The morning

Today the day started awfully bad. Well, my first thought today was actually a good one: "Oh wow, this is only the second time the alarm rings (meaning it's 7:10am) and not the third (7:15am)!"

And on that happy thought I fell back asleep. Woke up after 7:45am and right away my mood clouded. I slowly got myself ready and came downstairs. I got some fruit together for lunch, thanked again for today being a Pizza day and left.

Annoyed a bit at the fact that I needed to walk to the bus stop yet enjoying the walk none the less I once again regretted for getting up late and forgetting that it's going to be 32C with humidity.

I arrived at the bus stop precisely as everyone else got on the bus and it was my turn. I managed to get a seat at the "top" section of the bus for it seems that scarcely anyone who lives west of Bathurst St. uses route 60. However, at some point I got distracted from my reading by a loud voice (since the black guy who was shouting was standing rather close to my seat) yell out to the people at the front "Come on guys, move to the back. He is not closing the door and moving this bus until you move back!" and once people started moving up, half frightened and half confused he yelled out "Come on now! Plenty of space! Come on!". For people like that I have my respect. Those who are not afraid to shout at a bus full of strangers, pointing out their selfish ignorance. I am always confused why would anyone, seeing free space right next to them, prefer being pushed and shoved around in the crowd instead of moving? What's so great about the front of the bus anyways? What are we, 5 years old to be excited by looking through windshield of the bus?

So I "rudely" jumped ahead of a Russian girl while getting off the 60E bus, thanking it being an express bus starting from Yonge St. I rushed to the subway and continued reading Count of Monte Cristo. At the same time I caught myself thinking "I hope I won't miss my stop like I almost did last time I was half-lost in reading." Which I did almost immediately after.

Quickly getting up with the book half open to the half-surprise and half-amusement of my sitting neighbour I rushed off the train against a stream of boarding "TTC patrons". I continued to push my way through the crowd up the stairs to get to another branch of subway, franticly thinking not to slip on the stairs again as I did before - the bruises I got on my knees still carried a deep shade of purple.

I got to my next destination without an adventure only to find out that I missed the bus, which I saw just leave the stop the moment I walked out the doors of the station. Another bus pulled shortly after and I came up to the door, ready to get on and get the best spot (after all, I missed the previous bus and was the first in line!). I found it rather strange that everyone else in both lines (for front and back doors) kept aback while glancing at me as the only one who stood right at the door. Once the last person got off, I quickly jumped on the bus. Still, nobody followed. The doors closed and bus took off. I was, needless to say, extremely confused - sitting alone on the empty bus, taking me somewhere. I figured I'll see where it'll take me. My curiosity soon was satisfied - the bus made a half a circle around the station and stopped on the opposite side to pick up its passengers. Thus I promptly go off, to the general surprise of those who stood at the front of the line and rushed back to my stop.

I was hoping the bus already left but it didn't. Thus I suffered a minor self imagined embarrassment and got on the bus. I'm sure nobody had paid attention and even bothered to make a note of my stupidity. If not, I blame it on the fact that I wasn't fully awake.

At some point before reaching York Mills the bus picked up a rather large gentlemen who seemed very angry and agitated as he got on. From what I overheard he was standing on the bus stop and a bus either passed right by him and stopped at the next stop a little further back or picked up all other people on that bus stop except him. Either way he was really angry at TTC ignoring him (in one way or another). I felt bad for the bus driver who could only listen quietly and did not dare to look at the angry "patron". Once the Red Shirt (since the 'customer' wore a bring red shirt) finished his angry tirade there was an awkward silence that hung for over two seconds. And the a bus driver said (and what else could he say) "I have nothing to say to this, sir." Then the bus moved on.

I also became a witness of a disabled person on those electronic wheel chairs getting on the bus. The guy of suspiciously eastern origin who was sitting on those chairs that fold up to free the space promptly switched the seat the moment he saw the lady waiting at the bus stop. At the same time the old black lady remained in her seat until the bus driver asked her to get up. The entire procedure took about 3-4 minutes - it turns out it's rather hard to do a 180 turn in that electric wheel chair inside a bus. Well, after completing a 25-point turn, everything was finally settled in and we moved on to the next stop where I was to get off.

It was a little annoying since I was standing right in the middle between the front and rear exit. Well, I wanted to charge for the front door but hesitated since the lady jerked up from her seat and rushed to the back exit right before the bush stopped. That half second hesitation was enough for me NOT to make it to the front exit in time and people started rushing on board. Thus I had to rush to the back door through a bunch of other "patrons" who seemed to think their legs were glued to the floor and thus didn't have the slightest clue that it would be nice for them to move out of my way. Perhaps I shouldn't have hid that gigantic book back into my purse?