TDBP: Now more disoriented than ever.
I spent an evening at my mother's house. The bus pass expires on Monday, and (sitting on the porch in the sunshine and my pajamas, drinking coffee, chatting) I couldn't think of any reason on earth not to just stay there, spend some time with my family, have a real bed and actual conversation. Tomorrow, after all, (today, technically) I will have been on the road for a month.
But no. Onto the bus I went, getting a lift to Albany from my mother. I don't know how that guy in Mobile guessed I was an only child. Anyway, the bus felt much stranger after time spent with my family. It seemed, in point of fact, like one of those slowish-paced Disneyland rides. Somewhere between Peter Pan and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
On the bus from Albany to Boston, I sat next to a 25 year old who was hiking the Appalachian trail. He had done half of it, from Georgia to Virginia (West Virginia?), lost 41 pounds, taken three weeks off, put on 20 pounds, and was back to finish the job. He was going to spend the winter being a ski bum. He had a large beard, and was extremely jovial. He gave me a brownie. He said I should go to Acadia National Park; he said it was the first place you could see the sun rise in the U.S. I wished that my trip was as tough-sounding as his.
In Boston I took a two hour layover and ate a bag of Watermelon-flavored Sour Patch kids. Then Portland, Maine. On the bus I contemplated how white and (relatively) wealthy the bus population seemed. I also toyed with the decision ahead: do I spend the time to take the bus as far into Maine as I can, or do I try to see something of Portland?
I feel like if I read Mission Control's most recent post closely, it would give me the wisdom I need. Or maybe a home remodeling project would do the trick. But the bus pass is due to run out, and some tough choices have to be made.
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5 comments:
Our models predict that if you lost 41 pounds you would become dark matter. So it's probably good you're not doing the Appalachian Trail Trek/Extreme Diet.
Relatedly, please keep in mind that watermelon Sour Patch Kids are a treat, not a meal substitute.
From Wikipedia:
"Prisoners are often transported on Greyhound buses, some unescorted. The inmates, mostly offenders deemed a low flight risk, sign contracts to show up, but some flee anyway."
EFD, comment?
From the same entry:
"A national contest was offered to come up with a name for the [Greyhound] bus line at its origin. The winner would get a free lifetime membership to ride the buses. The winner who came up with the name 'Greyhound' resided in Marion, VA. Unfortunately, the winner frequently got intoxicated and became a nuisance during his time on the buses. He was banned from ever riding on Greyhound."
Let's face it: the Greyhound franchise is increasingly embattled, threatened by technological changes in travel and a tarnished corporate image.
The Evacuee's blog is a godsend for this staggered behemoth.
So all I'm saying is Subway had its Jared...
Greyhound, according to the Wikipedia article, already has Funkmaster Flex. I should note that some of the facts from that article republished on this blog are, again according to Wikipedia, in need of authority.
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