A Seasoned Pharkin' Traveler/
Why hasn't Kate posted in two full days, you may be asking yourself? What could she possibly be doing? Why isn't she chained to her computer with pizza sauce dribbling down her chin? Why has she abandoned us?
[Or maybe you haven't actually noticed that I've been away because you were so busy being productive, going to the gym, eating cheeseless thin-crust near-pizza, living full lives and reading cool people's blogs instead, in which case...um...don't read this. I've got nothin'.]
Now that the cool people have stopped reading...hi! I, as a seasoned Ontario traveler, spent all of today in beautiful downtown St. Catherine's and all of yesterday in...um....unique suburban Hamilton. I have now officially seen more of Ontario than I ever needed to. Honestly, though, I had two really fun days. Family and friends are better than coffee. (That's a lie.) Family and friends are better than beer. (Almost. Lite beer, maybe.) Family and friends are better than (or maybe just on par with) realizing that your cat may actually have lost a pound or two.
This was supposed to be a short entry. I am going to bed now.
But first! A few parting thoughts, after my two days of traveling:
1) I want to move to Turkey, because apparently people in Turkey aren't allowed to use cell phones on buses. (I somehow always manage to sit in front of someone who talks really loudly for sixty minutes straight on their cell phone about things I DON'T NEED TO KNOW. Like what they drank last night, what kind of bra they're wearing (if at all), and why they hate every girl they've ever met. Just as an example, of course.)
2) a) I have a really cool sister. b) I challenge anyone to put a Dora puzzle together faster than my nieces can. They may say "kix" instead of "six", but they're baby geniuses. Both of them.
3) Buses don't smell good in Ontario.
4) Buses are twenty degrees colder than the air outside in the winter, and twenty degrees hotter than the air outside in the summer.
5) I am bad with money.
6) Discount stores are no longer cheap if you buy everything in the store.
7) St. Catherine's, Ontario is pretty awesome.
8) Hamilton is not as bad as they say.
9) Bus trips make me tired.
10) I am not funny after 11pm.
11) I may not be funny before 11pm either.
K.
Why hasn't Kate posted in two full days, you may be asking yourself? What could she possibly be doing? Why isn't she chained to her computer with pizza sauce dribbling down her chin? Why has she abandoned us?
[Or maybe you haven't actually noticed that I've been away because you were so busy being productive, going to the gym, eating cheeseless thin-crust near-pizza, living full lives and reading cool people's blogs instead, in which case...um...don't read this. I've got nothin'.]
Now that the cool people have stopped reading...hi! I, as a seasoned Ontario traveler, spent all of today in beautiful downtown St. Catherine's and all of yesterday in...um....unique suburban Hamilton. I have now officially seen more of Ontario than I ever needed to. Honestly, though, I had two really fun days. Family and friends are better than coffee. (That's a lie.) Family and friends are better than beer. (Almost. Lite beer, maybe.) Family and friends are better than (or maybe just on par with) realizing that your cat may actually have lost a pound or two.
This was supposed to be a short entry. I am going to bed now.
But first! A few parting thoughts, after my two days of traveling:
1) I want to move to Turkey, because apparently people in Turkey aren't allowed to use cell phones on buses. (I somehow always manage to sit in front of someone who talks really loudly for sixty minutes straight on their cell phone about things I DON'T NEED TO KNOW. Like what they drank last night, what kind of bra they're wearing (if at all), and why they hate every girl they've ever met. Just as an example, of course.)
2) a) I have a really cool sister. b) I challenge anyone to put a Dora puzzle together faster than my nieces can. They may say "kix" instead of "six", but they're baby geniuses. Both of them.
3) Buses don't smell good in Ontario.
4) Buses are twenty degrees colder than the air outside in the winter, and twenty degrees hotter than the air outside in the summer.
5) I am bad with money.
6) Discount stores are no longer cheap if you buy everything in the store.
7) St. Catherine's, Ontario is pretty awesome.
8) Hamilton is not as bad as they say.
