He had me at hello, then reality set in

Public transportation kicked my butt today. I'm writing this so my blog is realistic about what it's like to ditch your car in sprawling LA. I don't want my first post to be my only record of the minutiae of taking public transportation since my mood at the time was that of a new crush, nervous but also excited about the littlest details. Now that I'm past the first few weeks and my heart is no longer all a flutter, I've settled into a steady relationship with the Blue Line and the 16/316 bus. We have good days and bad days, just like any couple.

Today I left work at 6:03 p.m. not too worried about what time I was catching the bus since I didn't have anywhere to be. But I got to the bus stop across from my office during what I discovered is a dead zone: too late to catch the 6:04 fast 316 and stuck waiting for the next 316 at 6:11, which didn't actually arrive until 6:15 (I've found that the 316 is horribly unreliable). In the meantime I brushed my hair, reviewed my timetables, took a picture of the bus stop sign, checked the time, then waited some more. I know, 10 minutes doesn't sound long, except it is when you're on a street corner waiting to start your commute home.

I was initially excited to have been able to grab the 316 instead of the 16 (because in theory it's the "fast" version of the 16) but it showed up five minutes late and dropped me off at my downtown stop five minutes late. I "wan" or "ralked" (anyone have a better way to combine the verbs ran and walked?) and got to the train station just in time to see my 7:46 p.m. train pulling out of the station. Damn. So I got on the next train and waited some more until it left the station, and finally arrived at my stop in Long Beach at 7:45, which got my home around 8 p.m., a half hour later than I could do on a good day. But like I said, this was a bad day. I was slightly annoyed and yes, I could take partial responsibility for not leaving work at 6 on the dot, but what fun would that be? I'd rather pout and see if I can get my way tomorrow. Or maybe some flowers!