I’ve got this running joke that I am guaranteed to see something bizarre at least once a week as I commute to work on the trolley. Here’s just a few things that I’ve seen in the past few months since I started taking public transportation most days.
On my way to the trolley:
– Two drunk college females, in bathing suits, lounging in a kiddie pool in their front yard.
– A scene fit for Animal House at a sorority house, but on a weekday afternoon.
– An elderly naked man picking his nose in front of a frat house.
– A grown man falling off his bike and laying out on the pavement at a major intersection in front of a ton of college students. (Oh wait, that was me on Monday.)
– Watching the summer transformation of trashed rental houses to decent looking rental houses so parents will sign leases… right back to trashed rental houses!
On the trolley itself:
– Regular cat and mouse games between trolley police and people who don’t buy trolley tickets. Rivals Keystone Cops.
– The unibomber. Seriously, he must have gotten free. He rides the 5:20 PM train from El Cajon to 70th Street every day. Who let him out?
– Two college students practicing pole dancing on a crowded train.
– A schizophrenic man receiving everyday kindness from a group of 4 strangers he repeatedly called every name in the book.
Not only does taking the train give me a few ounces of excercise each day, eliminate the stress of sharing the car with Kristen, and give me a chance to catch up on unlimited episodes of This American Life… it also provides me with the fun observations that add to the tapestry of bizarre I enjoy so much about life.
Plus, I’m earning my “green” card here in Southern California.