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A few months ago, I started a new job in downtown Austin, TX. This job was the one I had been waiting for. The pay was good. I would be writing, albeit technical writing, but still. The company culture seemed young and vibrant. The entire prospect of it was very exciting to me.

Because parking in downtown Austin is a joke and costs roughly the price of an arm and a leg (which are pretty pricey these days, what with the economy and all...), I decided I would take the bus. I just moved to an apartment on the east side of 35. The location was not only convenient, but automatically updated my status to "cool hipster", a title I strive for on the daily. Note the sarcasm? Anyhow, the bus stop is basically at the edge of my driveway, and though I graduated from UT almost two years ago, my student i.d. still warranted me free rides. Thank you, Texas.

I am a big proponent of public transportation. Less cars on the road means less pollution. You can't argue with that. Also, it saves me from having to put any undue stress on my jalopy of a vehicle, which I lovingly refer to as La Bestia (despite its obviously domestic origin). However, my experience with the bus system in Austin was relatively limited up until this point. I took the bus around campus, but the clientele was almost entirely students and faculty. My freshman year I took the bus to the mall a couple of times, but I can barely recall those days.

I have now been riding the bus five days a week for a little over 3 months. In this time, I have had several thought-provoking experiences and learned some important things about myself. One of those things being that strangers love to come and talk to me. There can be 20 people on the bus, but for some reason, the more "interesting" people of the world that frequent the bus will single me out, sidle up next to me, and begin a conversation. This happens often enough that I feel the need to document these occurrences. So, that is the purpose of this blog. Some posts might slip into other areas, but everything I cover will be in some way related to things that have happened or occurred to me while on the bus. I hope people read this, but even if they don't, I think it will be funny to look back on and marvel at the oddities of life.

So, if you do read this, then thanks. And enjoy the ride.