I'm convinced that these guys put out these kinds of songs and videos as a social experiment to show just how stupid people really are. They are catchy, quirky, and funny.
But are they "serious" or are they just proving a point?
BTW, this one is a little age-restrictive so if you're under the age of oh, say... 18, maybe you should go find something else to do for a few minutes. :)
You've been warned.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Preparing the Essentials
I am anxiously anticipating the end of this week. The day that I know I will no longer have to wake up and drive the bus is going to be one of the best days I've had in months. That day is coming quickly. I will work tomorrow, then I'm off Wednesday, then two more days and I'm done.
On Wednesday I'll head down to the physical exam place to get my new DOT physical and submit to a drug test. This will be a slightly new experience for me because not only will I have to tinkle in a cup, they will also be taking a few of my lovely locks for testing as well. I've never had follicle testing.
I panicked last week and called the company medical team to tell them I was freaking out about the follicle test. I explained that I hadn't ever had one before and that I went and "Googled" it to get some information about how its done and how much hair they will be taking and such. It was upon reading the information online about it that I began to panic. There was a list of the types of drugs detectable in the test that included opiates which covers multiple drugs including Morphine.
I had forgotten to mention before that I had recently been in the ER for the business that turned out to be a severe sinus infection. I explained that during the course of my stay I received IV morphine along with a host of other medications I was now fearing may cause me to fail my test.
The lady assured me it wouldn't be a problem and that should I come back with a positive test all I would have to do is explain what I just explained to her on the phone. She claims to have documented it all on my "file" and then suggested I mention it to the laboratory folks who collect my samples.
The last thing I need is to lose this job before I even get to start it because of my asshat sinuses.
After getting that phone call out of the way I felt a lot better about it. I am sure there is still a chance that I will have to re-explain it all to someone down the line. But I feel confident now that it won't be a problem.
Last night I got online and reserved my rental car for my trip to Indy. The company is willing to send me out via Greyhound but I'm not really hip to that idea. I'm trying to avoid buses like the plague, which is why I'm changing jobs... DUH!
Sadly they won't pay for alternative transportation so I'm paying for the rental myself. However... they say that they will reimburse for "expenses" if you drive yourself which I presume will just include gas. Which is fine. I don't care either way, it's not that far to Indy and I don't' expect to use more than $100 in gas out and back and in between. I'm willing to take the hit myself if they decide not to pay for the gas, just so I don't have to ride the bus or rely on anyone else while in Indy.
I've really gotta get on the ball with getting some stuff organized and ready for my next big adventure. My trucking essentials are spread all over the house, in the garage and such. I need to get them all in one spot. I figure that's what I'll spend most of next week doing. But I may start a pile as I come across items I want to have with me.
I want to try to downsize from the amount of stuff I had with me before, too. Only the essentials I keep telling myself when I start thinking of what to bring. I remember having totes full of shit I never ever used or touched, but had "just in case", last time around. Sure I'll need some of those items, like severe weather gear and survival food/supplies. But there were a LOT of things I didn't need then and surely won't need now.
Some of the essentials I know I will need are:
CB Radio
XM Radio w/booster antenna
Atlas & Truck Stop Guide
12v Phone Charger
Small 100w inverter
Laptop w/charger
Bedding & Pillows
All weather clothes/shoes/coats
Tool box
Locks (king pin and pad)
12v Cooler & 12v Cooker
Food/Water
Paper towels
Wet Ones hand wipes
Notebook(s)
Pens/pencils
Hygiene items (including flip-flops)
Winter weather items (small shovel, ice melt, ice scraper)
I'm sure there are many other things I could add to that list, but to me that pretty well covers what I consider the essentials. And all of that will also be enough to fill up the truck of a car and maybe part of the back seat.
The biggest thing I need to have with me is a positive attitude. I'm working on that, hard. I have allowed the bus driving job to nearly kill any optimism I ever had. I'm holding onto it by the skin of my teeth. But I've found the rod and have begun reel it back in. I figure that once I take off that awful uniform for the last time the majority of the fight will be over and I'll be on my way back to normal again.
I miss me.
On Wednesday I'll head down to the physical exam place to get my new DOT physical and submit to a drug test. This will be a slightly new experience for me because not only will I have to tinkle in a cup, they will also be taking a few of my lovely locks for testing as well. I've never had follicle testing.
I panicked last week and called the company medical team to tell them I was freaking out about the follicle test. I explained that I hadn't ever had one before and that I went and "Googled" it to get some information about how its done and how much hair they will be taking and such. It was upon reading the information online about it that I began to panic. There was a list of the types of drugs detectable in the test that included opiates which covers multiple drugs including Morphine.
