mmerriam | In Which Michael Realizes Why So Many Disabled People Become Shut-Ins

It's because getting around on public transportation is such a production and hassle. Now that the migraine has settled down to a dull roar, I can explain why my birthday has sucked mightily.

So, I got this coupon for a free cup of coffee from Dunn Brothers, because you know, it's my birthday.

That should have made for the start of a good day. I had an errand I needed to run as well and, deciding to kill two birds and all that, thought I'd go run my errand, and then stop at my local Dunn Brothers on the way back, maybe write a little, that sort of things. Have a nice morning, be home around noon, go from there.

I should have known anything involving public transportation was not going to be pleasant.

It started out well enough. I got on the bus, rode it to my destination, and got off. I was going to run into the store, grab my stuff, and then catch the bus going the other way, and get my free cup of coffee. Except the store didn't have the thing I was looking for. Now, this was an errand that needed running, so I decided to catch the next bus going further on, which would take me near a store I knew would have the thing I wanted. Toddled back out to the bus stop and stood there. In the cold. With the wind blowing. Off the lake.

And watched not one, but two buses go the other direction and still no bus coming my way. Once a bus came my direction, it was packed (leading me to believe a bus broke down on the line) and I had to stand. Everyone on the bus was in a pissy mood at this point, including two guys on the very back bench arguing loudly and heatedly about something I never actually caught, but might have been a woman. Or money. I was never sure. Two stops later (well before my stop, mind you) the bus pulls over and every transit cop in Minneapolis rushes onto the bus. More arguing, the sound of cuffs snapping shut, and three people are suddenly sitting in patrol cruisers. Dude. But hey, at least now I had a seat.

We get to my stop, I get off, slip on the ice the city has thoughtfully piled at that exact spot, and then walk the however many blocks to the store. I don't know my way around this store, so it takes some time to find what I want. I pay, and then walk my cold butt back to the transit center. The very cold transit center, because the heat lamps are not working. By now I'm nearly a hour behind where I thought I would be. I climb on the bus, still considering stopping for coffee, even though now I'm running behind.

As I settle in my seat, a women with four kids (toddler to about 5 years old I'd say) climbs on and settles pretty much right behind me. She was obviously having a bad as well, because the kids who weren't hacking up their lungs onto my neck, were SCREAMING AND CRYING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS WWWWWAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHHWWAAAAA!!! the whole time they were on the bus. Finally one of the other passengers broke and started yelling at her to shut her kids up, which made her yell back at the guy, which made the driver yell at all of them over the intercom. I considered getting off at the coffee shop (for my free BIRTHDAY coffee), but by now I've got a splitting headache and the whole SCREAMING, CRYING, HACKING, SNOTTY MESS got off at the coffee shop's stop.

Fuck the free coffee; I'm going home.

The bus turns down 5th here in Hopkins and pulls over to let the guy in the wheelchair off. And for some reason, the driver (who is having a bad day as well, apparently) didn't watch where he was in space and jammed the ramp onto a signpost (this is the second time I've seen this happen at this stop). Now the bus is stuck and can't get loose. I end up walking the rest of the way home (about a mile). In the cold. In the wind. By the time I got home from what was suppose to be a simple errand and a pleasant cup of (free for my birthday) coffee the whole mess had turned into a three hour ordeal, and my head was pounding, and I pretty much hated the world.

I got home, took a imitrix, and went to bed, except I forgot to eat anything, so it made me sick. I'm up and better know, but man, what a crappy day.

I never did get my free cup of birthday coffee.

I did get a rejection, though.

Nice.