Language Barrier

On the ride home, there were two people waiting with me: a guy lugging around two big, filled, industrial-sized black garbage bags and a girl (I…think) with a skateboard. I have no idea what was in the bags. The girl (…presumably) didn’t smile back at me.

On the transfer, I sat in front of a guy speaking French very loudly on his cellphone. It was difficult to read and annoying. At the next stop, two chattering Hispanic women sat down next to me.

Suddenly I hear REALLY LOUD Spanish from the front of the bus, complete with music. I look over and see that a sleek TV screen is mounted to the upper left corner behind the driver. I’m 99% sure not all the buses have this. The station is called, no shit, “Transit TV – Moving Entertainment” and it’s broadcast entirely en espanol. What country am I living in?

We drove through Beverly Hills. It struck me as sad that the poorest people have to travel through the richest areas to get home. I didn’t mind looking out the window because I never get to do that when I’m driving.

So how much time am I wasting, exactly?

I live 7.35 miles from the office. My commute should be 10-15 minutes. But this is Los Angeles.

When I drive to work, I leave at 10:30 to arrive at 11. When I take the bus I have to catch the 9:47 to arrive at the same time.

Coming home in my car, I leave at 7 and and arrive between 7:30 and 7:45. When I take the bus, I don’t get home ’til 8.

All told, I waste at least 15 minutes at night and 45 minutes in the morning, and I’m traveling for 2 hours a day instead of 1. This is absurd considering how close I live to work, and maybe this lost time should upset me. But I find myself wondering what it was that I needed to get home for anyway. To watch TV in a drunken stupor? OMG are there Pringles going uneaten and vodka going undrunk?

Besides, once the TV season starts up again (assuming it does), any show I watch at 8 will be DVR’d and I’ll catch it in half the time without ads. It’ll be waiting for me when I walk in the door.