POOR GIRL

I was just finishing my first day driving the State Fair work. It was a pretty mellow, uneventful day. I didn't even get a Sweet Martha cookie! Last year I got a ton of them. People wanted me to take them so they could close their overflowing buckets.

I was bringing my last load of fair goers into downtown. All was pretty quiet. As I got to the light rail stop on 5Th street, a young girl came running up to my bus. She was in a pink dress and was barefoot and crying. I opened the door and she yelled "Call the police! Those people over there just robbed me! They took my cell phone battery and my money and I have asthma and I had to fight them and get away! Call the police, please! Where's my inhaler?" She started frantically looking in her bag.

I immediately made a priority call to the Control Center. The losers that attacked her were hanging out in the bus shelter. There were too many to get descriptions of. People on the bus didn't realize I was waiting for the Control Center to call me to give them the info so it appeared to them I was doing nothing. Someone said "Don't you have a cell phone? You need to call the police!" I explained that we aren't allowed to carry them or have them turned on and I was waiting for a call to give them the info. Some lady on the bus got on her cell phone and called police. By then, Control called me and I gave them the info.

In the meantime, the girl saw a security guard standing on the corner and wanted me to let her off so she could go ask him for help. I let her off, knowing there were at least two calls in and the police would be there soon. There were about 4-5 guys and 3-4 girls involved in robbing this poor girl. The security guard would probably get his butt whooped down there by himself.

I hope they caught those losers. What a bunch of punks...ganging up on this skinny little young (she was probably 20-ish) girl.

Tomorrow is another day!

STATE FAIR TIME!

For those of you looking to win the contest, I'm driving for the State Fair. I know there are a lot of routes going there, but we all end up in the same place. That should make it pretty easy!

I'm out there from about the start of PM rush hour 'til almost midnight. Long day. Lots of opportunity to find me!

Good Luck!

THIS SHOULD MAKE IT EASY

Hate to give TOO easy of a clue, but try this.

I'm working now 'til Friday on the same route the first contest winner found me on. I'll be out there from 12:30-ish PM to 8:30-ish PM.

The driver who normally does this work is a very pleasant Native American guy who always seems to be smiling. I'm just hoping he doesn't come back before Friday and bump me off the work! If he does, I'll let you know.

Good luck!

CONTEST CLUES

Today and tomorrow I will be working 12:30-ish PM to 7:30-ish PM. I'll be driving past Mary Tyler Moore and lots of green RideMinnesota bike racks. Really not looking forward to tomorrow. Have to dodge people so excited to be buying fruits and veggies from street vendors that they apparently go deaf and blind. They step out in front of buses like we have no blind spots and are focused just on them, not the rest of the swarm of people. Please, don't be one of "them"!

Hope someone can find me and say the winning phrase! I shouldn't be to hard to find in the next couple days.

Good luck!

WORKING ON A SUNDAY!

This is just wrong!! I have to work on a Sunday!! If that's not bad enough...I have to do a yucky route!

For those of you that may want to find me today and win all the prizes...I did two consecutive blogs about how much I hate this particular route. I'll be out there from 11-ish AM to 7-ish PM. Also, it's the only route I've ever pepper sprayed anyone on...he spit on me first. He had it coming.

Gotta look at the bright side...this route is usually good for blog material!

Hope to see you out there. Don't forget the winning phrase!

BUS DRIVERS CAN BE NICE

Regardless of what you may have read in City Pages, most drivers are not mean.

Recently, I was driving past a bus shelter. There was a young girl sitting in the corner of the shelter, which was blocked from my view by newspaper stands. I didn't see her until I had gotten nearly past the bus stop. Seeing there were no cars close behind me, I drove through the intersection as I put on my hazard lights and slowed to a stop. The young girl ran over and boarded my bus. She was about to put her stored value card in to pay the fare. Instead, I apologized for not seeing her and popped up a transfer and gave it to her, giving her a free ride. She thanked me and went and sat down.

I figured it was a better way to handle the situation than to just have her get on and go through her day mad at bus drivers for something that was no fault of either of ours.

I spoke with another driver who had a much more serious situation. He had a very pregnant lady go into labor on his bus. Being blocks from a hospital, he made a quick detour to get the woman safely to a hospital.

Bus drivers can be, and are, good people!

I LOVE KIDS

Recently, I was driving a few guys around that knew each other. They were older guys. One was a Vietnam veteran who wore a camouflage hat and kind of dirty, tattered clothes.

The guys were sitting with another guy that rides buses quite a bit, sometimes just to chat with the driver. They were all sitting in the very front of the bus. The veteran was sitting right behind me, so I couldn't really see him.

They were joking with each other. One offered to take another guy fishing, then said he had some cinder blocks and just wanted to use him for bait. They laughed and kidded back and forth.

Meanwhile, there seemed to be an unusual number of babies and small kids getting on the bus. I always say "hi" to them. Usually, I try to find something to compliment them on....what a pretty pink outfit...love your spiderman shoes...whatever.

The veteran behind me heard me chatting with the kids and suddenly said "I love kids..." My mental picture of this guy just seemed to conflict with his comment. Then it became clear. He finished his thought and said"...they taste like chicken!"

I had to laugh.

CLUES FOR THIS WEEK

I have a totally different schedule this week. I'll be going to bed about the same time as I've been getting up lately!

I'll be working 10-ish hour shifts today thru thursday. I start just before afternoon rush hour and get done 1-ish AM. Woo hoo...gotta love those hours! (NOT!)

Hmmmm...a clue on the route I'm gonna be on. Hmmm...got it! The route number I am on used to be the number for what is now the south side of the route 11. The 11 is a route that was basically two prior routes that were put together and renumbered to become the 11. One side of it was the 18C that went northeast to 41st and central. You need to figure out/remember what other route was put together with it to make it the 11 and you will know what number route I am on this week.

Can you find me now?

Good luck!

I THINK SOMEONE IS GONNA FIND ME

I think someone will find me this week. I'm gonna be on a route I was nearly found on before. I was on a route that went thru the same transfer point. This week I'll be on the route he thought I was on.

Today (monday) is a really short day. I start 530-ish AM and am done 9-ish AM. The rest of the week I'll be on this route from 5-ish AM to 2-ish PM.

Gotta go pick up strangers!

Good luck!