Of course, the public transportation nightmare is probably well known for those of us stuck in a big city. There's just no easy way out. If you drive, you have to endure chaotic traffic, and if you miraculously arrive on time to your target destination, the seemingly insurmountable task of finding a parking spot presents to you. When you finally endure the urban stress nightmare, you are probably late, worried that you will get a ticket in the only parking space available 3 blocks away. Then there is the bus. Most of them packed at peak hours. If you are lucky to find a seat, you have to make sure there's no piss, vomit or saliva anywhere near your seat. But most often than not you'll end up standing, holding to dear life, the bus driver frantically driving for he or she is already late. Even on an empty bus you are not sure what to find, and so it is advisable to keep your eyes open. Once, late at night, I was seating on an almost empty bus in San Francisco. My shoes felt slippery all the sudden. That's funny I thought, I don't remember raining outside. Of course not. I looked down and there was saliva all over the place, from the floor to the sides. I had never seen that amount of saliva in my life. It was as if someone vomited saliva, if such thing is possible.
Yes, I better get on time to school. Not having a car, the bus is my only option. If you live in San Francisco, that seems to be the best option. The green culture that is prevalent here encourages you to use the bus. And they even have this messages board on the bus stops that let you know when the next bus is coming! Of course, it is not unusual for the bus to come late, but someone dropped the ball big time this morning, for my bus was not a few minutes late, but freaking 30 minutes late!!!
Seriously muni?! (and this is where my rant starts). Gosh it darn it to heck! I don't know if you realize that people have work to do, classes to attend, a freaking life to live, but if you ask us to depend on you to move on with our lives, then you better show us that you give a darn! It is not as if this was the first time, but this the first time that YOU NOT ONLY SHOW UP 30 MINS. LATE, BUT DO SO WHEN I HAVE MY FREAKING HUGELY IMPORTANT TEST!!!! I mean, I only have 3 tests in the whole semester, what are the chances that in the exact date and time of one those important tests you will decide to send time to hell and damn us all in your irresponsibility?! You got to be freaking kidding me! Ohhh, and I absolutely hate those electronic message boards. Not only are you satisfied with screwing us up by waking up late, but you have to taunt us with these freaking electronic jokes! At first, when I arrived to the bus stop, it showed that the next bus was coming in 14 mins. Great! I thought they should come every 8 mins but since this is an important day for me, it is expected to come freaking late!! Not too bad, I will only get a few minutes late, but probably have ample time to complete the test. Sat down, listened to music, few more minutes I looked up to the message board and what do I see? The 14 mins. magically turned into 17 mins. that's what happened!!! Now I'm pissed, but still, a few more minutes won't kill me academically. Few more mins. of waiting, I look up again, and instead of the mins. going down, it went up to 18! GOSH IT DARN IT TO HECK! I'm going to be late. I can get an F in my class if I miss this test. The teacher doesn't give us second chances. If I get a F my gpa will go down, and that F can haunt my academic record for the rest of my academic life. UP TILL NOW I HAVE EARNED WITH GREAT EFFORT AN A IN THE CLASS!!! Thanks muni! Here I was reading my material for freaking hours, fighting for the A I had in the class, for it being ruined because you decided to be late at peak hour, and when most of the students use the bus to arrive at 9 am to college! BUT NO, YOU DECIDED TO ARRIVE AT 9:05 AM AT MY BUS STOP!!! AND IT TAKES 35 MINS TO GET YOUR BUTT TO COLLEGE! what the heck?! And of course, since you were late, there was a truck load of pissed students inside your bus, all of them stuffed, because only one bus passed when 3 should have.
I get to my class at 9:40 am, the test finishes at 10 am. I have to read a fragment of the book, analyze it, present the thesis and its reason, and a lengthy discussion of the topic. By the time I read the fragment it was 9:45 am, and I rushed writing whatever came to my mind in 15 mins. The teacher gracefully accepted to give me 10 more minutes to finish the thing. What I wrote was almost bullcrap, as I was mad as hell, not concentrating well, and rushing my thoughts into words, without having time to check that everything made sense, and worse of all, my next class was right after this one. I also had a test for that one! Of course, I arrived late to my second class, and the students were already returning the test! I missed it! The teacher cannot give any second chances, but he gracefully comforted me saying that I was doing well with the material, and that this wasn't the only test we are going to have on it, that I should more than make it up in the next test.
I know is not fair to put the blame solely on public transportation, but I hear from too many who had similar nightmares. I could always be more prudent, but the only way to never be late using the stupid things is by being 30 mins. earlier in their bus stops, and then you have to wonder if you are not being paranoid and a control freak, but that's how the system forces you to use it, that's how broken systems can make you. So given the options, I hate when people say,"don't blame the bus, blame yourself for not having prudence". Oh yeah?! maybe you are right, but I hardly see anyone being so paranoid and control freak that they have to freaking be 30 mins. earlier whenever they go!!!
