A Blustery Day at the Jetty

Wednesday. The middle of the week, I hadn't gone for a drive since Sunday and I was cheezin to hit the road for a spell. It didn't need to be very far but I was looking for some dirt road so Darla could stretch her legs a bit. Then it hit me, Spiral Jetty. Scenic, dirt road, over an hour away, it would be the perfect drive for me to get my fix. So I grabbed my flip-flops, some water, my lady, the pup, my keys and we were on our way. As luck would have it, the day was gravy for driving. Sunny and free of traffic I was in my element and the next thing you know we were on the dirt road on our way out to the Spiral Jetty. As always the Spiral Jetty has a vast beauty that is impossible to portray in pictures, but hell I did my best.

Darla, so photogenic.

First time to Spiral Jetty!

Uhhnnn face.

Overall not a bad day.

Twofer! More of the Little Things and Back on Funemployment

Friday night, I'm driving around when my three little things find me. They are as rambunctious as ever but is already late so I weren't able to hang out with me too long. Story of the night although is all about treats. As usual, I'm driving and they are all standing within a few feet of me when Yara asks if I'd like to try a homemade Mexican treat. They said the name of it, but there is no way I was gonna remember that word, and as soon as the treat was offered there was a huge debate over whether or not I'd be able to handle that much spice because of how white I am. Well I'm not one to back down from free food, no matter how white I am, and I was allowed to try one of these treats. They. Were. Delicious! After I had one, and they saw how much I enjoyed it they decided to give me the entire bag! Twas my lucky night.

So much chili powder!

Next night, Saturday. I pick the three amigos up at 7:30pm and they are just wired. Bouncing off of the walls, swinging on the handrails and being absolutely nuts. Luckily the night was slow and there was no one else on the bus so we had quite a night. Some of the shenanigans include but are not limited to: impromptu snowball fight at a bus stop (I did participate), Yara standing right behind my seat pretending to drive the bus, a childhood confession of stealing a sharpie from school, and a lengthy discussion about how scary buffalo would be if the could shoot fire out of their heads. But the best part of the night was that after three hours all three of them had fallen asleep on seats and I had to wake them up when they were home. 

Left to Right: Yara, Jelena, Jose

Take Two

Part Two: Funemployment

Sunday the 14th, my last day as a bus driver for Park City Transit and I was allowed to dress "casual." I might have taken that a little too far, but it was my last day. What are they gonna do? Fire me? 

In reflection, this was a great winter gig. I had more than enough fun, met oodles of cool people, made new friends and got quite a few days on the slopes. What more can a boy ask for?

I drove that there.

This be my beans in a cup, a drivers best friend and a passengers nightmare.

The bus was in park for this photo. I swear.

 

It's the Little Things...

In this case, when I say "the little things" I mean three small Mexican children with nothing better to do on a saturday night than ride on my bus of two and half hours. 

Picture this, a slow night, an empty bus, a weary bus driver with roughly three hours of work left. 

Enter Yara, Jelena and Jose. 

Yara: A typical looking 12 year old girl with muddy shoes. Quiet, quick to smile, and prone to giggle fits.

Jose: The tag-a-long to two girls older than him. Glasses, hoody, and refuses to tell me how old he really is so he can, as he says, "impress da ladies."

Jelena: Ring-leader. Sassy. "I'm 14, my boyfriend is 16 but he didn't get me anything good for my birthday so I'm going to dump him." Sassy. Prone to start yelling in Spanish when heated. A miniature version of the stereotypical Latina Grandmother.  

I recognized them because they always get on the bus at the same spot and get off a block later. When they didn't get off at the usual spot I looked back at them and asked,

Me: "Don't you usually get off here?"

Jelena: "We're bored. Who are you?"

Me: "The bus driver."

Yara: *giggles

Jelena: "That is NOT your real name, my name is either Jelena or Yara. GUESS!"

Me: "You're Jelena and that is Yara. And I have no idea who that kid is."

Yara: *giggles "How'd you know!?"

Jose: "He's the bus driver... they KNOW things."

Jelena: *glares at Jose and strings off a loud rambling of Spanish

Yara: "I'm Yara. That's Jose. How are you?"

Me: "It's been a good day."

Yara: "Are we annoying?"

Me: "I've had worse."

