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Have you ever ridden on Metro Transit? I imagine that public transportation is pretty homogeneous across cities, so even if you haven’t I’m sure you can relate. Most of the time, it’s a monotonous process. Get on the bus. Pay. Sit there. Get off. All this usually involves very little interaction with the bus driver and other passengers.
However, on the 2 that goes by campus every evening at around 8, there is a very friendly bus driver. He welcomes you when you board the bus and wishes you a good night when you get off it. He also points out which stops can be used to catch other routes, and where those other routes are headed.
So charming are his mannerisms, that the passengers frequently discuss amongst themselves what a pleasant trip they’ve had thus far aboard his bus. I mean that’s great customer service right there, and in my opinion, a little of the good ol’ Minnesota nice shining through.
So this blog post is dedicated to you, Mr. bus driver man – and to all Tommy Steeles and Ms. Frizzles of the world. Thanks for making our commutes that much more pleasant.
I went to the MN Zoo with my family on Sunday. It was good clean family fun – although I’d forgotten how much of a price tag family fun carries these days. Poppafox and I bought ice cream cones before we went out on the Minnesota Trail. I asked him “How’s your cone?”
“It’s the best part of the trip so far,” he replied.
I couldn’t help but agree. Walking around and seeing all of the “exotic” animals in the tropics section made me think about how a zoo becomes a zoo. I mean, ultimately, you’d think that they’d have to get permits and certifications and the like, but really – what does that amount to? When you think about it, it’s no more than an arbitrary written go ahead to take a bunch of animals to be displayed in some distant locale.
Is it okay to go capture an animal in a foreign country and force it to live a sedentary life in a cage for the rest of its life? I don’t mean to get all PETA on you, but seriously, give it some thought. Who says that animal belongs to the Zoo? What right do the people at the MN zoo have to take a camel from halfway across the world and make it live in Minnesota? Not that I necessarily care about the animal’s feelings, but the whole process seems a bit snooty, doesn’t it?
All rants aside… I think I’m coming down with something. Last night, in my search for some green tea to soothe my throat, I came across a big chunk of panela (processed sugar cane in brick form) in the back of my cabinet. Figuring that anything hot would do the trick, I whipped that up instead and had myself a little Venezuelan papelón con limón.
The weather was phenomenal yesterday, so I biked a lot. The new derailuer I got installed works great, and it’s got me pumped for the short while that I’ll be able to bike around here in Minneapolis.
Amongst other places that my bike took me on Wednesday, good ol’ Trojan (Poppafox picked the name, as it’s really his bike) saw to it that I got to the University Theater’s performance of “The Wiz” on time last night. It was a decent show – although at times a little slow.
The main theme encouraged the audience to “Ease on down the road/ Don’t you carry nothin’ that might be a load/ Just ease on down the road.” I liked this song because of its folksy message. Lately I’ve been trying to live how I actually do live, instead of how I’d like to live.
To me, it seems that we’re often burdened down by trying to take on more tasks than we should, possibly in an effort to make others happy. I find it hard to tell someone “no” when they ask me for a favor, or when I’m asked to participate in a new student group or club. Sometimes it’s hard to see, but with so many choices every day it’s important that we’re doing the things we truly enjoy and care about – because it’s too easy to let your time slip away.
And finally, because everyone likes pictures, I decided to throw out this shot of the school I went to in Venezuela. Here’s a shout out to all my panas and everyone who supported me, helped me get there, and made sure I got back safely.
