Two strikes. There was no third. It was close. I thought I had to make that call for bail money

I know I haven't been writing much and mostly posting photos, and I know after a while that gets hella boring. I'm sorry.

By the way, the Toronto Star articles I've been posting have ads (as many of you have fearfully pointed out, clenching your sphincters in fear that I've sold out to the man). No one is paying me to advertise. In order to publish these articles of interest, and keep you on my site, I am choosing to republish them with ads so I don't have to pay for licensing.

It had been pretty quiet on the GO fuckery front. There was an incident last week I refrained from writing about because I've gained this small crowd (about five based on the IPs) of knives and pitchfork carrying GO bus operators, who, for some reason, have been led to believe I am anti-bus driver. I have no desire to defend myself because it's not true. 

I fell down the stairs on a GO double-decker bus while the bus was in motion. It has been my experience that most drivers don't allow passengers up top time to get down to the doors when they come to a stop, so you have to be ready to hurl yourself off before you arrive at the stop. This means negotiating the stairs while the bus is in motion, or standing on the main level. If you do stand on the main level, some drivers will bark at you to sit down or go upstairs (true story). This is where my newfound bus driving fans will fight me to the death. Like I'm supposed to be down at the main level well before my stop, and should come down when the bus is stopped at a previous stop (as one driver lectured me to do one night). That's bullshit and you all know it. 

90 is a rural route. The bus can drive for several stops without any need to stop. What needs to happen is some drivers should wait for those of us who were yelled at to sit upstairs to have enough time to negotiate those bloody steps, so we don't have to hurt ourselves when we get off.

I think I scared the shit out of my driver when he realized I had hurt myself. I was in tears. I was limping. I bashed my left knee. It took me some time to climb off the bus. The driver idled for several seconds after asking me if I was okay. I wasn't and I told him so. He seemed torn, but I wasn't prepared to take that bus out of service, so I waved him off. I did notice that for rest of the week, there was no double decker bus at that time, just a regular MCI.

I was sore for four days. I did a number on my knee and it hasn't been the same since. Those double deckers should be driven off a cliff. 

Strike one happened yesterday at Union while the train was boarding. I was in the throng of cattle the LSE crowd considers a line when it was my turn to step onto the train. This woman walking toward me pretended as if she didn't see me and stepped right in front of me and boarded. This caused me to step back in a bizarre two-step kind of dance to prevent myself from falling backward. I boarded and walked over to her and just stared at her. She looked at me and I shook my head at her. Don't act like you didn't know, girl. Please. 

Strike two happened when we arrived at Oshawa. There are signs, huge signs, warning passengers smoking is not allowed on the platform. This woman lights up a cigarette next to me, turns her head and blows smoke RIGHT IN MY FACE as we're walking towards the exit to the parking lot. WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS?! I lost it. I made a huge scene. I gestured. I yelled. I totally lost my shit. I don't know who some of you smokers think you are but that's not acceptable. I feel bad for the smokers who do it right - who stand in the parking lot. 

My anger surprises me sometimes, especially when I'm dealing with stress and with STILL two houses in my name, I'm not managing it well. 

When I got on the bus I was practically daring someone to deliver a third strike. I have bail money.