Yara: *giggle fit

For the next hour or so it was much of the same conversation "are we annoying?" "No" 

After a lap or two I had to go to the bathroom and I came back to find Yara sitting in the driver seat and giggling uncontrollably. Apparently driver seats are hilarious. 

Later...

Jelena: "So are you happy?"

Me: "What do you mean? Right now? Yes. I'm happy. I like driving things."

Jelena: "No, I mean in life. Do you have a girlfriend? Do you drink beer? What's your favorite food?"

Me: "Yes. Yes. Anything on a stick."

Jose: "I love shishkabobs!!!" 

Me: "This guy knows what I'm talking about!"

Jelena: "Boys are so dumb!" *Spanish gibberish

Yara: *literally rolling on the floor laughing

So much more happened that night, I wish I could remember it all. But I definitely made three new friends, and even if they still only know me as "Mr. Bus Driver" it did make me smile. Especially at the end of the ordeal when they said that I was their favorite bus driver :)

Hobo Stress

I have been absolutely awful about posting lately, and for that I offer my most sincere apologize to those of you who enjoy reading this blog (aka Mom and Dad). But there has been something scratching at my conscience lately, like that branch outside your window that only touches the glass when it's windy outside. That is Stress. I give it a capital "S" because that is what it deserves. It is a huge part of peoples lives, although many people don't give it the recognition it deserves. But it is always lurking in the dark, like some kind serpent, silent and strong. I like the analogy of Stress being a snake for a number of reasons. First of all, alliteration. Secondly, I feel like snakes are the kind of animal that people don't understand and don't want to understand, much like stress. They would rather just ignore it until the are so wrapped up in it that it becomes hard to breathe. Thirdly, the alliteration again. That is really the only reason, I just kinda made that second reason up on the spot.
So why am I talking about it? You might be thinking, "I thought this blog was all about pictures and adventure and being a Hobo? How dare he talk about serious issues that have to do with mental states and physical states and any other state that he might ponder up!?!?" Or if you, the reader, are my mother you might be thinking more along the lines of "Stress?!?! What has happened to my little boy? He is all alone in a big old world, why won't he confide in me? Why is he Stressed and why is he unhappy and how can I help and why won't he just bathe himself regularly!?!?!" To answer you, I will say, life isn't all about the pictures, even a Hobo Kid has a serious thought from time to time and as for mental and physical states, my favorite one is Idaho. And to my mother, I do feel stress from time to time, but is nothing. As for bathing, it rained yesterday...
I consider myself one of the luckiest kids in the world. My stress is very real, but it is all trivial. An example if you will, this morning I woke up and realized that I hadn't pooped in roughly 39 hours. RED FLAG! Something must be wrong with me. A normal human doesn't do that. But then I said to myself, "There is nothing to worry about, it'll all come out in the end." As I laughed to myself and drank a cup of coffee I realized that this moment would be the most stressful part of my day. I am the luckiest kid in the world.
I have friends, correction, I have the best friends a Hobo Kid could ask for. They always have a couch for me to sleep on, a cold beer in the fridge, laugh right at the punchline of my jokes, tell me to keep adventuring and are genuine. I am the luckiest kid in the world. But these friends of mine, they have real stress. A demanding job, bills to pay, relationship issues, family problems, sickness, school loans, and so many things that I can't even fathom! Those things are real. They are Stressful. They are like that annoying squirrel outside the window. You know the one that is always "chic chic chicing" away chewing on acorns or whatever other squirrel business he has to attend to. Always there, but never close enough to grab by the tail and say, "hey you, Stressy the Squirrel! Get out of here cuz I got shit to do today!" I apologize for changing the Stress animal from snake to squirrel, but I am a slave to whim and alliteration. I am the luckiest kid in the world. My life is so simple, so basic, so void of stress, so filled with good memories with great friends. I am the luckiest kid in the world.
I guess what I'm getting to here is I want to make an offer. I know life is Stressful, I know everyday isn't a good day, I know that every once in a while Stressy the Squirrel-Snake wraps you up in his coils and pegs you with acorns. Those days happen. I want to help. If I can put a smile on your face for a few minutes or get you to laugh at the absurdity that is my life or I can just be someone to talk to. Anything to help relieve the Stress for a few moments in your day and maybe that stress won't have a capital "s" anymore. I am the luckiest kid in the world, because this is my life and I have so many people in it that make it great.
Well there it is, a serious topic and I even managed to get a poop joke in. I am the luckiest kid in the world!