228

Oh, the 228. This is the bus that, had I the motivation and green-sense to ride the bus, I would ride from 2700 East up to the University of Utah. When I was riding this bus regularly, I wrote a post about its personality. I just re-read it, and liked it very much. So I'm going to share:

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've been riding the bus more than I'd like to recently (thank you Allyson). Faithful UTA route 228 has become my ride to and from school quite frequently these days. The bus drivers know me so well, they wave as I go running past them on 2700 East. Ok - maybe they don't know me quite that well. Point: 228 has become my friend.

It really does have characteristics that allow it to be personified, which characeristics are mainly the people who ride it. As I tend to ride the bus at the same times on the same days, I encounter many of the same people.

First, the woman who gets on the bus, looks around, and after finding her favorite seat taken, settles for a different one. Does this stop her from ultimately attaining her favorite seat? Ha! Not her. As people vacate the spots around her favorite seat, she moves towards it gradually until finally she sits down on the bench right next to the door. One stop later, she exits.

Second, the young man who will probably be deaf by the time he's 40. As he listens to his music (with headphones on, mind you) we, his fellow bus riders, all enjoy the pleasure of listening to the words right along with him. I can't even hear my own music over the roar of the freeway as I listen to it with headphones. Impressive output there, bud.

Third, the man whom I call "the narrator". Now, this man obviously has some sort of mental disability. I think this makes things so much more entertaining and great. Bus rides wouldn't be the same with the spontaneuos outbursts of "wow - we're going fast!" and "oh no - we're ahead!" and "oh my stars!" to put a smile on one's face after a long day at school.

Fourth, the woman who wears a pink santa hat all throughout December and January. No worries - it's pink, not red. Totally January appropriate. In fact, Februray would be safe too.

Moral of the story: This bus has personality - one that makes my Mondays and Wednesdays after choir so much better. Not all world resources are impersonal or dull. Some have life and character.