A New Bloomington Bus Driver

I have given up on understanding the bus system in Bloomington, IN. On Thursday I was returning home from my dissertation meeting on the #4 bus. The bus driver is a recent addition to this route. I've seen him but once prior to this occasion. The bus comes to a halt at the stop sign (before which I am not allowed to pull the wire unless I want to be dropped off at the stop sign (not a bus stop)). The bus accelerates through the turn and I signal the alert to stop at the intersection of Mitchell and Maxwell (where there is a bus stop). I watch as the bus continues to accelerate past my stop. Readers will know that this is not an unusual thing (though it is completely inexplicable). What does make this a bit odd is that this bus driver has managed to stop at my stop before. Confused, when the bus does stop at the next stop (Maxwell Terrace), I approach the driver and ask him if my stop is not a legitimate stop. He apologizes and remarks that he thought I wanted off at Maxwell Terrace. I responded that I had rung for my stop. He then advises me to tell him beforehand the next time I want to be dropped at that stop. My mind nearly explodes in a big bang of bewilderment. How else does one alert the bus driver ahead of time to stop at a certain stop if not by the preordained protocol that is pulling the wire? Why must I have to not only pull the wire but employ some auxiliary signal? This renders the wire epiphenomenal. Can you imagine the chaos into which a bus ride would devolve if everyone alerted the drivers to stop by some means other than that provided by Bloomington Transit? Follow protocol! Don't drop passengers off at stop signs, assume all requests for a stop are for the next stop after the alert, and do stop at said stops! Your job is a simple one, bus man. If I wanted to walk home, I would not ride the bus.

Diamonds in the Rough, and the Rough

For no particular reason I thought I would list some of what I consider to be culinary gems of Bloomington. All are tasty, though some are included because of the value in addition to the taste. So here they are in no particular order:

1. 3 dollar pints of Upland Winter Warmer at the Alley Bar (versus over $4 per 12oz at Upland).
2. Cheese sticks at the Crazy Horse.
3. Fish and chips at Coaches (Coach's?) (NB: it is half price on Friday).
4. Chili at Lennie's.
5. #40 at Esan Thai with chicken (medium hotness).
6. Mongolian Chicken at Dragon Express ($4.35) (one of the few things there with its own distinct flavor).
7. French pressed coffee at Cafe Ami on 4th St.
8. (Attempted) Eggs Benedict at Runcible Spoon (unfortunately the egg is not poached, it is fried).
9. Rockit's Pizza.
10. Falafel sandwiches at Falafel's (for some reason, if you get it to go, it is not only cheaper, but the price of the sandwich includes a soft drink or bottled water).

Though not consumable, I feel obligated to add:

11. The interior design at the Copper Cup across from the big Big Red.
12. The atmosphere at Tutto Bene.

Now, I suppose for the sake of being thorough, I should include a list of what I consider to be some of the most offensive pieces of crap littering the culinary scene in Bloomington.

1. Fries at Hinkle's.
2. "Bananas Foster" at Scholar's Inn (overall a piece of garbage).
3. Dinner rolls at Truffles (the quality of service matches that of the rolls).
4. Irish Lion prices for beer and scotch.
5. Grazie (overpriced, mediocre food and deplorable atmosphere).
6. Anything from Bear's Place, especially their cheese sticks and guac.
7. The Tudor Room at the IMU (glorified cafeteria food, I'm always embarrassed when I have to take a guest speaker there for lunch).
8. Since when was a stromboli a sandwich?
9. The service at Tutto Bene.
10. The atmosphere upstairs at the Irish Lion.

Difficult to see, the future is

Anyone who knows me knows that I need to have a plan. I put everything in my iCal, and I am unfailingly punctual. It should come as no surprise that these days I am quite anxious, for my not too distant future is more uncertain that I'd normally allow it to be. Anyone who knows me also knows that I like to maintain pretty tight control over my immediate environment. It should come as no surprise that these days I am quite anxious, for my not too distant future is, as a result of its resistance to my iCal, more out of my control that I'd normally allow it to be. Let me count the ways:

1. Anyone who knows me knows that I live with Matt Dunn. Well, the honeymoon is over and we must go our separate ways. Have either of us started looking for a new place? No. The only certainty is that we will not continue to live in our current home.

2. My uncertain domestic future is a result of my uncertain vocational future. My department, barring some act of a flying spaghetti monster, will not be offering me funding next year. It is time to kick this bird out of the nest. This situation invites a host of uncertainties. For example, will I stay in Bloomington? If so, where will I live? Where will I work? I've considered staying here, even though it means that I'll probably end up waiting tables somewhere. I've also considered moving to Amherst, MA to live with my friend Kelly Trogdon. I'm not really sure what all my options are. Moving is expensive, so I can't really afford any arbitrariness in my selection procedure.

3. Anyone who knows me knows that in the summers I usually work for a program dedicated to educating precocious youths. Last summer I did not. I took Georgian here at IU. This summer will I go back to the nerd camp or will I take Georgian level 2 or Arabic? No one knows. I have, however, alerted the summer program that I intend to return.

4. In the more distant future is a fairly significant uncertainty. It has occurred to me that I might have options other than an academic career (which might not actually be an option).

Anyway, in case I end up staying here, I am accepting self-nominations for roommates.