I had forgotten to mention before that I had recently been in the ER for the business that turned out to be a severe sinus infection. I explained that during the course of my stay I received IV morphine along with a host of other medications I was now fearing may cause me to fail my test.
The lady assured me it wouldn't be a problem and that should I come back with a positive test all I would have to do is explain what I just explained to her on the phone. She claims to have documented it all on my "file" and then suggested I mention it to the laboratory folks who collect my samples.
The last thing I need is to lose this job before I even get to start it because of my asshat sinuses.
After getting that phone call out of the way I felt a lot better about it. I am sure there is still a chance that I will have to re-explain it all to someone down the line. But I feel confident now that it won't be a problem.
Last night I got online and reserved my rental car for my trip to Indy. The company is willing to send me out via Greyhound but I'm not really hip to that idea. I'm trying to avoid buses like the plague, which is why I'm changing jobs... DUH!
Sadly they won't pay for alternative transportation so I'm paying for the rental myself. However... they say that they will reimburse for "expenses" if you drive yourself which I presume will just include gas. Which is fine. I don't care either way, it's not that far to Indy and I don't' expect to use more than $100 in gas out and back and in between. I'm willing to take the hit myself if they decide not to pay for the gas, just so I don't have to ride the bus or rely on anyone else while in Indy.
I've really gotta get on the ball with getting some stuff organized and ready for my next big adventure. My trucking essentials are spread all over the house, in the garage and such. I need to get them all in one spot. I figure that's what I'll spend most of next week doing. But I may start a pile as I come across items I want to have with me.
I want to try to downsize from the amount of stuff I had with me before, too. Only the essentials I keep telling myself when I start thinking of what to bring. I remember having totes full of shit I never ever used or touched, but had "just in case", last time around. Sure I'll need some of those items, like severe weather gear and survival food/supplies. But there were a LOT of things I didn't need then and surely won't need now.
Some of the essentials I know I will need are:
CB Radio
XM Radio w/booster antenna
Atlas & Truck Stop Guide
12v Phone Charger
Small 100w inverter
Laptop w/charger
Bedding & Pillows
All weather clothes/shoes/coats
Tool box
Locks (king pin and pad)
12v Cooler & 12v Cooker
Food/Water
Paper towels
Wet Ones hand wipes
Notebook(s)
Pens/pencils
Hygiene items (including flip-flops)
Winter weather items (small shovel, ice melt, ice scraper)
I'm sure there are many other things I could add to that list, but to me that pretty well covers what I consider the essentials. And all of that will also be enough to fill up the truck of a car and maybe part of the back seat.
The biggest thing I need to have with me is a positive attitude. I'm working on that, hard. I have allowed the bus driving job to nearly kill any optimism I ever had. I'm holding onto it by the skin of my teeth. But I've found the rod and have begun reel it back in. I figure that once I take off that awful uniform for the last time the majority of the fight will be over and I'll be on my way back to normal again.
I miss me.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Two Weeks Notice, yet again.
I'm not job hopping. Trust me, no one hates turning in a two weeks' notice more than I do. I may hate the job beyond a normal kind of hating, but I will still feel terrible when I have to face those who took a chance on me and hired me in the first place, only for me to say "thanks, but no thanks" in the end.
I always get sick to my tummy and shaky when I have to turn in the two weeks' notice statement. And this time was no different. The fine folks at the Authority gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, in a way. A driving job with amazing benefits, excellent pay and the potential for a life-long career would be any professional drivers' dream, right?
I thought at the very beginning it would turn out to be my dream job.
But alas, it's more than just driving, getting paid and having benefits beyond my wildest imagination. No. It was way more than that.
I knew going in I would be dealing with Joe Public on a more intimate level that ever before. But I had NO idea what that was actually going to be like. Or how it would turn my view of humanity into something so dark and unwelcome.
I also knew going in that the hours would be hectic until I worked my way up the seniority list as well. But again, I hadn't the faintest inkling how truly "hectic" it was going to be. No way was I prepared for the sheer exhaustion and the stress it causes. No way.
But I stuck it out as long as I could. I kept telling myself it HAS to get better. Any day now it'll make that one hundred and eighty degree turn from absolute crap to the absolute opposite of crap. But as each day passed and it seemed only to get worse, I realized my pivot point wasn't anywhere in sight.
