Adventures in Mass Transit

Or, “How I woke up at 4 AM, Drank a glass of water, and did not go back to bed.”

I go about my normal routines this morning, and walk myself up to the Bus stop I have promised I’d use about 5:30. Of course, had I arrived at 5:30, I would have caught the bus I wanted, setting into effect a chain of connections that will have me at my destination exactly when I want to be ther (6:15 AM)

I do not catch that bus. I catch the next bus.

Seattle, like outer space, is very cold and dry at 5:42 AM.

Metro Buses with a 43 proudly displayed are quite warm and dry at 6:00AM.

Connections made, I transit Lake Washington, and arrive in Bellevue ~ 6:30AM

Unlike Seattle, Bellevue is not Dry. Bellevue is in fact blanketed by the worst possible kind of snow, the wet, still depositing slush that while not heavy enough to slow traffic, is light enough to negatively effect it. Since this morning I have chosen to walk a mile from the bus stop to my desk, I have second thoughts 8 pico seconds after I leave warm interior of the bus.

Which leaves my stop 6 pico seconds after I exit the doors. No problems, says I. It’s not so bad out here. Look, there is liquid water to go with this snow.

This water, of course, is finely insulated by sub freezing ice, and a cooling, gentle blanket of 34 degree air. Good stretch of the legs, says I. Nothing to worry about.

At 6:40 AM, I enter my building, and discover that I cannot operate the Elevators with the key issued to me.

The key which came with a 7 minute instructional lecture two moons ago. the key which is necessary for those times “after hours” when the building does not recognize your occasional need to work hard and be productive after missing 5 of the last 15 work days due to inclement weather and “holidays”. The Key which oddly bears no resemblance whatsoever to any other key issued by the property company and my HR mailbox. In fact, I can’t even get out of the elevator without assistance, since none of the interior buttons work without

THE KEY.

Good times.

7 minutes later, the elevator door opens and a co-worker (possessed of a substantially different key), is able to “make it go”

Fast forward 9 hours.

I decide that I have done all that I can on a day when two-thirds of the company is not present, none of the customers chose to discuss their problems with us, and none of my clients answer their phones. Having spent the day browsing other game companies and their online presence, and wrestling with 1s and 0s on various projects, I decide to travel dejectedly home while the sun is still shining.

For once.

Perusing the bus options available to me at the stop, I see that they all arrive at the same time. Roughly 8 minutes from now.

Bellevue, as I have remarked above, has only one thing in common with Seattle at 5:42 AM.

Did I mention the sun is shining? There will be a test later.

It is a sign that I have not been sleeping very well at all over the last few days that I misread the bus schedule quite badly when selecting one of the three busses that will get me to my next bus.

Mainly in the matter of their destination. In fact, I wave off the bus I want to take, which will safely convey me to my connecting bus, which will in turn bring me safely to my home within 36 minutes total travel (the 8 minutes spent prior to the bus do not count).

For the bus >I< want has not yet arrived. Look, there it is, 5 minutes in the future. And here is me on it. And here we are, taking the wrong turn we have taken on a previous commute, with exactly the same result. I walk to where I think I can catch the next bus to my destination. But I suddenty recall the times printed on the schedule I had studied so intently 15 minutes ago. You know, when the SUN WAS FREAKING SHINING? It will be 25 minutes before a bus that I want till take me to where I want to go. Therefore, I am walking down entirely the wrong street, aren't I? In fact, I should walk back down that streetover there, to the stop within full view of the stop I arrived at 30 minutes ago (NOW it counts). You know, WHEN THE SUN WAS SHINING? But not to worry, I have a cunning plan. For I know of the mysteries of the connections, and the transfers, and the routing. There are 6 combinations of bus that will take me exactly where I want to go, with various outs along the way should the flush not draw out. I clearly will not need this bus (which bears a very strong resemblance to one I saw a little while ago, gleaming in the sun). Nor will I need that one, which would require me to transfer to a different bus. No, I want this one coming up. The one that says 256 on it. The one to which the enlightened youths also wating at the stop loudly proclaim "yo, two-5-SIX! yo, yo, this it!" The one we board, and teh one which takes us down the street. Right past where it is supposed to turn to take us where we want to go. We are in fact not travelling to Seattle at this point. We are going to Bellevue. Unbeknownst to us, a startling metamorpasis has taken place, and we are now on a 230. A 230 which oddly enough is taking not the 230 route, but that of the 253. But clearly, we are not on a 253, since I saw that bus go past us just a little while ago. Perhaps I was mistaken, After all, IT IS VERY DARK OUTSIDE. In Downtown Bellevue, I note that it has taken the "230" 30 minutes to traverse 14 minutes worth of roadway. This, of course, means that there are no connections to a 234, a 550, a 556, a 555 (look, there it goes), or more importantly, the 271, which left 15 minutes ago, and will come again in 17 minutes. There is one very important difference between Bellevue at 5:42 PM and Seattle at 5:42 AM. Go ahead, take your time. The bus won't be here for a bit yet. While we wait, I'll let you in on a little secret. Had I taken the first bus, seen clearly in daylight and dismissed with a jaunty wave, I'd be at home typing about my relaxing day at the office, where I got a lot done and was able to squeeze in some pure research. Blessedly, the 271 does not become a 342, and I do not arrive in Renton. I arrive exaclty on time to catch my final bus, and wander with the referenced adjective clutched tightly to my core to the entrance of my abode. I have 1 day of vacation left. A day I had planned to take Friday. A day, coincidently, that 80% of my co-workers had also scheduled to take off. We in the Adventure Gaming Industry have learned to recognize events like these as SIGNS AND PORTENTS especially since before half the week was out last week, THE MAN declared that the Organization had decided to make a change, and pay us all not to come in on Friday. So, understandably, my desire to repeat the steps above in 9 hours is very, very small. I think I will work from home (if at all) tomorrow. Talk amongst yourselves.