9) Bus trips make me tired.
10) I am not funny after 11pm.
11) I may not be funny before 11pm either.
K.
posted by katehewlett at 11:28 PM
40 Comments:
Hmm. I'm in the process of moving from Pittsburgh to Rochester, NY, so I'm just across the border. Now that you're a seasoned Ontario traveler, any particular place you'd recommend? :-)
I think buses everywhere have a smell that can be classified as bad. Unless you were taking a bus in my college town, in which case the smell can be classified as "beer."
I love that the LJ feed showed this post 3 times. It was like it was trying to make up for your 2 day absence.
What is it with buses and smelling weird? Maybe its a plot on the part of petrol companies to stop people using public transport. *muses suspiciously*
Try the buses in London, they are worse! Or were the last time I was there in 97'
But glad you had fun time with family and friends.
Yeah I got the three posts on LJ feed too. *grin*
ozzie
Oh gosh, I was just telling some friends that I have to stop this and get to work, but I wanted to send the URL of that photo of you and David to my sister, and here I am, still not working! I'm with you on the discount stores--I try to avoid shopping, because I am also terrible with money, and I certainly can't be trusted with a credit card! I rationalized buying the first season of Stargate: Atlantis on DVD because I could use it to work on my Spanish. Yeah, right. I DO watch it with the Spanish subtitles quite a bit, but somehow I don't think it counts as instructional materials, you know what I mean?
A very nice list, and I'd have to agree with most of it. However, 8, 10, and 11 are all clearly false.
Glad you had fun visiting your family; all I ever have when visiting mine is a headache.
I noticed you were gone. It had nothing to do with me hitting refresh on every tab I had open ten times a minute...not procrastinating about working, nooooo.
So. It's tuesday (or tuesday where I am, anyway). Are you going to write a script, or are you going to blog about (not) writing like the rest of us??
aki
I'm totally feeling you on the bus woes. Last week a guy was projecting his voice at an unreasonable pitch for about 10 minutes. That and being squished in like a sardine and I wasn't too impressed with the trip :)
Buses! I hate them so much. I need to drive to work with a bus every frackin' morning and back home after work. I don't own a car (no money for that yet), so I depend on buses. School children in the morning, loud and rude. Cell phones - as you said, all the things you never wanted to know! The smell. And it's almost always crowded. Women with prams scream bloody murder when you stand too close to her precious offspring ("Hello? I need to stand somewhere, too, right? I cannot just disappear because you and Earth's new and future saviour show up!").
That all sounds cynical, I know. But normally I love to meet other people, and I absolutely love children. But somehow I can't stand them in buses. After months in which I spent two hours every day in a bus I know one thing for sure, the "bus life" is annoying.
I did notice that you haven't updated in two days, but well, that's pretty normal I guess, you have a real life after all like we all (or most of us...) , and we all here were just spoilt because you updated so often before! *g*
I love to read all your blog entries (yes, they're still funny after 11pm), but only write when you want to, not because you feel forced to do so.
But who am I to talk, I know the pressure of the internet. So I post in blogs even though I should do thousand other things. Like going to work. :)
So bye, and have a nice day!
I'm in the middle of avoiding editing a story where the writer thought it would be "innovative" to make all the spoken dialogue, oh dear god, rhyme, so actually, riding on a bus sounds like fun.
Oh, that's interesting - one of my six cats just gained two pounds, and your cat may actually have lost a couple of pounds. This may prove my theory that all fat simply migrates from one entity to another, it never truly disappears (which explains a lot about my hips, actually).
But imagine how much you'd have spent if you bought everything in non-discount stores!