As each day passed my stress levels increased exponentially, causing me not only mental but physical grief as well. I blame the stress, and my apparently inability to cope with it, for the vast majority of my "illnesses" this year. The only one I can't blame it on was the gallbladder thing. I knew it was misbehaving, and had been for a few years already. It was just a matter of time until I would need it banished from my body. So it wasn't really any surprise when it finally started acting up worse than ever and needed punishing.
So anyway.
Here I am, on the third day after having turned in my two weeks' notice. Counting down the days until I no longer have to worry about the one job I think I've hated most in my life. It very nearly ruined a lot of really good things for me. Top of which is driving.
I have a passion for driving, in any capacity. I take it very seriously, I do all I can to do it as safely and professionally as possible, even in my own private car. I worked hard to obtain the driving status and ability that I have today.
It broke my heart on many occasions this year when I was this close to throwing all my hard work away because of the loathing that this job had brought me. I had days when I thought, "why bother? I can't keep doing this."
But my love of driving, of being behind the wheel and going where the roads take me, kept me hanging in there. I'd say that that above all things is what kept me in this job for nearly 10 months. It wasn't the people (definitely not the people, ugh), it wasn't the pay (although that too had a part to play in my keeping it but not for the reason most people would assume) and it wasn't the benefits (which paid for my health and well-being which suffered greatly this year).
No, it was the driving. The physical act of snapping my seat belt, putting the vehicle in drive and getting going.
Some of you already knew I was looking at a job change again, for several months I've been tossing the idea back and forth between my heart and my head. One day I was certain I had finally made a decision and was ready to move forward. Only to have the brakes applied and the gears downshifted out of fear of making a rash, irrational decision. I think this happened about half a dozen times since around mid-October. I was so afraid I was letting my emotional side make the decisions while ignoring the rational side completely.
I'd stop, take a deep breath or twelve and reconsider my options and why I was considering them in the first place. I think, however, that I'd really made my decision by Halloween, even though I have struggled to make it certain until now. But I wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing, for me, my family and my life in general.
And now, as I said I've made my decision. I've taken the necessary steps to get things moving so I have a smooth transition from the bus driving job to my new job. Which is actually an old job I will be doing again.
What job is that? you ask.
I'm going back to playing Over-The-Road Adventuress.
Yep. Hitting the road again.
I have made arrangements with the company I worked for before to come back and drive for them again. They seem thrilled to have me back, or at least the recruiter is good at making me feel that way. Since I had a very good driving history with them and left them on excellent terms (thanks to a kind and courteous two weeks' notice) I am getting offered a fair wage offering.
I will be serving my bus drivers' duty for the last time on Friday February 3. I will have a week to prepare myself and my house hold for my return to the open road and then I will be heading to Indianapolis for a 4 day reorientation training. They claim I will get a couple days off between that and getting my truck assignment and first load, which I hope is true. (I expect nothing, plan for the worst but hope for the best.)
I am seriously excited to get back out on the road. Of course what is excitement without a little bit of nervousness to support it? I think the things I worry about the most is if my shifting will be up to par, if I will be able to back into a parking spot, and if I can trip-plan efficiently.
I kinda figure shifting and backing is like riding a bike, and I'll pick it back up like I'd been doing it all along. The trip-planning is a different story though. The two driving jobs I have held since being OTR haven't required any type of trip planning on my part. I haven't had to sit down with the miles, an atlas and a truck stop guide to figure out what route to take, where to stop for breaks, and how long it will take me from point A to point B. All of that was either planned for me with the bus company or was not relevant with the CO2 delivery company.
I figure trip-planning will really be my biggest challenge once I'm back in the saddle again.
I am confident that the rest will come back naturally, if a bit rusty at first. I have to head to my local truck stop and pick up some of the things I discarded when I left the industry before. I need an new atlas, a new truck stop guide, and a few other small things only truck stops have. I pretty much still have everything else I need. I have my old CB, my old 12v. cooler and cooker, my old bedding and pillows and clothing and coats for all seasons.
I plan on reactivating my old XM radio and probably gonna buy a new pair of boots. The company offers them at a discounted rate - not free anymore sadly - but apparently they're affordable so if they have something I like I will buy a pair, otherwise I've got my old ones somewhere in a closet and those will do until I can find something more suitable.
Aside from all that, there are a few things I need to do around the house to prepare for my departure, mostly putting away things that will annoy my husband if I leave them lying about while I'm not there.
And then there is also the mental preparations. I have to pump myself up for this, be ready to roll when called to do so. I have to kick the stress of the bus driving gig to the curb and find some clarity and sanity before hitting the road as well.
