Cover Up

We finally had a citizens advisory board meeting for the private nonprofit I work with. First meeting since the beginning of the year the first meeting since Christmas actually. Even though the day was cold and snow was forecast for the day I was glad to get back iin the saddle. I dressed in layers, super lightweight fabric which holds the weekend on top of my shorts. One T-shirt covered by a long sleeve every shirt on top of all that I pulled the red and black reversible jacket and headed for the bus.

I think I said before about how impressed I am with the local transit authority. For me anyway the buses always seemed beyond time are very close. I had checked and I would only have to wait three minutes when I headed out from the apartments and just like clockwork 47 pulled up three minutes after I got the bus stop. It's not like I was cold but pretty much circumvented that issue. Everybody was decked out in their winter gear, whatever that might be. I have given up trying to look cool on these cold days. I'm totally dressy for comfort and asked layers. People on the bus and getting on the bus were wearing everything from parkas, just regular heavy coats, hobo gloves and more often than not particulate masks. Living at the street levelis more and more dangerous. Dangerous, not only from idiots making right-hand turns not watching pedestrians coming off the sidewalk because they're looking the other direction of oncoming traffic, to people giving dirty looks for just being out in the cold in public I guess.

The next TRAXX vehicle was the Blueline which is not the vehicle that I needed I would have to exit the vehicle a number of blocks up and still have to wait for the Redline but, I would be out of the cold until then. It's funny how some cars, light rail cars, one enters is like entering an alternate universe. The people in the vehicle they look like a cross between a bunch at Cheers (the late great TV comedy) and the weird bar scene on Tatooine. A weird bag lady, a skinny Santa clone who smelled like it given up using bathrooms and a humanoid form with a blanket over his head who didn't move for three stops and finally got up and wandered off the same stop is very at the Courthouse stop. I was pleased to give out the train because it was snowing pretty bad at that point in the cold air seemed to purge the uric smell for my nostrils. As I rolled off the train people turned and saw me. I think if I'd seen the look on my face when I entered the car is probably the same as the consumers gave me as I rolled off in my layered bazaar get up. I truly was one of the weird folks getting off the car this morning. I just put my chair and fourth gear and headed for my meeting…