this little life of mine

G is for Green #bloggingfromatoz

For today's entry for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge I'm on the letter G and chose to feature the colour Green.  We didn't get all that much rain during the regular winter season, but have been getting some late storms this spring and are even expecting some rain to show up sometime this evening and continue through the rest of the week! A lot of people are grumbling and groaning about it, sick to death of the cold, wet weather, and longing for springtime and sunshine, but I'm excited! For one thing, if it really does rain, and we get a good soaking, I can skip watering the front lawn and backyard plants for another week, which will save me some money. For another thing, I love how beautiful and fresh and green the hillsides have become since we've had rain. Here are some shots of the surrounding area I took on the commute home last night and early this morning.  Enjoy!

 

Day 8: Sun #febphotoaday #instagram

Today's subject for February Photo a Day was sun. Good thing it was today instead of yesterday when the sun never did come out and it was just cloudy and grey and windy and cold. Today is shaping up to be quite lovely! This sun shot was taking early this morning just as the sun was peeking over the hills. Initially I was bummed the windows on the bus were so dirty (and eventually fogged over with the breath of 30+ people!), but in the end, I think the picture came out really cool!

Sepia Scenes: Last Bus North

Last Friday I was out drinking  ... er, ... carousing, um, I mean hanging out with some friends in SLO, and wound up catching the last bus heading north around 8:30. Yeah we're PARTY ANIMALS like that! Anyway, there were maybe five of us late-nighters on the the 9 Local. It was the emptiest I've ever seen a bus, and quite peaceful. Most of us were snoozing or reading (like me) and one guy up front was gently playing his acoustic guitar. It was probably the most relaxing ride I've ever had even though I didn't get a nap!

Beautiful

 

Just what I needed to see first thing this morning: something beautiful! 

Upside Down Smiley Faces

As seen on the back of the seat in front of me on the bus last Friday night:

   

Bus Route Fail

Our bus driver is either insane or senile. He totally missed the turn into Cal Poly and has had to go in the back way. This will make us all late for work this morning. Gah! AND he keeps running over the curbs! Can we please get a decent driver on this route?

Kicked in the Butt

At the beginning of August I made a list of "August Resolutions". I'd been thinking about doing it in July, then I read this article on Elastic Waist and it was like God was trying to tell me something. Something like, yes, do it, for the love of Me, please! (I posted my resolutions in the comments and fully intended to post them here as well, but never got around to it.) One of my resolutions was to get off the bus at Monterey Street and walk the six or seven blocks to work. Have I done it? At all this month? Even once?

Um, that would be a big, fat no.

So here we are at just about the end of the month and the only walking I've done has been two miles around the track at the gym with my trainer a couple times a week. I think about getting off at Monterey and walking, but, darn it, I wore heels today, or dang it, I'm in such a good part of this book I'd like to read it a bit longer today, and ... well, you get the picture. Apparently my procrastination has annoyed God to the point that He decided to give me a swift kick in the butt (me and a few other people), and forced me to take a walk. You see, the brakes on the bus started smoking (thick, stinky blue smoke - cough, hack, wheeze) about halfway down the Grade this morning, and once we reached Monterey, the driver said he wasn't taking the chance of the brakes failing completely or catching on fire, and would call in for another bus. I don't know how many passengers he ended up with, because I bailed immediately. The stench was overwhelming and my lungs have actually been a bit achy and congested since then. So, yeah, I walked.

And, it was an okay walk. It's not far (and luckily I did have on good walking shoes today!), but rather than the nice cool marine layer that is usually hanging over SLO, it was sunny, warm and muggy, so I was already sticky and sweaty by the time I arrived at work. So much for my "good hair day". Gah.

Still, at least I did it, right? And it wasn't too bad. Who knows, maybe I'll do it Agna, and maybe I won't need a bus meltdown to do it! 

So Now I Don't Know What to Think

So when I went to the doctor about my injured leg I weighed 175 on their scale. Remember? Well, yesterday at the gym I weighed myself - not on the digital scale, as I think it's calibrated incorrectly, but the kind like they had the doctor's office - and it still had me at 222. *sigh* So what does that mean? Are both the scales at the gym wrong? Or was the one at the doctor's office wrong? And how can those kind of scales be wrong? They're based on using the weights to balance the bar. So who's scales are right and who's are wrong: the doctor or the gym? And how much to I really weigh? I'm wearing size 16s so the 175 makes more sense. I guess. But I don't know. Maybe I never will.

well crap!

I can't believe it: I left my book ("The Host" by Stephanie Meyer; totally awesome, btw) sitting on my desk at work! The book that I've been lovin' the heck out of. That I've gotten so engrossed in I don't realize we're right in front of the Government Center until I realize people are leaving. That I'm almost done with and would probably have finished tonight on the way home had I not left it at work. Gah! I realized it as I was walking down the street to the bus. By then it was too late: the doors are locked at 5, so I couldn't run back in to get it. I'm so bummed!

Support Carlos

Apparently one of our favourite bus drivers, Carlos, is in a bit of a pickle with the company he works for. I've heard a couple different stories about the incident (or whatever it actually was), but the bottom line is he was suspended, in our opinion unfairly. Carlos is one of the best drivers RTA has working for them. He's friendly, polite, helpful, and most importantly a really good, safe driver. The group of riders at the Cal Poly stop had all these fliers that said "Support Carlos", which they had been holding out for people to see as they drove by. They said other buses that passed by honked their support. Hopefully Carlos will be reinstated as a driver very soon. That company needs all the good drivers they can get!!