I'm anxious to dust off the old Gi-Gi Roxx and put her back on, like a well worn jacket of awesomeness. All sparkles and glitter and happiness.
Drastically different from the Gi-Gi Roxx of late. The sad, drab, distressed blue polyester uniform worn down by the life of a bus driver.
I'm definitely ready for my triumphant return to truck driving.
Bring it on.
I always get sick to my tummy and shaky when I have to turn in the two weeks' notice statement. And this time was no different. The fine folks at the Authority gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, in a way. A driving job with amazing benefits, excellent pay and the potential for a life-long career would be any professional drivers' dream, right?
I thought at the very beginning it would turn out to be my dream job.
But alas, it's more than just driving, getting paid and having benefits beyond my wildest imagination. No. It was way more than that.
I knew going in I would be dealing with Joe Public on a more intimate level that ever before. But I had NO idea what that was actually going to be like. Or how it would turn my view of humanity into something so dark and unwelcome.
I also knew going in that the hours would be hectic until I worked my way up the seniority list as well. But again, I hadn't the faintest inkling how truly "hectic" it was going to be. No way was I prepared for the sheer exhaustion and the stress it causes. No way.
But I stuck it out as long as I could. I kept telling myself it HAS to get better. Any day now it'll make that one hundred and eighty degree turn from absolute crap to the absolute opposite of crap. But as each day passed and it seemed only to get worse, I realized my pivot point wasn't anywhere in sight.
As each day passed my stress levels increased exponentially, causing me not only mental but physical grief as well. I blame the stress, and my apparently inability to cope with it, for the vast majority of my "illnesses" this year. The only one I can't blame it on was the gallbladder thing. I knew it was misbehaving, and had been for a few years already. It was just a matter of time until I would need it banished from my body. So it wasn't really any surprise when it finally started acting up worse than ever and needed punishing.
So anyway.
Here I am, on the third day after having turned in my two weeks' notice. Counting down the days until I no longer have to worry about the one job I think I've hated most in my life. It very nearly ruined a lot of really good things for me. Top of which is driving.
I have a passion for driving, in any capacity. I take it very seriously, I do all I can to do it as safely and professionally as possible, even in my own private car. I worked hard to obtain the driving status and ability that I have today.
It broke my heart on many occasions this year when I was this close to throwing all my hard work away because of the loathing that this job had brought me. I had days when I thought, "why bother? I can't keep doing this."
But my love of driving, of being behind the wheel and going where the roads take me, kept me hanging in there. I'd say that that above all things is what kept me in this job for nearly 10 months. It wasn't the people (definitely not the people, ugh), it wasn't the pay (although that too had a part to play in my keeping it but not for the reason most people would assume) and it wasn't the benefits (which paid for my health and well-being which suffered greatly this year).
No, it was the driving. The physical act of snapping my seat belt, putting the vehicle in drive and getting going.
Some of you already knew I was looking at a job change again, for several months I've been tossing the idea back and forth between my heart and my head. One day I was certain I had finally made a decision and was ready to move forward. Only to have the brakes applied and the gears downshifted out of fear of making a rash, irrational decision. I think this happened about half a dozen times since around mid-October. I was so afraid I was letting my emotional side make the decisions while ignoring the rational side completely.
I'd stop, take a deep breath or twelve and reconsider my options and why I was considering them in the first place. I think, however, that I'd really made my decision by Halloween, even though I have struggled to make it certain until now. But I wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing, for me, my family and my life in general.
And now, as I said I've made my decision. I've taken the necessary steps to get things moving so I have a smooth transition from the bus driving job to my new job. Which is actually an old job I will be doing again.
What job is that? you ask.
I'm going back to playing Over-The-Road Adventuress.
Yep. Hitting the road again.
I have made arrangements with the company I worked for before to come back and drive for them again. They seem thrilled to have me back, or at least the recruiter is good at making me feel that way. Since I had a very good driving history with them and left them on excellent terms (thanks to a kind and courteous two weeks' notice) I am getting offered a fair wage offering.
I will be serving my bus drivers' duty for the last time on Friday February 3. I will have a week to prepare myself and my house hold for my return to the open road and then I will be heading to Indianapolis for a 4 day reorientation training. They claim I will get a couple days off between that and getting my truck assignment and first load, which I hope is true. (I expect nothing, plan for the worst but hope for the best.)
