Kommute Archives for April, 2000
Archival Kwality Kommute Entries. Read through these to catch up, or waste time, or whatever!

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Friday, 04-28-00
<morning> Ugh! I couldn't get motivated this morning. I haven't got any interesting stories... I'm getting much more obnoxious with my camera, though. Being a lot more obvious about taking people's photos. I just need to stop feeling all sensitive and apologetic about it, then I won't miss so many great chance images. Very little happened today. There was a weird older woman on muni with odd colored hair, and so I took her photo. And some strange people. And a strange window full of candles. One photo I promise to take in the future is a photo of this odd phenomenon I sometimes encounter on Geary boulevard... There's a place called the Goldman Institute on Aging or something, and on warm days they line up the elderlies in their chairs and blankets and stuff, out on the sidewalk. It's really eerie and kind of depressing. I have no idea what they do there, but I am curious.

Thursday, 04-27-00
<morning> Last night's commute was a somber one. I spent some time meditating on the various aspects of death. Suffice to say, I'm still not interested in suicide. I almost didn't buy a latte today, but in the end, I caved in to the temptation. I was a wee bit early for muni, and as a grossly overcrowded bus approached, I spied a second bus only a few blocks back, and decided to wait for that one. It amuses me to see people cramming their asses on to a really sardine-smashy bus, presumably in the interest of saving time. I mean, we're talking like, 2 minutes' difference here. Sheesh. So it turned out there were 2 largely empty buses rather than one, and the first one didn't stop, and I got huffy a moment until I turned and saw the second bus pull in. HTMLgirl and the hairless hipstergeek were both present and accounted for on the 9:30 bus, as were a great many extremely attractive girlies, all of whom got off within a few stops of me. As I was leaving the bus, the driver asked, "So, are you ready for today?" and I replied, "Yeuch, I guess so," with a roll of my eyes. He then asked what I do, and I said "Web designer," and he didn't hear me, so I repeated myself, and then said "Shhh, don't say it too loud!" and we both laughed.

Wednesday, 04-26-00
<morning> I got in to work really late, there was a huge traffic snarl on the Golden Gate Bridge, somebody jumped. I was actually really stunned that someone would jump on a day like today, it's beautiful, balmy, temperate... There were helicopters buzzing around the bridge, the coast guard was searching near the water's surface, and a huge crowd of police was clustered around the base of the second tower, on the Marin side. The driver and this woman who always chats him up on Wednesdays talked about it a lot. As we hit the traffic, they started chatting about plastic surgery, and apparently she does facials or something, I couldn't really figure it out. When we approached the bridge and saw the helicopters, the situation became clear, someone had jumped. I, being crass and voyeuristic, snapped photos eagerly. I am actually moderately freaked out by this, but I can't really find words to describe my feelings. Turns out the jumper was a child molester. Read the article: on SFgate

Tuesday, 04-25-00
<morning> Sometimes my commute suffers from my need for caffeine. I missed two buses as I waited for my latte and ended up walking for the first leg of my journey. It was kind of a nice stroll, really, since I knew I'd already missed my connecting bus and could take my time. My neighborhood and the adjoining 'hoods are kind of colorful. There's a lot of beauty around, if you look close enough. A creepy old man nearly ran me over and almost started a major accident as he ran a red light. Some people just really shouldn't be driving. Too many people do, anyhow. There were a lot of tourists from many lands on the bus. They're a lot more positive than the regular commuters. Somehow, people on buses tend to look kind of sad, beat down, or something, but tourists are all eager and excited and nervous and they look at everything. It's a nice contrast. Some random photos!

Monday, 04-24-00
<morning> Mondaymondaymonday. Last night I had a really strange dream about going to Santa's House to interview that Santa guy. His wife got really upset whenever anyone talked directly about the coat or the way the house is decorated, but the Santa guy himself thought it was a great big hoot and wanted to talk about it. He said that the whole thing was funnier before she made him get the coat dry cleaned. He was sort of a curmudgeon, and dark moods would set upon him, but mostly he just seemed like a harmless old hippy. It kind of disturbs me that i'm dreaming about this guy. I glanced up through the french doors on the second floor of Santa's House as I passed, and there were two huge teddy bears sitting at a little bistro table. One of the teddy bears was purple. I sat across from one of the hipstergeeks and listened to a conversation between two bus drivers about "the deadhead bus", whatever that means.

