Pen-Elayne on the Web

Weirdness in the Air

Got a kick out of Morford's latest column on conspiracy theories. Far-fetched, or plausible extensions of what's already going on? I'm afraid I'm not that much of a macro-oriented person, I can usually only judge by what's going on in my immediate surroundings, but I have to say yesterday and today have just felt... weird to me. It's like one second I have energy and the next it's suddenly drained out of me. And we're awakwaned at 5:30 this morning by a neighbor shouting near his window for what seems like hours (he was still at it when I left the house at 7), and then on the bus I spot a mild 2-car fender-bender surrounded by at least a half dozen emergency vehicles; overkill much? And of course today they bury "Saint Ronnie" only they don't really because after the funeral the body will be flown back to CA and I don't remember there ever being a federal holiday before when a president dies, there certainly wasn't one for Tricky Dick. And now I find out my boss isn't sailing until Tuesday, the day I get my car.

But as weird as things feel, I think they're still looking up, at least (once again) in my immediate vicinity. The apartment has gotten better and better as Robin has found storage space in the loft area above us and we're gradually moving out of boxes; all the urgent stuff is unpacked, and only the various libraries remain (books, magazines, records, videos, CDs, DVDs and of course the tens of thousands of comics and graphic novels), mostly in just two rooms. My small kitchen is set up to be extremely workable once I regain the energy to cook, and I only have to take the bus for two more days.

But even the bus travel has been a learning experience. Physically it's hella uncomfortable, I go from a regular-sized one that smells like bug spray (and no wonder, once I saw someone get on who actually had a roach crawling on him and he didn't even notice) to an accordion one with pretty bad shock absorbers towards the back, and the seats are not terribly cushiony nor are they very wide - in other words, it's not a commuter coach, it's a local bus that winds around at least four towns before it gets me where I need to go. But it's $2 a ride (or $35 for a 22-book coupon plus the 25¢ for transfers) and it's the most efficient and cheapest way to get to and from work of the various public transit options I've investigated.

And it's led me to re-examine my internalized racism, as I'm usually one of the only white people on the bus. And I noticed I was very panicky the first couple days, which I don't know whether I should attribute to unfamiliarity with the routes (I actually got on the wrong bus the second day) or my fear that I stick out like a sore thumb. And while the bus travels through some run-down areas it also traverses some gorgeous tree-lined streets with expensive-looking houses and lovely lawns and lots of room, and I've mostly seen non-white folks around those houses. So I had to take a hard look at why I was surprised that non-white people would have enough money to afford these beautiful mansions. Or is the situation subtler than I've been able to view from the bus windows? Maybe the section of Pelham I've seen is mixed or even mostly white and all the rich white people only travel in cars, hermetically sealed from the actual streets (as I will be in a few days) while the non-white folks with generally lower income need to take the bus or walk so they're the ones I see? It's a long journey - the cross county accordion bus takes from an hour to an hour-and-fifteen - and it's generally too bumpy to doze on or do much reading on without getting bus-sick, so I have a lot of time for rumination. Are the group of Latinas who board at the terminus like I do always so loud, like the ladies in River City, Iowa who "pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little, pick pick pick, talk a lot talk a little more..." or am I just falling into another stereotype trap because I like my surroundings unusually quiet? And why doesn't anyone ask me where all the chrome diners have gone, 'cause now I know they're all in lower Westchester County?!

Anyway, given the often ½-hour-plus wait if I miss my connection on the way home (about half the time, depending on how crowded and slow the cross-county accordion is) and the physical pain and exhaustion my commute has produced these past few weeks, I shan't miss regular bus travel, but I'm glad I've had the experience. And our copiers are both finally working, and the office is settling in nicely and I think I might actually get the hang of this property management stuff, and did I mention I'm finally going to own a car for the first time in my life and my commute will be a scant 20 minutes and I can sleep later and get home earlier and actually go places and see family and friends and I have parking spots both at the apartment and at the office? But this is the weirdness period before that calm descends upon me, so caution is still the watchword for the next few days. And I'm prepped to believe all sorts of conspiracy theories as the cause...