Taking The Bus Adds A New Perspective

Went to Bunnings for the second time yesterday, out of four trips, and bought some material for a bench and shelves for Miky's sewing room. As I went to pick up a hire trailer I was greeted by the trailer nazi. Incidentally, one of the first things I did today was buy an adapter for my trailer connection, so they weren't going to catch me out on that again.

The trailer nazi kept spewing on about the size of my tow ball and wouldn't let me have a trailer if it wasn't 50mm. I wasn't allowed to explain that I had put a trailer on the tow ball on Friday night and it fitted perfectly. Got it all hooked up and checked the lights. Blinkers fine. Brake lights nada. No brake lights at all. I'm the first person to crack the shits when I see someone whose brake lights don't work.

I had the car serviced a week ago and I'm wondering how the brake light check came up. There was no blown fuse and it seemed strange that none of my three brake lights worked if that was the case.

Loaded up the car and left my mate Bill at Bunnings. Managed to get everything inside but it meant an extra trip. We did a bit more work before I looked at the brake lights at home. Damn difficult light covers. Didn't want to come off. One of the back lights looked a bit suspect. Drove to Super Cheap Autos, where I had purchased the trailer adapter in the morning, had a quick look around and bought some brake/tail lights. Couldn't find a lamp for the middle light. After much frigging around I finally discovered that the middle brake light was buggered and not the other one. But I still don't understand why the two other lights didn't work.

Back to the bus story. Having no brake lights and Miky needs her car to drop Yu-Jin off at kindy today, it neccessitated my taking of public transport. It was supposed to be two degrees this morning so the 10 minute walk to the bus stop was fresh. Just missed one bus and waited five minutes for the next.

You get on the bus and you feel like an alien. Everybody can look at you and you can't look at anybody. They all feel comfortable in the knowledge that they were there before you. Obviously they stare a bit. But once you are on the bus you can have the same attitude towards the next lot of aliens to get on the bus.

People don't talk, unless they see someone they know and then they yack like nobody's business. They're caught up in their own little world, staring out of the window, listening to music but oddly enough nobody was reading a book.

In the city it was another five minute walk to the train station and then three stops to Subiaco station. From there it was a 16 minute walk to work. It was an interesting feeling to be walking up a one way street in the opposite way to which I normally drive it. I quite enjoyed it.

And all this because of one little broken lamp. At least I hope it is. We have a mechanic shop next door. Hopefully I can buy a replacement lamp from them.