At least, that's my reasoning and maybe the cause of my own inability with money! :D
Already missed you
I am so happy with this RS feed over at LJ. and I don't get it threee times but it feels more at home there then over here *hide*
anyway, I hate cellphones in busses as well. But they aren't as annoying here then I think you must have exsperinced them! You ever tried Busses in Rome? so funny. I love them. really small (only for erm.. ~20 people, 8 seats) but you get one veery 5 minutes. The only thing is when you're tall you shuldn't stand because your had would bang against the bar, ask my brother ;) (he really got headaches from that)
But when I rea dthe stuff about Busses here I must be glad that we have actually "nice" busses here. No smell, not hotter or cooler, not that much cell phones (because everybody almost hates that) and I still don't get a bus drive to another ciyt far away... we are much more into using the train. That is much more comfortable then a a long Bus trip.
And oh yeah when you think "that is cheap So I can buy a bit more" it never ends with a BIT *headdesk* that is really a problem of mine too. Like I bought this books. I was like 2€uro each? great I can buy A LOT...well. I did and I ended up like verytime "jeez that is still mony and I should have spend it for more urgent things" So you see you're not the only one who is bad with money.
London buses are pretty good because all the tourists and everyone likely to have a loud cell phone conversation takes the Tube.
I might visit Canada. It sounds nice.
Salut !
(my "little" french message as usual, for your translation training :P)
Tout le monde parle de son expérience des bus et bien j'ai également quelques annecdotes sympathiques (bon vous vous en fichez peut-être mais ça m'amuse de les raconter)!
Les bus en France...fidèle à notre réputation c'est l'anarchie totale ! Tout le monde se pousse, râle...Je me rappelle de mes premières années de fac où je prenais le bus...et bien le chauffeur prenait tout le monde jusqu'à ce qu'il n'y ai plus 1 seul centimètre carré de libre. Les portes avaient du mal à se refermées, on ne voyait plus rien dehors à cause de la buée et à l'arrivé on frôlait l'asphixie !
Le plus drôle c'était de voir ce bus plein à craquer de l'extérieur. Ce qui était moins marrant c'était de le voir passer sans s'arrêter... :(
Il y a un truc qui m'a marqué quand je suis allée en Angleterre cet été: les gens font la queue pour prendre le bus ! Je me suis fait "gentillement" remettre en place quand j'ai voulu passé devant !
Eh oui, c'est pénible d'entendre les conversations téléphoniques des gens (même si parfois ça m'arrive de le faire...oups!). Mais je trouve que ce n'est pas ça le plus dérangeant. Le pire ce sont les odeurs...surtout quand le trajet est long et qu'il fait chaud. C'est insupportable !
"10) I am not funny after 11pm.
11) I may not be funny before 11pm either"
Don't worry ! You're funny after and before 11pm. You're just tired ! As I can say in french: Il y a des jours avec et des jours sans !
It's good to have you back Kate, I missed reading your blog.
I have to admit that I'm not going to complain about public transport in this country (UK) again after visiting my sister in Kenya.
The plane that we were waiting on for an internal flight was 2 hours late, and then was diverted to pick other people up and so ended up 3 hours late.
The matatus (sort of taxis/minibuses) are very uncomfortable, hold 14 but usually are filled with at least 20, and have very loud music playing all the time. They don't have an actual timetable, but if you stand at the side of the road, one will probably pass by and if it's not full, will pick you up. If you hire them, they usually turn up about an hour late.
And the roads there make our roads seem as smooth as glass. They have potholes in their potholes!
people on buses REALLY annoy me. What's worst is when some kids in the back are going through every ringtone on their phones. So glad i've got my own car now. Could never go back to catching the bus everyday.
great to hear from you again... ;-) what's worse than people speaking on their cell phones on buses? people using their cell phones in the streets but with the 'kit piéton' and who seem to be talking to an imaginary friend right behind you! lol...
moving to turkey? great, you'll be nearer europe then! (only kidding, i'm sure you'd miss your family out there)...
bonne chance pour l'écriture de la pièce aujourd'hui après ces deux jours de folie touristique! ;-)
Sounds like a lovely weekend :)
I didn't actually notice that you hadn't updated coz I was busy completing an assignment (I study part-time supposedly) and a friend from abroad visited Sydney. :)
I've never been to Canada, but I hear that it's a beautiful country. Next year, I'm going to Europe/UK for a holiday - and visiting my sis but so far, I have yet to visit North America.
