Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Insane is the only place you go without a car

Part of the reason I chose this university was because the bus system in Logan is free. I figured that would be important seeing as how I have no vehicle. When I got here, I found that the bus system, while it is indeed free, also sucks. Maybe I just live in an unfortunate location or maybe I am just impatient, but every place I ever needed to go to this point required at least two different buses and usually three. The thing with Logan is that there are no bus routes that just run along main streets. They all seem to turn and go to specific locations always including the transit center in the Smith's Parking lot. All I really need is a bus that will take me down tenth north and drop me off at Main Street. Then you would think there would be a bus that runs the length of main street in Logan. Not so, my friends! This makes finding a job difficult. It is a time-consuming ordeal to even drop off applications. If I have to completely rearrange and re prioritize so that I have time to ride the bus somewhere and get back or just walk, how hard is it going to be if I actually get the job? (No worries, things don't look promising in the employment arena, so I probably won't have to worry about it.) The alternative to buses or walking (since it is insanely cold already), is riding my bike. Now, you have to understand something about the relationship I have with bikes. We are not friends. I am okay at balancing when I have my feet on the ground. Put me on a bike and I am a goner. To illustrate, I have an example. The first time I rode my bike here, I went to Hastings to return a movie. Things went fine on the way. It was when I turned around to go home that the trouble began. After biking six blocks uphill, I turned to go homeward and was biking along merrily when I inadvertently hit a large bump int he road I hadn't seen. Somehow, I ended up landing in the grass instead of falling the other way into the road. This was good, because I landed on my neck and mushed my face into the ground as well. Now, picture. I am laying on top of my bike with my neck twisted at what I am sure was a gruesome angle, the handlebars are buried painfully in my ribs, and my knee is twisted up in the right pedal. I got up, made sure no one actually saw the ridiculous spectacle I had made of myself, and picked my bike up, thinking, "Sure, that really hurt. I'll just bike home and take a painkiller for my neck." Wrong. My bike, now mangled, presented a problem. The handlebars, which I landed on, remember, were bent completely sideways, and the back wheel has actually fallen off. This is the moment, (we've all had them), when in your mind, there is a resounding..."Crap." Twenty minutes later, after twisting the handlebars most of the way back into place and putting the wheel back on, I picked up the pieces of the bike that were laying in the road, got back on the bike, and pedaled for home. Carefully. However, I was so absorbed in watching for bumps that I neglected to notice my jeans getting perilously close to the chain. Did I notice eventually? Oh yes. I noticed right about the time my jeans got stuck in the chain and the bike stopped moving. Thanks to the laws of physics, I didn't stop moving when the bike did, but my pants, attached to the bike and myself and this point, stopped me from falling off. No, I just feel over and the bike landed on top of me. Again, looking around to make sure no one was watching, the recuperation process begins yet again. This time, with a gaping hole in my favorite jeans, I decided to walk the rest of the way. When I finally got home, I happened to walk past a mirror, and what should be stuck to my face and neck but mud and grass, with some small bits of gravel mixed in. It wasthen I concluded absolutely that I wish never to ride that bike again. The conclusion: save up for a car.( That is, if you ever manage to find a job without one.)

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