Wednesday, 04-19-00
<evening> Lucky me, I got to see the carcass truck deliver quality meat to the meat market as I waited for my bus this morning. I have no idea what to write about today's commute. I saw the little beat-up old woman again, the one who upset me so much last Tuesday, and she seemed a lot better... Her bruises were still shocking, but her face looked less swollen. She was probably going to the hospital again. There's a weird woman who takes the 10:00 bus every Wednesday, she's british, and spends the entire ride chatting with the driver. They seem to know each other pretty well, when I got off the bus, I overheard him say "Yeah, today I think i'll pamper myself," and she said "Oh, have some Gin, then?" - Also, the ugly GAP store on Geary had beautiful graffiti which said "THE GAP SUCKS" and "BOYCOTT SWEATSHOPS" - Ah. How lovely. My batteries were pretty low this morning, but I managed to pop off a few. Again, some from last night, some from today.

Tuesday, 04-18-00
<morning> I dyed my hair fuchsia last night, as well as my hands, the sink, floor, walls and tub. It came out really bright and fantastic. I spent too much time petting a cat (see picture below) and missed my usual bus. On Muni, a blind woman got on the bus, and she was pretty cool. She knew the whole route, and was totally poised and much more together than I usually am. One of the hipstergeeks was aboard the Sausalito bus, but he kept to himself. There were 3 highschool students with a big bag of easter candy who were all excited to be going on a trip without parental supervision. One girl said "Man, no parents! We could go to the beach at midnight if we wanted!" A guy carrying an easel got on and spent about 10 minutes trying to get change for a 5 dollar bill. Everyone kept offering him little bits, a dollar here, some quarters there, but eventually someone traded him the $5 for some passes. It was kind of reassuring. I saw a mountain lion skulking around the hillside just past the tunnel which leads to the Marin Headlands. Mountain Lions are pretty. 2 pictures from last night, 10 pictures from today, not bad! I want to know what kind of plant this is.

Friday, 04-14-00
<morning> I almost considered leaving roughly 20 minutes earlier than usual, catching an earlier bus and getting in to work real early, but then I opted for laziness. GASP. It was all puddly outside, it's been rainy for the past day or so, but it stopped raining just in time for my commute. My latte was overfull and kept dribbling on me, making my fingers all caffeinated and sticky. On muni, some cruel, evil person had a radio, and they were playing "Total eclipse of the heart" - and now I can't get it out of my head, damnit! Evil!!! The tragic thing is, I know every little detail of that cursed song. Once upon a time, I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart. There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart - Once upon a time, there was love in my life, now there's only love in the dark. Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart. aaaaaaaaghaghhh When I passed SANTA'S HOUSE, I saw his coat hanging outside like a fuzzy red flag. What could this signify? No pictures today.

Thursday, 04-13-00
<morning> When I woke up, my clock radio was playing "Disco Breaking" by the Beastie Boys, and it's been firmly planted in my head ever since. As I approached the counter in the cafe to ask for my double nonfat latte, the guy said he'd already made it, and boom! There it was. Cool. I'm a regular. The sun was shining, sort of, and yet little sprinkly raindrops were falling, but only on me as I crossed the street to go to the bus stop. A crazy lady standing near me at the bus stop was loudly commenting on my hair, "DAAAMN girl! What made you think to dye your hair PURPLE? ha-HA! It's just IMPULSIVE, huh? I know how that is, mmm-hmm! Whooeee! You got two noserings and how many earrings? 6? HA-ha-HA!" Oddly, it came out as a compliment. Shortly after that, another woman asked if I sprayed my hair or used celophane because the color was always changing. Only one hipstergeek today as well as a close-proximity SANTA SIGHTING. This time, he was standing near a bus stop, hitching. The first row of photos are from last night. I didn't feel compelled to write about the commute last night.

Wednesday, 04-12-00
<morning> I decided to sprinkle some cocoa powder on my latte this morning, which tastes plenty nice, but I didn't notice until I got to work that i'd sprinkled cocoa all over myself. Quelle Feeb! I like to invent stories about everyone around me during my commute. I watch for clues about a person, little fragments which I can paste together in to a narrative of sorts. People reveal little things about themselves, sometimes I wonder whether or not it involves any sort of conscious effort on their part. The bus ride across the bridge was somewhat lethargic, the driver seemed to be exceedingly happy, and then he let a couple of backpacking hippies on for free! My guess is that he was stoned.

Tuesday, 04-11-00
<morning> There was a lot of construction going on along Divisadero, so MuNi was, of course, completely late and crowded. I missed my second bus by about 5 minutes, and got to spend some time taking surreptitious snapshots of bus passengers. A little silver haired old lady offered me a transfer, and a freaky guy approached me and sort of barked out "Dig yer hair," and then walked away. I decided to take a photo of all the people who got off of the next bus that stopped, and I ended up capturing a really frail, thrashed old woman on crutches as she struggled down the steps. When she looked up, I felt like i'd been punched in the gut. Her right eye was bruised and swollen shut, and she had other bruises and cuts on her face, she had obviously either fallen really badly or been beaten severely. I was stunned and I stood there awkwardly while another woman offered to help her get off of the bus. Shortly after that, my bus arrived, and I ended up sitting directly across from the hairless hipstergeek. I was really upset and angry and sad, and spent the rest of the ride fighting back tears. I did manage to get a couple of pictures of the geek, and I think he's waving in the second one, you be the judge.