Buses or not, it can't be as bad as the trains in Sydney! Or the un-air conditioned tube in London when it's a hot summer :D
I've (thankfully) never had to experience the whole "bus thing" (at least not yet) but I'd have to think that the Paris metro system in July during a heatwave is WAY worse.
Well, seeing as that entry was post-11pm, I can confirm that you are indeed funny at that hour. Of course, it may just be my sense of humour that's damaged beyond repair.
I have the same problem with beer, but not with buses - I don't use them.
Wha...?!?! Same problem with beer? I meant with shopping, but do you think my brain might be trying to tell me something?
Really glad you had a good time with the family!
I actually thought you were off doing something productive with your time, because you probably have a life...unlike me..lol. I think we all noticed you were gone.
Spending time with family is almost always fun. Like yesterday my dad, youngest brother and I took our three dogs for a walk in the woods and picked wild black raspberries. Of course I ate most of them before they even hit the bucket.
I once traveled cross country, from New Hampshire to Arizona in a Grayhound bus. I'll keep out the details, but its an experiance I am glad I did, but don't need to do again..lol
Dear lord, there are more Hewlett siblings?
Clearly you all need to have blogs - especially your brilliant nieces. :)
The buses in my area are so bad (and tend to crash quite often) that I avoid them at all costs...even if it means I need to walk for a few miles to get to the train station.
I may be going on holiday to Canada sometime next year, so where would you recommend?
Discout stores are evil...I'll see something dear that I want, think 'do I really need that?' and go to a cheaper store...and buy a ton more stuff than I would have bought otherwise!
And yes, you are funny...funnier than my blog anyways lol!
Trust me, buses in Ontario have nothing on those in the UK. Yours at least seem to run on time and don't cost an arm and a leg to travel on (I just loved that $2.50 one way thing that Toronto had when I visited!). I accidentally swore (semi-quietly) when I was on a bus/tram thingy in Toronto and got death threats from all the other passengers. In the UK you get off the bus now well versed in a variety of colourful phrases that would make a stand-up comic blush.
The best buses? Has to be Malta. Not only do they have air-conditioning *aka no windows and doors wide open* but the drivers can't seem to decide which side of the road they like best, bombing along at 60mph. Very similar to Turkish buses now you mention it.
*realises she has been harping on about buses for far too long*
errr... I'll go now.
p.s. Turkey = yummy apple tea!!!
I'm very glad you got a chance to spend time with family and friends. It's good to get out and have something in your life other than the internet and work.
I can't really comment on the whole bus thing as my experience with buses is limited to pretty much just school buses. Growinf up on a farm does that. And all my distance traveling has been in cars with family or friends. (There are a few people who qualify as both)
My sister had a kind of interesting idea once for a new use for a bus. She and her husband rode motorcycles a lot when they first got married, so they bought a bus that was being retired, did a little work on it and turned it into a sort of motorhome where they could also carry their bikes in the back. They had it for several years and used it every weekend.
Mabe you can get your 'revenge' for bad bus rides by thinking of uses for old buses...
The discount store thing is so true! Too many tempting things to buy, and if you don't buy them right away, they might be gone the next day. So really, you can't afford not to buy! Evil consumerism at its best.
Buses are a.) uncomfortable, b.) decidely wiffy and c.) brilliant for people watching...which is more entertaining than...well...a very entertaining thing.
I'm bad with money!! and you seem to be funny all the time.. like my friend is funny, well not exactly like her, shes funny in a different way... You know I better keep this comment short, or I'm liable to post you another flipping essay! I get off track easily and i've just realised that by writing that I've gotten off track... Oh yeah... I'm always standing in front of (or behind) people talking bolocks over their phones. it's particularly worrying when a guy is behind me on his phone sayong he's getting turned on- queues are baaaaaddddd... I'd better stop typing... keep up the great blogging.
xnomix
P.S Read one of my blogs!