I am seriously excited to get back out on the road. Of course what is excitement without a little bit of nervousness to support it? I think the things I worry about the most is if my shifting will be up to par, if I will be able to back into a parking spot, and if I can trip-plan efficiently.
I kinda figure shifting and backing is like riding a bike, and I'll pick it back up like I'd been doing it all along. The trip-planning is a different story though. The two driving jobs I have held since being OTR haven't required any type of trip planning on my part. I haven't had to sit down with the miles, an atlas and a truck stop guide to figure out what route to take, where to stop for breaks, and how long it will take me from point A to point B. All of that was either planned for me with the bus company or was not relevant with the CO2 delivery company.
I figure trip-planning will really be my biggest challenge once I'm back in the saddle again.
I am confident that the rest will come back naturally, if a bit rusty at first. I have to head to my local truck stop and pick up some of the things I discarded when I left the industry before. I need an new atlas, a new truck stop guide, and a few other small things only truck stops have. I pretty much still have everything else I need. I have my old CB, my old 12v. cooler and cooker, my old bedding and pillows and clothing and coats for all seasons.
I plan on reactivating my old XM radio and probably gonna buy a new pair of boots. The company offers them at a discounted rate - not free anymore sadly - but apparently they're affordable so if they have something I like I will buy a pair, otherwise I've got my old ones somewhere in a closet and those will do until I can find something more suitable.
Aside from all that, there are a few things I need to do around the house to prepare for my departure, mostly putting away things that will annoy my husband if I leave them lying about while I'm not there.
And then there is also the mental preparations. I have to pump myself up for this, be ready to roll when called to do so. I have to kick the stress of the bus driving gig to the curb and find some clarity and sanity before hitting the road as well.
I'm anxious to dust off the old Gi-Gi Roxx and put her back on, like a well worn jacket of awesomeness. All sparkles and glitter and happiness.
Drastically different from the Gi-Gi Roxx of late. The sad, drab, distressed blue polyester uniform worn down by the life of a bus driver.
I'm definitely ready for my triumphant return to truck driving.
Bring it on.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
French Couture
I'm sitting here on this chilly Sunday morning, nursing a tummy ache with some ice cold ginger ale watching a program that has become a near Sunday morning staple in my life in recent years. Currently on the program is a piece about a famous fashion designer who has his pieces on display at a Texas museum of art. I'd describe most of his fashion designs to be that of this blogs title. French Couture.
He's a fabulous man. With bold and fabulous design ideas. Many a celebrity "wear him". I'd not be opposed to having a one of a kind couture piece of his as well. And I don't really consider myself a fashionista in any sense of the word. I just appreciate his kind of "art" for what it is. And as I said... it's fabulous.
Today I may head out to a local discount store or two in search of some work clothes. I need some jeans and things that I don't mind getting ruined for an upcoming adventure I'm going to be having. At the current my closet is filled with the few fabulous clothing items I've purchased in the last year and some months that aren't worthy of dirt and filth. They are much too nice to be ruined. And some of them, my favorite pair of jeans for instance, cost too much to go getting them dirty for any reason or cause.
As I said, I'm not into the whole fashion thing. But I do like to look nice. So even though I will buy "cheap jeans" I will still want them to look nice and be flattering. So my search for such items might end up taking me to places a little nicer than the bargain stores, ya know like K-Mart. I just can't let it take me to department stores like Penny's or Kohl's where I'd spend more than $15 for a pair of jeans I know will end up stained and well worn.
I may even offer to purchase some new pants for my hubby if I can drag him along with me. He's quite sick with a cold right now though and may just opt to stay home and rest for the day. He needs new work pants too. All the pants I bought him a couple years ago are now soiled beyond the cleaning capability of our washing machine. He likes to use his pants as finger cleaning devices when he gets into paint, dry-wall mud, concrete mixes, liquid nails and caulk. You can use those items to create a denim stained masterpiece in your mind. While laundry day makes them a part of my reality.
He's a fabulous man. With bold and fabulous design ideas. Many a celebrity "wear him". I'd not be opposed to having a one of a kind couture piece of his as well. And I don't really consider myself a fashionista in any sense of the word. I just appreciate his kind of "art" for what it is. And as I said... it's fabulous.
Today I may head out to a local discount store or two in search of some work clothes. I need some jeans and things that I don't mind getting ruined for an upcoming adventure I'm going to be having. At the current my closet is filled with the few fabulous clothing items I've purchased in the last year and some months that aren't worthy of dirt and filth. They are much too nice to be ruined. And some of them, my favorite pair of jeans for instance, cost too much to go getting them dirty for any reason or cause.
