The Ups and Downs of Taking the Bus

1. Walking to and from the bus stop. It is awfully nice to start the day with a little walk. You forget this in LA when you drive everywhere. Especially the cool, crisp weather in the fall. It's nice. The downside: it takes time and is annoying when you are running late.

2. Reading. I can read a script on the way to work and one on the way home. If they're bad, I can get through 2 passes. But today, I got a little sick, partially from reading and partially because I'm a big yuppie pussy.

3. Money savings. I don't know the exact cost of driving, but beyond the gas price, the wear and tear on your car in a long commute around Los Angeles is significant. No downside here.

4. Flexibility. If some hot chick calls me to get drinks after work, I can't simply say yes because I'm bound by the bus schedule. Then again, the odds of a hot chick calling me randomly to get drinks is slightly higher than the odds I'll mistakenly pee all over myself at work and catch pneumonia and die - in which case, it'll be good that my car is at home.

5. Door to Door Timing. Because I have a long commute, it is nearly impossible to determine how long it'll take. It ranges from 50min-1:15 in the car. On the bus, it ranges from 1:15-1:45, so it is both a longer trip and a higher spread, which makes arriving on time and in an efficient manner all the more difficult.

6. Helping the Environment. I can tell you this is VERY small, if not negligible, element in my decision making. If anything, I might deep down calculate that it might impress a few people, but anyone stupid enough to be impressed by me riding the bus for environmental reasons is generally someone who will hate most other things about me, which makes it pretty much a non-factor.

7. The Adventure. I like taking the bus because it is something different. In the long run, the adventure element would surely wear off as I see the people with monthly passes and they bear little resemblence to Indian Jones or Laura Croft. Dumb as it is, though, I do feel more connected to people while sharing a bus ride than I do when driving along in my car. Perhaps it is because our legs are touching.

8. Podcasts and Adam Corolla. I listen to Corolla on the way to work. I like the show. I don't listen on the bus. Somedays I listen to podcasts, but I could do that on the bus, although I haven't yet. Either way, I don't particularly miss Corolla...it's just the best thing to listen to on the morning between commericals.