Buses suck

Well, I had another episode of unexpected-yet-unsurprising culture shock this morning.  I suppose it was only unsurprising because I had forgotten how terrible public transit can be in this country.  I wanted to get from Olympia to Seattle, so I looked up the easiest route online.  Buses leave every two hours, require no less than three transfers (each with a half-hour wait), and the trip is three hours long.  The soonest I could be in Seattle if I left Olympia after eleven thirty am would be five pm.  No, I don't think that will be happening today.  Amtrak costs $20 for a one-way ticket, so that won't be happening today either.  As I was discovering how futile it is to attempt something like this at the drop of a hat, I just kept thinking "Well!  If this were Costa Rica I would already be at the bus station!"  But then I remember that in Costa Rica the roads are so terrible that it takes just as long or longer to travel between cities as it does here.  So it seems I am back at square one.  Maybe I should move to Canada.  But that won't be happening today either, unfortunately.

The weather is still lovely as ever.  The air is a bit chillier today than yesterday, but I came to terms to with that this morning.  I have no work to do and no other obligations so I have been toying with notions of leaving this town, but as yet I haven't even managed to leave this house.  I've been calling and firing off emails to all those people I haven't spoken with in some time but should get in touch with.  My communication court was getting a little uncomfortable with so many message balls bouncing around it, waiting to be kicked back to somebody else.  Now there is some room to think.  Ahh.

Been reading a book called Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder.  I highly recommend it.  It discusses the history of philosophy in more or less layman's terms, but remains fascinating in spite of the raher dry premise.  It's a solid work of fiction about a little girl whose world suddenly becomes very unusual, complete with an enigmatic philosophy teacher with apparently magical powers.  However, the reality of the situation turns out to be much more unusual than your run-of-the-mill, everyday magical powers.  Intrigued?  You should read it.