McNelis.biz

I think of myself as an understanding individual. I think that I am pretty adaptable to a situation. So when I am on a train and am told that there is an emergency on the Purple Line, I take it in stride. I say to myself, well, what can you do, lets go catch the bus.

So that is what I did. For those of you who know me, I am a fidgety individual. I can not stand to just sit and wait for a bus. Furthermore, if you have ever waited for the #22 Clark Bus Northbound, you know just how long that wait can be.

Many people question “Why do buses come in three’s?”, and had I not already read a book about it. At any rate, when I don’t see a bus I start walking to the next stop. When I reach the next stop I walk into the road, look behind and see if I can spot a bus coming toward me. To put the rest of this story into perspective, I started this routine at Grand and Dearborn, which is about 500 N in the Chicago grid system. So every couple of blocks there tends to be another bus stop. Another fact about Chicago’s grid system, it is essentially Base 8 when comparing miles to blocks. In other words, 8 blocks equals one mile. So by that definition there is a bus stop every 1/4 mile.

So I start walking. 1/2 mile later, no bus. 1 mile later, no bus. 1.5 miles later, no bus. At this point I am passing Fullerton, which is 2400 N. Of course, I’m still not taking into account the East-West distance I’ve traveled, which brings me closer to 4.5 miles. So I’ve been walking for over an hour, and even using the Buses in Three’s theory I already should have seen 4 buses. Yet I’m still walking. At this point I’m growing very irritated and frustrated, and its now become an exercise in futility and I have all but resolved myself to the fact that all the buses must have had engine overhauls that went wrong today.

And I continue walking. I reach Diversy, 2800 N, when I see my first #22. But of course, it is completely full, so I can’t even hope to get in. So I am getting ready to start walking again when I see 4. Yes 4 buses come around the corner. I hopped on the first one, and it sped me home with haste. Total tally, 5.345 Miles, according to the Google Map Pedometer. I have no problem with walking that distance, it was quite invigorating, and I really could use the exercise. However, it was not my intent to deal with walking that far yesterday, and as such was a great annoyance. In fact, it really pissed the fuck out of me. So those pathetic administrators at the CTA can lick my balls.