Breakfast of Champions

Another beautiful Saturday in Houston,TX. I decided to go downtown to the Anjelika to see the documentary The Art of the Steal. It was great! Took a stroll over to City Hall and met Nathaniel on one of the park benches. He has lived in various locations in downtown Houston for the last 30 years. At dusk, the friendly HPD tells the local park dwellers to move along, so Nathaniel spends most nights under various I-45 bridges. He eats a lot of his meals at the downtown missions, but they don't serve beer for breakfast, so Nathaniel has a couple of favorite convenience stores he stops at to grab two 40 ounce beers every morning. He lived in downtown Boston for awhile. Nathaniel said he liked it better than Houston because he had a job. He said he worked at a research facility that did animal testing. I couldn't make out what he was saying when I asked him exactly what his job was, and I do believe I am thankful for that. I wished Nathaniel well and headed to the bus stop. I boarded the #81 and was the only rider on it, so I thought I'd ask the driver how long he had been driving for Metro. Wrong question! He replied with a snarl that he didn't have to give personal information to NOBODY. I told him that he was correct and took my seat quickly. Most Metro drivers are nice, so I looked on the Metro website to see if it mentions anything about drivers and customer service. Sure enough, it says that bus operators are expected to interact with passengers in a courteous and helpful manner. So, to whomever was driving the #81 route, bus #3614 @ 7pm on 3/27, you're an asshole!

A Streetcar Named Woo Pig Soooiiee

New city, same great characters. I went home to my birthplace, Little Rock, Arkansas, March 13th for spring break. My friend, Jan, and I decided to check out Diamond Bear Brewery at 3rd and Cross St. The #1 bus runs by it, but there's no bus stop close to Jan's house so we drove instead. The first thing I saw when we entered the brewery was a badger skin sitting on a table. Then a large, happy drunk man loudly proclaimed that it was his badger and he was Mark the Professional. Professional what I don't know, but I have my suspicions. He grabbed Jan with a huge badger hug and kept repeating 'badger, badger, badger'.The brewery tour hadn't even started and I had gotten my moneys worth (it was free). The tour and tastings were fabulous, and we were only reprimanded for bad behavior a couple of times. I highly recommend Diamond Bear Brewery if you are ever in Little Rock and want to experience the local color and flavor. Beware the Ides of March! My friends Kelly and Julie told me I should ride the streetcar in downtown to see the sights. What an excellent idea! So, on March 15th, I visited the LR Convention and Visitors Bureau kiosk in the River Market. There I talked to Charlie O the Transplanted Yankee. Charlie O was from Boston but moved to LR a few years ago. He was very friendly, and extremely helpful to this ex-Arkansan. Charlie had that great accent that I imagine confuses some tourists asking for directions in LR. Charlie O went over the streetcar info with me then sent me on my way. I hopped on the Green Line that makes a rectangle around downtown LR. My driver was Jerri L. the Steetcar Conductor. Jerri is a native Arkansan who has lived all over but has driven for Central Arkansas Transit for three years. She, too, was very friendly and helpful. A big thumbs up to the LR streetcars. Later I rode the Blue Line. It takes you over the creek to North Little Rock. Talked to some nice people from Des Moines, IA, who enjoyed the streetcars,also. Back at the River Market I had the pleasure of conversing with Dennis the Shoe Shine Man. Dennis is 60 years old and has been shining shoes all his life. He also makes his on jewelry. Dennis had great stories about shining shoes all over the world.He has never been a convict and has always worked hard to provide for his family and himself. Dennis had some great stories about some well known Arkansas politicians, but these can't be printed until all the old cronies are dead and buried. Little Rock is the place to go if you are looking for beautiful scenery, extraordinary people and fun public transportation.

Give Peace A Chance!

The sun always brings out Houston's finest. I decided to contribute to global warming today and take my car, instead of the bus, to the Quakers Peace Festival on West 26th street. I parked out of sight so the hippies wouldn't slash my carcinogen-spewing, gas-guzzling vehicle. My good friend, Tammy, joined me at the festival. It was way too sedate for two party girls like us, so we said Happy Trails to the vegans and jumped in Tammy's luxury, fossil fuel burning car and headed to Cedar Creek. A couple of blocks away we encountered this cool dude riding a cooler. We had to talk to this American patriot. Anyone riding a cooler down a Houston street while proudly displaying our American flag is tops in my book. His name is Bobby the Surfer and he restores antiques and keeps the neighborhood supplied with beer. Flashback to 1971! Make love not war! I'm pretty sure his shorts were vintage Vietnam war era. Bobby gave me a tour of his cruisin' cooler and it rocked. Tammy and I look forward to our next visit with Bobby the Surfer. On to Cedar Creek where I spied some fellow co-workers relaxing on Peace Day. Then we met some cool dudes that were fans of whitegirlridingthebus. They gave me some suggestions for future bus adventures. They also told me that James and I would make a smokin' hot couple...we'll see. Either #26 or #27 will take me close to this happening section of town, so stay tuned for when I ride the bus and make new friends.

*** Bobby the Surfer's cruisin' cooler was actually motorized!!! ***