Jimulations

Last night, my partner and I came home to something completely unexpected: A barking cat. Daniel was off late at 6:30, so I went to his work place after I was off. We ate dinner near his store and got home just before 8:00 PM. Cuddles was on the bed in our bedroom when we arrived home and started to meow. Her meow’s were quick, loud and frequent: Just like a dog. Daniel mentioned that she was mad because we came home so late last night.

As she barked, I picked her up to pet her and all was forgotten.

Here is a picture:

Australia
Austria
Czech Republic
Fiji
France
Germany
Italy
Mexico
Monaco
Turkey

Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Maryland
Massachusetts
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.

Occasionally, I’ll come across something that is a little out of the ordinary. It seems that more and more often, I’m coming across something out of the ordinary on the bus. Take a look at the following picture, and see if you can spot the item that is out of the ordinary:

I see a blow-pop in that woman’s hair! On Friday, we’re just about to get onto the freeway at Bristol, and Isaiah (one of the other riders, also known as “Big Lips”) starts waiving and pointing. I look confused for a moment, then spot her. Laughter breaks out in the back where I’m sitting and I whip out my iPhone to take a picture!

For the record: She has a tie in her hair, and the blow-pop seems to be superfluous.

I was informed that my hours of employment will change effective the second week of October. This will effectively end my days on the bus.

I restarted riding yesterday after a brief period of inactivity due to a lack of a pass. I was met with smiles, salutations and a note on my usual seat that said “Reserved for Jim”.

The every 3 month schedule change took effect yesterday and after a hair-raising ride home, I was happily deposited at The Goldenwest Transportation Center. Our driver, who before the schedule change drove the same route in the morning, was forced to stop, then careen over two lanes of traffic on the freeway to make our exit. We realized at that point that although she drove us every morning, she had never driven the return route.

The bad news is that we’re back to the new busses and passengers are standing again. I still maintain that the practice of standing on the freeway is unsafe and may turn deadly if we were to be in an accident. I refuse to stand. I’ll sit in the aisle before I will stand.

There was no parking this morning at the transportation center, but hopefully the Bella Terra shopping center will remain the vehicle safe haven it has been before. I will definitely let you know if my car gets towed or ticketed.

I think it’s time to call the Orange County Register again. Hopefully they will pick up my story this time.

I don’t hide the fact that I take the bus to work almost everyday. I get asked often why I do take the bus. Well, I do it for a number of reasons. Here is a brief list I compiled today while riding the bus:

1) I save money on gas.
2) I’m able to spend time reading and writing instead of driving.
3) I meet new and interesting people.

Taking the bus is as much a social experience as a cost saver. I ride with the same people everyday and after a while, I started to get to know them.

Richard, Dale, Diego, Cheryl, Tom Rudy, Andre are just a few of the friendly faces I commute with. I’m sure there are more I have left out, or names that have slipped my mind. I think it’s great that commuters can be so friendly with each other, and even though we work at different companies, and different jobs, there is still something we have in common. The OCTA 211.

Check back soon for bus adventure stories.

OCTA My Wheels!

I saw this dog this past weekend. It obviously had a death wish. Take a look:

Welcome to Jimulations, my blogging home on the world wide web. Have a read and once you’ve finished here, take a look at my website: www.Garrecht.org/