Guest Spot One: Professor O-Town

I'm not the only one who rides the bus...The Crabby Librarian proudly presents:

The Crabby Professor, MLIS

Preface

For students, the beginning of January means the return of classes, the renewing of friendships, and the general mirth of being able to get drunk Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night with their scantily-clad counterparts. Now, for those of us who work (albeit for the education system and operate on a similar schedule) January means the start of a new term and the beginning of the nauseating bus issues that we had hoped to have left behind in September.


So, I walk to the bus on a warm(ish) Wednesday morning (thank you global warming for making January feel like May) around 7am. I start teaching at 8am, so my behaviour is neither unusual nor out of sync from last term. As the bus comes ambling to a halt in front of me, I notice that it is unusually full. Thought #1: Crap. Thought #2: I have to get to work somehow, so I might as well suck it up. Thought #3: I now understand why Michelle hates riding the bus with the fiery passion of a thousand suns (Ed note: yep, it's about 1000) and thus the reason for this post. So I give you…

Time of Day: Too early in the morning

Journey: Home to Work

iPod: In Rainbows (Ed note: Nice choice, good bus music)

Situation: a) I am standing at the front of the overly crowded bus, an irate (and probably sleep deprived) bus driver is refusing to move the bus until people move back, and, of course, people refuse to move. Added to this, my bag is heavy and the bus is too hot. b) When getting off the bus, people who have been sitting shove me in an effort to quickly exit.


Why it’s annoying:

a) Move the F*$@ back! The bus driver means it when he says he’s not going anywhere (Ed note: damn right..unfortunately). When I can push you out of the way (yes…I was quickly losing patience) and navigate my way fairly successfully to the back of the bus where this is a crapload of room, you are clearly demonstrating that you are either stupid, lazy, or incapable to being mature enough to stand beside your peers so other people can get where they need to go too.

Few people *love* riding the bus. We’d all rather be driving for the most part, so suck it up, move it on back, and don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

The heavy bag I can’t do anything about, nor can I do anything about the heat, so I won’t complain about those.

b) You did not just spend the last 15-20minute standing, carrying your heavy bag (which, yes, I put down after awhile because the pain in my arm was greater than my revulsion at the dirty bus floor), so you are not allowed to get off the bus first. The ostensible reward for having to stand for so long means that I get to get off the bus first, away from your sleepy, dead eyes (Ed note: LOL!). So, when the bus stops at the final destination, do not attempt to stand; instead, move out of my way, and let me off the bus.

The lesson? Go back to skipping your classes (Ed note: amen!), so I can sit on the bus, have a nice ride to work, and be cheerful for my 8am class. Don’t put on pretensions that you’ll actually attend your classes for the duration of the term. Fourteen weeks is clearly too much for you to handle. Go back to sleep. We’ll all be happier for it.

The Crabby Professor, MLIS