Misadventures

Looking for an alternative to biking to my father-in-law’s for brunch yesterday, I opted for the bus.  Given our post brunch plans, we normally would have driven to this brunch together, but somebody had pre-brunch plans involving the car (ahem).  I absolutely refused to drive a second car and was not looking forward to the seven mile, midday sun pounding down on my poor vulnerable skin bike ride, so the bus seemed like a good solution (although it meant missing MY pre-brunch plans).  Anyhow.

I consulted my print copy of the bus schedules (updated March 30, 2009) and planned my route.  Seven block (half mile) walk to first bus, 5 minute ride, arrive at transfer station, 6 minute wait, 5 minute ride, <2 block walk.  Looks good, right?

Well, to get things started, I left the apartment without my bus pass.  I realized my mistake about 3.5 blocks into the walk, and decided I would [just barely] have enough time to go back for it.  I ran back to the apartment, in my not-so-good for running sandals, grabbed my bus pass, changed into better-for-running sandals, and left again.  If I missed this bus, my only option for arriving at brunch on time would be driving  — THE HORROR!  With that in mind, I did my best to run the half mile to the bus stop.  I arrived with two minutes to spare, which means I would not have made it if I walked.

We reached the transfer station, and I went to check which bay I needed to wait at for the second bus (the #56).  I noticed the posted bus schedules there, and decided to double check the departure time for the #56.  Unlike the other five bus schedules, the schedule for the #56 did not show ANY TIMES for Sunday.  What?  Then I noticed that, also unlike all of the other posted schedules, the #56 schedule said, “Updated June 8, 2009,” at the bottom.  Lovely little change they made to the March 30, 2009 guide that I consulted when planning my trip.

For a moment, I refused to believe the updated schedule, thinking maybe they just meant the Sunday schedule would be the same as Saturday and had left off the word “Sunday.”  I also knew that if I left right then, and did not wait around to see if the bus showed up, I would probably have time to walk to my father-in-law’s house, but if I waited and then had to walk, I would be late for brunch, so I set out on my little suburban hike.  I estimated (correctly) that it would be about 2 miles.

It was quite hot, and sunny, but I was wearing my sun hat and sun shirt, so the only exposed skin was the bottom half of my calves and the tops of my feet.  That is, until my tank top crept up, leaving a gap between the bottom of my shirt and the top of my pants.  I am not one to walk around in public baring my stomach (not that I have any issues with my stomach, it is quite nice, thanks), but at that point it was so hot, and the breeze on my stomach felt so good, that after one attempt to pull the shirt down, I decided that I just didn’t care.

I kept a brisk pace, and, although I felt slightly sorry for myself, I was mostly amused and glad that I was healthy and had strong legs to carry me and would be arriving without resorting to driving.  I arrived right on time, pulled down my shirt, and enjoyed a lovely brunch.