Some conversations I didn't need to overhear

For some reason unknown to me, the regular cast of characters consists of a few people (okay, a LOT of people) who feel that everyone should get to hear their opinions, philosophical perspectives, and generally weird observations.  There is no such thing as a private conversation!   Here are a few of my most memorable...

A 20-something-year-old (definitely old enough to have more social sense than this) was telling someone how he had cleaned up his life lately..."I don't smoke any more.  I don't drink any more. And I don't fornicate THAT much any more"--Thanks for sharing that with everyone in the lobby!

An older woman (my age) spent a considerable amount of time trying to strike up a conversation with a girl who seemed to be waiting for a bus to the college.  The girl was trying to be polite and then go back to reading, or whatever it was she was doing.  Eventually the woman managed to find out that the girl wanted to be a writer.  That was all she needed to wind her up.  "I have a story I could tell you that would be great.  It's about a woman who lived right here in Wenatchee 10,000 years ago.  But it might freak you out.  My mother was full blood Indian and my sire (you know the difference between a sire and a father, don't you)....."--I guess her family has been in the valley for really long time...10,000 years!  Or maybe she was referring to her previous life.  Who knows!  The poor girl was trapped and looking for the next bus to take her away--anywhere!

Among our regular casts of characters, you learn pretty quickly who you can talk to and who gets the bare minimum acknowledgment so as not be rude (maybe minimally rude in other settings).  You do NOT want to give some people the opportunity to engage you in a conversation, or you'll have to be carted out on a gurney to escape!

There is quite a cast of characters!

Of course, we have plenty or "ordinary" riders, but ordinary is boring.  It's the not-so-ordinary that add color to the picture.  All  names are changed to protect the innocent.....ME!  My first introduction to Dana happened during the fall when I was working alone.  There is typically a busier time of the day when folks are off work and out of school waiting to connect to their out-of-town buses.  During this "rush hour" Dana came up to the counter and said she needed to call 9-1-1 because she was being stalked.  She continued to explain that a satanic cult has been "doing things to make her think she's crazy".  Just the previous night they had come into her apartment and stolen all her lightbulbs.  And worse than that, when she went to take out her garbage,  they had put them back!  The nerve of those satanic cults!  There was a line forming behind her, and I knew I didn't want her standing at the counter using our phone to retell this to the police, so I took money out of my purse and told her she should use the payphone for that.

There have been plenty of  Dana sightings since then, but a couple of days ago, she again came to the counter and said she needed to call 9-1-1 because Satan had stolen her bus pass.  The supervisor told her she could call 9-1-1 for no charge from the payphone.  Dana disappeared and I figured she had moved on.  The next thing I know, I see a police car pull up.  Sure enough he was there regarding a stolen bus pass.  When we told him who had called, and indicated that she was no longer there, he said "Oh, great!  She'll call back, or show up at the police station.  Hopefully I'll be off by then!"  It was obvious the police know her at least as well as we did.

There's No Such Thing As a Stupid Question!

WRONG!  Whoever came up with this ridiculous idea never answered the phone at my place of employment.  I answer stupid questions ALL day, EVERY day.

"What time does the 3 o'clock bus leave?"

"I have one of your phones....it's called a Jitterbug, or something.  My battery is dead, so I guess I need a new one."  "I'm sorry sir, but you must have the wrong number, you have called the bus station."  "Well, could you transfer me to them?"  (Did you miss something about "we have buses, not phones"?)

"When will the next bus be by here"....Ah, where is here?  "Home."  And where do you want to go?  "To the high school."  Considering we provide service in two counties, including 11 communities, with a total of 7 high schools,  you'll need to be a little more specific than that.

 I am NOT an advocate for video phone calls, especially in the workplace.  I definitely need the option of rolling my eyes at some of the questions I get.  A person needs some kind of pressure relief....it keeps me from acting on the urge to say something like "Did that sound better in your head? Cause what I heard sounded like a stupid question!"

Allow me to introduce myself!

Having survived the roaring 70's, I took a twist on the whole Earth, Wind & Fire thing to try to describe life, as I know it.   By way of explanation.....

Mirth: noun.   Suggests spontaneous amusement or gaiety, manifested briefly in laughter, often exceeding the limits of reason or propriety

Germs: noun, plural.  No explanation required.  Let your imagination run wild....and then some!

Ire:  noun.  Intense anger; wrath.

For the past 10 years I have been employed in the transportation industry....first, for an air charter company (which also included air ambulance/organ procurement flights) and now in public transportation (also know as the city bus system). I've gone from transporting the rich and famous--movie stars, politicians, top-tier businessmen, supermodels, musicians, and those that have more money than good sense--to rubbing shoulders with the truly down-and-outs of the community, not to memtion the inebriated, self-medicated, ought-to-be medicated, and plain ole' unmotivated.

So as a form of personal therapy, I have started this blog to record some of my more colorful observations, encounters, and insights. Let the stories begin.....