I have to admit that KIOS definitely goes in the pros column for Omaha. Weekday programming boasts spoken voice nearly unbroken from Morning Edition at 7 a.m. through As It Happens at 7:30 p.m. Not only that, but the one break from 1 to 3 p.m. is filled with Jazz in the Afternoon ... as opposed to the nap-inducing etudes of Bach and Brahms on KUCV.
I realized yesterday that I missed my brief NPR fix twice a day, even if I only spent 10 minutes in my car. There's something in Corey Flintoff's voice that makes me willing to face my day, and likewise in Robert Siegel's that makes my day complete ... although I'm not sure I could tell you which was which if you played them for me.
No matter which of my friends at NPR was at the teacher's desk this afternoon, I am proud to report that today I learned:
On a separate note ...
So here's what I'm wondering about this blogging thing ... if I discovered a typo in yesterday's post, do I have to leave it there? It feels like it's stabbing me in the sternum (yes, the sternum, not the heart) every time I think of it. I feel like I should, like it would be cheating to change it. Because if I go back to make that correction, I'm bound to start editing the whole post (something I probably should have done before hitting the "publish" button). Because I could probably sum up those 674 words in about 420 better ones.
Now, I have nothing against KUCV in Lincoln ... in fact, I still donate $5 a month, partly because I don't know how to stop the automatic bank drafts ... but I have to admit that KIOS definitely goes in the pros column for Omaha. Weekday programming boasts spoken voice nearly unbroken from Morning Edition at 7 a.m. through As It Happens at 7:30 p.m. Not only that, but the one break from 1 to 3 p.m. is filled with Jazz in the Afternoon ... as opposed to the nap-inducing etudes of Bach and Brahms on KUCV.
I realized yesterday that I missed my brief NPR fix twice a day, even if I only spent 10 minutes in my car. There's something in Corey Flintoff's voice that makes me willing to face my day, and likewise in Robert Siegel's that makes my day complete ... although I'm not sure I could tell you which was which if you played them for me.
No matter which of my friends at NPR was at the teacher's desk this afternoon, I am proud to report that today I learned:
- About super-tough vehicles that withstand roadside bombs;
- That "Republicans may be our adversaries, but the Senate is the enemy";
- That female pilots flew non-combat missions in World War II;
- That even NPR is talking about that RMV video that everyone posts online;
- And, finally, why one of my friends' status updates was addressed to someone named Corey and regarded vampires in heaven.
On a separate note ...
So here's what I'm wondering about this blogging thing ... if I discovered a typo in yesterday's post, do I have to leave it there? It feels like it's stabbing me in the sternum (yes, the sternum, not the heart) every time I think of it. I feel like I should, like it would be cheating to change it. Because if I go back to make that correction, I'm bound to start editing the whole post (something I probably should have done before hitting the "publish" button). Because I could probably sum up those 674 words in about 420 better ones.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day 1 Inbound
A little background ...
I've been telling my husband all winter that, as soon as the weather warmed up, I'd park the car for a couple of months and take the bus. Yesterday I decided it was time. I shelled out 50 bucks for a 30-day bus pass and thus commenced my adventure.
I'm a student at UNO. My husband and I lease a 2007 Mitsubishi Galant, and we own a 1998 Chevy Malibu. The Malibu has been on its last legs for a long time. Having five years of school left to go, I foresee a future without the luxury of two cars, as we will NOT be making two car payments while I am making little to no financial contribution to our household. When we moved to Omaha, I intentionally sought a rental home near a bus line. I succeeded, and now we live three blocks from the #4 and four blocks from the #3.
So far the Malibu is still running, and considering our recent purchase of four new tires it better keep going for a good portion of the promised 70,000-mile tire life. But the odometer reading on the Galant is steadily increasing. The lease allows for an average of 1,000 miles per month. Right now we're about 2,000 beyond where we should be. We plan to buy the car at the end of the least, but just in case I'd like to keep the overage under control.
So now you're up to speed. ...
Day 1 was not chosen arbitrarily. I have class at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays (as opposed to the 8 a.m. start I get to enjoy the rest of the week). I attend an exercise class at the on-campus gym, and I'm free the rest of the day. The weather was decent at 42 degrees and dense fog, but no active rain. Don drove me the four blocks to the #3 line, and the bus driver was very friendly when I flagged down the bus midway between labeled stops. When I explained that I wasn't sure where to wait, he said that spot was jut fine. Later, when I missed the stop for my transfer, he kindly suggested I walk back one stop to catch my second bus.
