What Am I Missing?

For Christmas, I was given the stellar match-up of the iRiver iFP-899 MP3 player and Shure's exceptional e2C earbuds. The earbuds are the noise isolating variety, which means they block out the sound instead of employing some weird technology to try to cover it up electronically.

Well, they work, and they sound incredible. I wanted an MP3 player so I could fill up the time I spend walking and riding the bus with music, news and information, since I get sick reading and moving at the same time. Trying it out for the first time today, I'm not so sure it is for me.

I immediately realized what I was missing and felt like that isolationist "look straight ahead and aknowledge nobody" guy you see wandering around with a scared look on his face. While only about half of bus stop waits result in conversations with the other riders, jamming the phones in my ears gave the clear signal that I didn't want to talk. I completely lost that opportunity. While such things are usually idle small talk, I've often had some nice chats.

Getting on the bus, I felt compelled to pop the buds out to greet the driver. I always go out of the way to be nice to drivers. If I said something, I'd have no concept of how loud it was with the phones in my ears.

Conversations on the bus? Nada. I couldn't hear a thing, so no more amusement from the random stuff on the bus. Sure, 70% of the time the bus is people sitting quietly, but I'll miss the exceptions.

This is going to take some getting used to. I'm most certainly going to use it in moderation. The music from the combo of these top notch trinkets can't always top the sounds of the experience I call "going home".

Desperate Measures...

With a day to go before departure to the homeland and no gifts for my brother or parents, I'm about to do the unthinkable. I'm about to journey to the car, ensure it is still there, hope it starts and drive it... yes, drive it... to the Northland to finish my Christmas shopping in the land of the big boxes. I'll be driving it home anyway, so I figure the damage is done.

Being car free is easy, but it takes planning when it comes to things like Christmas shopping. I didn't plan. Next year, I will extend my carlessness into one of its final frontiers. This year, I have to get it done.

Death Sucks II

Robert Osborn was a local cyclist that lost his life while riding home from his night shift at a local grocery store. While hostility towards bikes isn't unheard of, we now know that Robert was simply a victim of bad luck. Two young men were joyriding and looking to perform a thrill killing. After missing two other potential victims with their shotgun, they circled back to Robert and ambushed him from behind a tree.

On Sunday morning, I rode out to a vigil and bike ride in honor of Robert, where I was interviewed by a local news station. Riding along Robert's commute route, we slowed to a stop next to the very tree that hid his killers.

The killers are behind bars. That is all that I ask to happen. The greater hope I have is that this sustained unity among those of us that ride and share Robert's vision for a better world and alternative transportation are given a new sense of urgency to keep it alive. Lets replace what we lost in Robert with a little bit of renewed energy in all of us.

Death Sucks

Last night, we learned that Stanley Williams died because the collective people of California thought he should. Well, the government of the people of California, acting in their behalf. A man who contributed more to society than most of the schmucks I met everyday with his messages against gang violence is dead. A voice of authority on the topic that stood a chance of reaching someone? Dead.

Okay, so, now we're better off to have this scum dead, right? Every argument I hear in support of the death penalty seems more and more absurd each time. Are we safer now that a man that was doing all he could to combat crime behind bars is dead? Did he deserve it? That isn't justice, that is revenge. We're a sick, sick society -- is it any wonder we have some crime problems?

...and what if we're wrong? To what clemency board do we appeal?

The Christmas Bus

The Christmas Bus
Originally uploaded by staubio.

I'd seen it pass by and I had heard of it from other riders, but today was my first time on the Christmas bus. Garland running down each side and a faux-fireplace in the back, complete with gifts on the mantle. They have Christmas lights as well, but I think they irritated the bus a bit as its external signage is dead and the gps isn't picking up the bus.

Alas, without seeing the lights on, I have not experienced the true Christmas MAX. The pursuit continues.

A Round-about Way to Poverty

Having tired of the mostly pointless evening trips to the dead side of downtown on the MAX bus, I decided to sprint after the Casino Cruiser bus last night and give it a try.

Though it was a nice change of scenery, it wasn't any faster. It does its own dance around town, going a few blocks out of its way just to make sure it passes in front of all of the major downtown tourist hotels. I suppose it aims to be a casino shuttle, so this is acceptable.

Sadly, the only people that could have been anything close to tourists was the old couple that couldn't operate the fare box. The rest of the bus was a rag-tag gang that just looked to be riding along.

I always figured that this route served a lot of the workers that kept the casinos running. After listening to some of the conversations, however, it became clear to me that a lot of these people knew each other and a lot of them were going to gamble.

Nobody was at the hotels. The bus filled up at the transfer points from poorer areas of the city. At 10th and Main, a man got on and was recognized by several people who said they had missed him. "I had to give it up for awhile," he said, and he was clearly excited to be back on the road to rock bottom.

This bus is always full. Should the ATA continue to masquerade it as a tourist shuttle or should it start running down Brooklyn, making sure what little money is left in these impoverished neighborhoods is delivered to casino operators as soon as possible?

I don't fault the ATA for operating the route. I am sure I will use it at some point. It is a sad thing to see on your commute home, though.