To combat the expense and hassle of downtown parking, I've been experimenting with various modes of public transportation. Today I rode the MAX (above ground subway). I've been driving to Portland, but parking a little ways away from where I want to be - somewhere free to park and inside the "Fare-less Square" for public transportation - then riding the MAX in. You get an interesting group when you don't charge anything. It was packed. Not normal for it to be this full on a normal day. All the seats were taken and the aisles were full of people standing. I managed to slide in and lean against a wall near the door. In front of me was a dirty guy with his (I'm assuming) girlfriend. They were engaged in an activity somewhere between making out and foreplay. Not a problem if he wasn't so loud. At every stop, even though the train was clearly full, he'd yell at people on the platform to "squeeze on in!" - much to the dismay of those of us already on the train. I was left with a stocky gentleman standing immediately in front of me (remember, back to a wall). Whenever the train would change in speed, he would slam up against me - not that there was anywhere for either of us to move to. Bam. And because of his size he couldn't exactly return to a self-supporting stance quickly. Whump. As he rested on my chest I wanted so badly to take a breath (after the impact knocked the wind out of me), but was unable to inflate my lungs under the pressure.
Then there was the time I rode the bus. This was my first real experience with the bus here. I've ridden the MAX tons of times, but never needed the bus. There's a stop right by my apartment that goes right where I need to be. So I gave it a shot. Armed with my giant Sennheiser headphones to cancel out noise and serve as a "do not disturb" sign (friends who frequent the bus have warned me to avoiding conversation), I was ready for the hour-long ride downtown. What I wasn't ready for was what happened at the Tigard transit center. As the driver closed the doors to move out, a guy was running towards us. So he waited and opened the doors again. The guy gets on and shows a transfer slip, but the driver informs him that it's expired. This displeases the guy. They start to argue about it. A lot. The driver orders the guy off the bus. The guy doesn't want to leave. More yelling. At this point the 5 men on the bus are on "high alert" not knowing what this guy is going to do next. Then he assaults the driver.
Legal Tangent: He did not hit the driver. He took a step in and pulled his fist
back in such a manner so as to punch the driver. Contrary to popular believe
assault is not the act of physically harming another person. It's the threat of
violence. Battery is the actual commission of a violent act. At least according
to Oregon law.
At this point the 5 of us are on our feet gently reminding him of what's going to happen if he messes with our driver (thus delaying our trip). It doesn't end with him getting a ride on the bus (unless it's a prison bus - oooooh, snap!). Anyway, I think I might just drive for a little while. It's so much more uneventful.
Where is my roommate? I don't want to wait up much longer! Told you I was writing about totally random things.
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