Monday, 04-10-00
<morning> It's a totally gorgeous day! It's been really nice for the past couple of days, not too hot or anything. At the cafe, Christian approved of my PEZ shirt, so I feel redeemed. He smiled at me and said "Pez!". His opinion of my shirt is a very important part of my morning. That and the precious caffeinated fluids he dispenses. I got out the door a few moments earlier than usual, and got to ride the bus with this big Samoan guy who works at the Ham store, though I gained no particular insight in to his thoughts or feelings. It was a fairly quiet commute today, all in all. Only one hipstergeek, no redheads, HTMLGIRLs or Santa sightings. I took a few interesting photos, though.

Thursday, 04-06-00
<morning> Again with the clouds. It's weird, it can be completely grey and dreary in the city and all across the bay, but Sausalito is usually sunshiney and beautiful, regardless. Must be some sort of cushion protecting the eastern slope of the mountains. I can understand why people would want to live here. It's cozy. Safe. I came to work in kind of a glum mood, thinking the net would be down, preventing me from both slacking and updating milkycat. All in vain! Hooray. While I was waiting around for the sausalito bus to come, I watched some little thuglings tagging the glass of the bus shelter. A school bus went past and a girl shoved her head out to yell "I like your hair!". The Sausalito bus was really empty, only 5 or 6 other passengers, none of them hipstergeeks or HTMLGIRLs. I sort of made up a story that something traumatic had happened to make Sausalito incapable of accessing the int0rnet. I started thinking about people who have real jobs, how easily the world could continue without web designers. What the world needs more of is not web designers. I had this whole doomsday scenario worked out, and then I sat down, opened netscape and Bingo! So now what the world needs more of is shiatsu masseurs, working the tension out of my shoulders while I sip a cappucino.

Wednesday, 04-05-00
<morning> The weather forecasts are misleading. It's been grey and dreary almost constantly since Monday. Bleah! My camera-related mischief was at an all-time high. I am getting better at photographing people without thinking too hard about it. It reassures me to see the same driver every day when I get on the bus, and a little nod, smile or hello goes a long way towards passenger confidence. Like seeing your pilot and stews as you board an airplane, I suppose. Both of the hipstergeeks were present and accounted for, and I sat behind them. Didn't glean much from their conversation aside from their shared interest in techno music. SANTA SIGHTING: I really must know the story behind this guy. What is his deal!? Included in today's photo gallery: random muni passengers, a random street guy, the outdoor systems guy, some random bus stop people, the redhead who I see all the time on the sausalito bus, some buildings on Geary, one of the hipstergeeks' heads, HTMLGIRL (who is writing in her journal, apparently without the use of any markup language!), and two vague shots of SANTA.

Tuesday, 04-04-00
<morning> Another cloudy day, but I wore a more appropriate outfit for the fog. I got my nonfat double latte, and Christian called me Sweetie and asked about my t-shirt (a big image of the Lucha Libre wrestler SANTO - el enmascarado de plato) but he seemed a little bit disappointed in my choice of shirt. I felt bad for letting him down. While waiting for Muni, I saw a tourbus come by and I took a photo of them, and the fools were all smiling and waving - Then they took out their cameras and got themselves some pictures of ME. Damnit! Also waiting at my bus stop was the crazy bible woman, the one who had acacia flowers. I surreptitiously photographed the people at my stop, I like the resulting image. I found myself thinking that the spanish term, "en este momento" is really kind of lovely. Only one hipstergeek was aboard the bus, but I got his photo as he was leaving. It's kind of blurry. Suffer!!

Monday, 04-03-00
<morning> Today is supposed to be oppressively summerhot, so I dressed in weather-appropriate light clothes, no jacket, no wooly sweaters, just a thin dress and a light shirt over that, and MAN I was totally freezing in the bitter chill of some really spectacularly dense fog. Weird, when I typed "fog" just then, I accidentally typed "god". I took a lot of photos today, really cool ones, but I forgot to bring my serial cable, so I won't be able to upload them until I get home. The fog was really amazing crossing the Golden Gate bridge, it made everything seem close, and small. It was a solid blanket of white. I like fog, and San Francisco fog especially. Here are some random bus-related photos I took over the weekend.

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