As I said, I'm not into the whole fashion thing. But I do like to look nice. So even though I will buy "cheap jeans" I will still want them to look nice and be flattering. So my search for such items might end up taking me to places a little nicer than the bargain stores, ya know like K-Mart. I just can't let it take me to department stores like Penny's or Kohl's where I'd spend more than $15 for a pair of jeans I know will end up stained and well worn.
I may even offer to purchase some new pants for my hubby if I can drag him along with me. He's quite sick with a cold right now though and may just opt to stay home and rest for the day. He needs new work pants too. All the pants I bought him a couple years ago are now soiled beyond the cleaning capability of our washing machine. He likes to use his pants as finger cleaning devices when he gets into paint, dry-wall mud, concrete mixes, liquid nails and caulk. You can use those items to create a denim stained masterpiece in your mind. While laundry day makes them a part of my reality.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
You're a Bad Mutha - Shut Yo' Mouth
So I worked a total of twelve hours and twenty minutes yesterday. I started my first shift at 4:10 am and finished my last (3rd) shift at 18:30.
The whole day was pretty much smooth sailing, aside from exhaustion from having only gotten about 4 hours of sleep the night before. Until in the last half hour some yahoo decided to try to sh*t on my day.
Dude gets on the bus, he's rude from the get-go. He takes his time paying his and his friends' fare, then takes a seat. I close the door and pull back into traffic. I had to immediately roll down the drivers side window of the bus because the SMELL emanating from the two men was unbearable. I didn't even make it one block before he starts talking to his friend a little too loudly about things that most people would try to whisper about. Then the profanity started.
M'fer this and G'damn that.
The man had serious diarrhea of the mouth. I had a few other passengers on the bus, two of which were elderly ladies. So I cleared my throat and spoke calmly and politely, but loud enough for everyone on the bus to hear....
"Could you please watch your language?"
"B*tch, I'm a 45 year old man. I can talk however the f*ck I want."
"Not on this bus." I said as I pulled over, put the bus in park and opened the door.
"You think I'm gonna get out of this f*cking bus? This b*tch thinks she's gonna kick me off the bus for my f*cking mouth? Ain't no f*cking way, b*tch."
I simply sat there, staring straight ahead, patiently waiting for him to shut the hell up and get off the bus. He kept ranting and raving but it didn't take long before he realized I wasn't gonna move until he got out. So, he continued his tirade and threw a few more curse words at me. He called me some colorful things, but at least he did it while he was exiting the bus.
And THAT is why this job isn't long for my little world. I have the right to respect myself and not subject myself to this sort of abuse. It's sad that the abuse has to occur, but when dealing with the general public I guess it's gonna happen. But being a human and having the whole free-will thing going for me I can made the choice to stay and take it or move on.
I am inclined to move on.
The whole day was pretty much smooth sailing, aside from exhaustion from having only gotten about 4 hours of sleep the night before. Until in the last half hour some yahoo decided to try to sh*t on my day.
Dude gets on the bus, he's rude from the get-go. He takes his time paying his and his friends' fare, then takes a seat. I close the door and pull back into traffic. I had to immediately roll down the drivers side window of the bus because the SMELL emanating from the two men was unbearable. I didn't even make it one block before he starts talking to his friend a little too loudly about things that most people would try to whisper about. Then the profanity started.
M'fer this and G'damn that.
The man had serious diarrhea of the mouth. I had a few other passengers on the bus, two of which were elderly ladies. So I cleared my throat and spoke calmly and politely, but loud enough for everyone on the bus to hear....
"Could you please watch your language?"
"B*tch, I'm a 45 year old man. I can talk however the f*ck I want."
"Not on this bus." I said as I pulled over, put the bus in park and opened the door.
"You think I'm gonna get out of this f*cking bus? This b*tch thinks she's gonna kick me off the bus for my f*cking mouth? Ain't no f*cking way, b*tch."
I simply sat there, staring straight ahead, patiently waiting for him to shut the hell up and get off the bus. He kept ranting and raving but it didn't take long before he realized I wasn't gonna move until he got out. So, he continued his tirade and threw a few more curse words at me. He called me some colorful things, but at least he did it while he was exiting the bus.
And THAT is why this job isn't long for my little world. I have the right to respect myself and not subject myself to this sort of abuse. It's sad that the abuse has to occur, but when dealing with the general public I guess it's gonna happen. But being a human and having the whole free-will thing going for me I can made the choice to stay and take it or move on.
I am inclined to move on.
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