Today on Epic Bus Stories
May. 27th, 2014 06:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickSo, I though the most excitement I'd get from RIpta this morning would be me having a slight close call with catching my favored morning bus this morning -- we got to the stop I usually catch it at just a few minutes before it passed by. I had no idea what was waiting for me this afternoon.
3:11 rolls around -- I'm at the bus stop, soaking in the fact that, despite some clouds, it's a really nice, warm day out. Bus comes, I hop on, find an exceedingly rare empty seat, and play Solitaire Blitz, as is my wont.
After we leave Twin River (one of the other stops) and start for the highway, the driver suddenly pulls the bus over. I'm confused and annoyed -- has another bus broken down on me? And if so, has it done so in one of the least convenient spots? There's some talk between the driver and dispatch, and then she pulls back onto the road and starts going again. Fine, I decide. So long as I get to Kennedy in time to catch the 3:45 out. We zoom along at a good clip for a while --
Then the bus starts slowing down and beeping quite a lot. People are starting to talk worriedly. The suggestion that the bus is out of gas is brought up, but I hear later that somebody near the front heard something about the power steering going. Either way, we limp off the highway at the first available stop and park on the opposite side of a street of a Dunkin Donuts.
I'm horrified -- not only am I pretty much guaranteed not to make my bus, I'm also unfamiliar with the part of Providence I'm in and have no idea how to get to Kennedy Plaza. For lack of anything better, I start going roughly with a crowd of other people heading into the city, trying to figure out just where I am from landmarks I've noticed on other bus rides. Kind lady tells me to just keep going straight if I want into the city, and that if I go over by the Marriott Hotel up ahead, I'll find a bus stop. All right then -- I head straight, cross some streets, and eventually find myself by the Marriott and in familiar territory -- namely, the road the 51 bus takes. There's another bus that goes that way too, I discover -- the 55. I run to catch that one, discover it's on its way to Kennedy Plaza, and steel myself for a long wait. At this point, I'm pretty hot and sweaty from my walk, and pissed that I've managed to get myself into another "missed my bus" situation.
And then, as we go up the highway and pass Providence Place, I remember something. The 65, on its way out of Providence, passes another bus stop on the way out, right down the road from the mall. And it's 3:44. So I take advantage of someone else taking the stop and get off to try and see if I can get to that stop before the bus passes it. It takes some jogging, and once I get across the road I'm almost ready to admit defeat --
When I see the 65 coming toward me. And relief of reliefs, it stops when I flag it down.
So yeah. Despite a breakdown in the worst possible spot, I got home on time. And at least I can say I got my exercise. XD
In other news, cough is hanging on -- had a nasty coughing fit in class, which was embarrassing. People seem to be coming to the conclusion that I do indeed have allergies. I'm not sure I buy it, given that a lot of my coughing happens indoors, but at least someone was kind enough to give me some water in an attempt to combat it. Ugh, I really hope it's something that'll go away and NOT hang around all summer. . .
Also got my ass kicked in Hearthstone arena mode -- 3 and out for this run. Though they do still give you a bit of gold and some cards for attempting, so that's nice. No big news from DragonVale -- my Platinum won't hit the nursery until tomorrow, and my attempts at a Dodo aren't amounting to much yet. Just gotta keep trying, I suppose. I did hatch Vimes, my Watch dragon, this morning though. XD He actually came with the totally appropriate name Law, but I was determined he be Vimes. Now I just need a Ponder and a Rincewind. . .
Anyway -- I also need to get my act together with my tags. Later all!
3:11 rolls around -- I'm at the bus stop, soaking in the fact that, despite some clouds, it's a really nice, warm day out. Bus comes, I hop on, find an exceedingly rare empty seat, and play Solitaire Blitz, as is my wont.
After we leave Twin River (one of the other stops) and start for the highway, the driver suddenly pulls the bus over. I'm confused and annoyed -- has another bus broken down on me? And if so, has it done so in one of the least convenient spots? There's some talk between the driver and dispatch, and then she pulls back onto the road and starts going again. Fine, I decide. So long as I get to Kennedy in time to catch the 3:45 out. We zoom along at a good clip for a while --
Then the bus starts slowing down and beeping quite a lot. People are starting to talk worriedly. The suggestion that the bus is out of gas is brought up, but I hear later that somebody near the front heard something about the power steering going. Either way, we limp off the highway at the first available stop and park on the opposite side of a street of a Dunkin Donuts.
I'm horrified -- not only am I pretty much guaranteed not to make my bus, I'm also unfamiliar with the part of Providence I'm in and have no idea how to get to Kennedy Plaza. For lack of anything better, I start going roughly with a crowd of other people heading into the city, trying to figure out just where I am from landmarks I've noticed on other bus rides. Kind lady tells me to just keep going straight if I want into the city, and that if I go over by the Marriott Hotel up ahead, I'll find a bus stop. All right then -- I head straight, cross some streets, and eventually find myself by the Marriott and in familiar territory -- namely, the road the 51 bus takes. There's another bus that goes that way too, I discover -- the 55. I run to catch that one, discover it's on its way to Kennedy Plaza, and steel myself for a long wait. At this point, I'm pretty hot and sweaty from my walk, and pissed that I've managed to get myself into another "missed my bus" situation.
And then, as we go up the highway and pass Providence Place, I remember something. The 65, on its way out of Providence, passes another bus stop on the way out, right down the road from the mall. And it's 3:44. So I take advantage of someone else taking the stop and get off to try and see if I can get to that stop before the bus passes it. It takes some jogging, and once I get across the road I'm almost ready to admit defeat --
When I see the 65 coming toward me. And relief of reliefs, it stops when I flag it down.
So yeah. Despite a breakdown in the worst possible spot, I got home on time. And at least I can say I got my exercise. XD
In other news, cough is hanging on -- had a nasty coughing fit in class, which was embarrassing. People seem to be coming to the conclusion that I do indeed have allergies. I'm not sure I buy it, given that a lot of my coughing happens indoors, but at least someone was kind enough to give me some water in an attempt to combat it. Ugh, I really hope it's something that'll go away and NOT hang around all summer. . .
Also got my ass kicked in Hearthstone arena mode -- 3 and out for this run. Though they do still give you a bit of gold and some cards for attempting, so that's nice. No big news from DragonVale -- my Platinum won't hit the nursery until tomorrow, and my attempts at a Dodo aren't amounting to much yet. Just gotta keep trying, I suppose. I did hatch Vimes, my Watch dragon, this morning though. XD He actually came with the totally appropriate name Law, but I was determined he be Vimes. Now I just need a Ponder and a Rincewind. . .
Anyway -- I also need to get my act together with my tags. Later all!