I inquired with the crowd at the previous stop and found that I need to walk around the corner to catch the #2 ... just as that very #2 drove by. Fortunately, I knew there was another one soon, and the delay only meant that I wouldn't have a half-hour to entertain myself before class.
I took a seat at the proper stop, and was pleasantly surprised that the two individuals who smoked cigarettes while waiting for their bus did so at a distance from the shelter. However, once those two were gone, two new waiters proceeded to light cigarettes, each standing directly in an entrance to the shelter and seeming to turn toward the inside of the shelter each time they exhaled. I continued playing solitaire on my phone (with gloves on), but now with my jacket zipped all the way up and my nose buried in the collar.
Upon approaching the UNO campus, I patiently waited through the first two stops, gambling that one more remained closer to the west end of campus. I figured the worst that would happen is I"d overshoot and have to walk a block back, no worse than having to walk across campus if I'd gotten off at an earlier stop. I chose correctly when the third stop turned out to be immediately across the street from Durham Science Center, complete with a crosswalk.
All in all, a pretty positive start to my 30-day bus-riding adventure. I anticipate an easy ride back home, but I think I'll spend a little more time on the bus to catch the #4 home and have an easier bit of walking. Tomorrow morning I'll catch a ride with Don, who works at the same time I have class. The real test will come Thursday morning.
I've been telling my husband all winter that, as soon as the weather warmed up, I'd park the car for a couple of months and take the bus. Yesterday I decided it was time. I shelled out 50 bucks for a 30-day bus pass and thus commenced my adventure.
I'm a student at UNO. My husband and I lease a 2007 Mitsubishi Galant, and we own a 1998 Chevy Malibu. The Malibu has been on its last legs for a long time. Having five years of school left to go, I foresee a future without the luxury of two cars, as we will NOT be making two car payments while I am making little to no financial contribution to our household. When we moved to Omaha, I intentionally sought a rental home near a bus line. I succeeded, and now we live three blocks from the #4 and four blocks from the #3.
So far the Malibu is still running, and considering our recent purchase of four new tires it better keep going for a good portion of the promised 70,000-mile tire life. But the odometer reading on the Galant is steadily increasing. The lease allows for an average of 1,000 miles per month. Right now we're about 2,000 beyond where we should be. We plan to buy the car at the end of the least, but just in case I'd like to keep the overage under control.
So now you're up to speed. ...
Day 1 was not chosen arbitrarily. I have class at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays (as opposed to the 8 a.m. start I get to enjoy the rest of the week). I attend an exercise class at the on-campus gym, and I'm free the rest of the day. The weather was decent at 42 degrees and dense fog, but no active rain. Don drove me the four blocks to the #3 line, and the bus driver was very friendly when I flagged down the bus midway between labeled stops. When I explained that I wasn't sure where to wait, he said that spot was jut fine. Later, when I missed the stop for my transfer, he kindly suggested I walk back one stop to catch my second bus.
I inquired with the crowd at the previous stop and found that I need to walk around the corner to catch the #2 ... just as that very #2 drove by. Fortunately, I knew there was another one soon, and the delay only meant that I wouldn't have a half-hour to entertain myself before class.
I took a seat at the proper stop, and was pleasantly surprised that the two individuals who smoked cigarettes while waiting for their bus did so at a distance from the shelter. However, once those two were gone, two new waiters proceeded to light cigarettes, each standing directly in an entrance to the shelter and seeming to turn toward the inside of the shelter each time they exhaled. I continued playing solitaire on my phone (with gloves on), but now with my jacket zipped all the way up and my nose buried in the collar.
Upon approaching the UNO campus, I patiently waited through the first two stops, gambling that one more remained closer to the west end of campus. I figured the worst that would happen is I"d overshoot and have to walk a block back, no worse than having to walk across campus if I'd gotten off at an earlier stop. I chose correctly when the third stop turned out to be immediately across the street from Durham Science Center, complete with a crosswalk.
All in all, a pretty positive start to my 30-day bus-riding adventure. I anticipate an easy ride back home, but I think I'll spend a little more time on the bus to catch the #4 home and have an easier bit of walking. Tomorrow morning I'll catch a ride with Don, who works at the same time I have class. The real test will come Thursday morning.
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