The best cellphone non-conversation I had was waiting in line at a Star Wars convention (yeah, I'm a geek). The person behind me was talking loudly on her cell phone about getting semen in her eye and how much it hurt.
Of course, being the optical nosybody that I am, I butted in to tell her exactly what to do in a situation like that.
(irrigate, irrigate, irrigate)
She shut up pretty quickly after that.
I get that question fairly often since I work for an eye doctor.
Your cat is beautiful and cuddly. Declawing is illegal in the UK, how is a cat meant to take chunks out of our antique furniture without claws? My cat died in May and I am going to get another two later in the year. Just moggies, nothing posh. Just psychotic little monsters who bite and scratch and hack up hair balls at meal times.
Good to see you get on with your brother. I get on really well with mine - something to do with me living in Scotland and him in England!
WRT cell phones: I've heard all kinds of things as a bus passenger, including one memorable review of a young woman's ... exploits? and personal hygiene and health issues. And then there was the day I got to listen to a young man wheel and deal illegal substances. Although I do now know the going rates for several party chemicals. Still, I don't really feel enriched by hearing about her love life, and it makes me nervous to hear someone else's attempts at pharmacological free enterprise (I feel like an accessory!),so I'm with Turkey on that one.
*sigh*
MLK
Hi !
Merci ! Réponse sur mon blog !
I think buses smell bad everywhere. And there's scary people on them that tell you about how they can't wait to get somewhere where they can take their drugs and then try to dig through your grocery bag and tell you about how you can make Top Ramen taste like anything you want it to taste like...
Hi Kate :)
I have now officially seen more of Ontario than I ever needed to.
You've definatly seen more then me, since I've only been in Ontario once.
And that was when taking the bus from Montreal to Toronto. Fortunately I was with a friend so we just talked the whole time :)
I've also been on some busses in Monreal itself.
In the Netherlands I mostly us the train to get places.
I used to travel to work by train every day, but I've moved closer to where I work so now it's only a 20 minute bike ride to get there.
now for some public transport Dutch words.
Openbaar vervoer - public transort
trein - train
bus - bus
bushalte - bus stop
perron - perron
treinkaartje - train ticket
strippenkaart - bus ticket
That's it for now.
More Dutch later :)
Greetings,
Chantal.
I have to agree with the praise of the Skytrain in Vancouver. However, I did have a fairly smelly bus ride there, so much so that I got out and walked the last eight blocks in the rain. I understand that talking on a cell phone masks the bus odor, especially if you have one of the new lilac-scented phones.
Your bloggerly dedication shames me.
hey!! vous semblez etre traumatisée par les bus!!
I don't feel like to write this in english sorry, and I'm tired so I can't write alot!!!
see you!!!
L
St Catherine's ...Have to agree it's a lovely city. Last time I was in Canada - two years ago - was to Toronto so I could take the ferry back to Rochester. Used to do a shopping daytrip up to Kingston. Easier to get over the 1000 Island Bridge than the Peace Bridge in Buffalo. Customs - it's own form of hell.
You just need to build a tolerance to buses. And possibly embrace your inner cheap bastard. Three times now I'm made the pilgrimage from my house in Denver, Colorado to Vancouver, BC... on Greyhound bus.
It's 40 hours each way and totally an animated sitcom. Everthing outside looks the same so people are constanting waking up and going "'scuse me, what state are we in". There's always some weirdo with drugs, and a soul crushed woman with almost no luggage, 2 filthy children, and no money to buy food or diapers.
They're perfect places to write with the white noise and strangers you mimed "me deaf" at in a bid to not have to interact with them. But I usually end up staring off into space anyway.
The only smell I noticed was when some Latino guy save next to me for about 4 hours one night and farted all the way to his destination.
It's true we don't allow cell phones on the buses, thank god. I'll probably never understand why people shout while talking on their cell phones.. If you ever come to Turkey, I would love to show you around 8)
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