Almost all the snow is gone and things are basically back to normal. So it’s hard to believe that just a couple of days ago, our street was still level with the sidewalk. Did you guys know it SNOWED?!
Early in the evening, on the big Saturday Blizzard, we trekked out to Capitol Hill. The buses were still running but the snow was coming down fast and hard so, with a couple of offers for crashing, I brought some pajamas just in case. We met with the Boobergs and grabbed some dinner from the Saint. Then we returned to their place to mull some wine and play games. We also checked out their roof deck which had accumulated about 8 inches of snow. From there we could see the normally congested Denny Way, closed to cars and completely covered in snow.
Deserted Denny.
After a couple of glasses of wine, we decided to venture out into the streets. They were lively with reveling people and completely devoid of cars. At the top of Denny Way, as had been the case in the last big snow storm, people were using it as a ski slope. Those who weren’t pre-equipped with snow gear were sliding down on anything they could find from cardboard boxes to rafts. People dressed in Christmas lights and Santa Suits. The Snow Pimp made an appearance. Someone passed out beers. Everyone was in a terrific mood. Cops showed up and we expected them to break up the party, but they just stood by and surveyed the scene, ready to intervene only if they needed to. They were happy to let the street party continue as long as it was safe.
Photo courtesy Slog.
Snow Pimp.
Deep.
Eventually, the snow turned to freezing rain so we retired to the Boobergs pad. I called the bus hot line to see when the next bus home was. The computer told me 31 minutes. I called back 10 minutes later and was told it was in 30 minutes. We took this to mean the bus was not moving. So we put on Clash of the Titans and settled in for a long winter’s nap.
The next morning, we met up with the Brunswicks for breakfast at Charlie’s. The buses appeared to be running here and there. They certainly weren’t going up and down the hill but they appeared to be moving up by 17th so we decided to hang out for the day and head back before dark. We would keep an eye on the buses. We strolled up to 33rd to visit our friends who were in the midst of a cookie party. So many different kinds of cookies! All delicious! Argh!
Snow creature.
Snow closure!
Christening the snow boat.
Stairs temporarily hillside.
I called the bus hotline and it appeared it was still running. Our friends gathered their snow toys and walked to the bus stop with us. We waited together. And waited. And waited. The hotline said the bus had come and gone. But we were standing at the stop and there were no buses. In either direction. We were freezing and it was getting dark. So the fella and I started walking. We walked down to Broadway. No buses. We walked to Eastlake. No buses. We walked past Fred Hutch and continued down. All told, we walked 3.3 miles before we got found a street that had bus tracks on it. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. A bus arrived. It was PACKED. But it didn’t matter. We were happy to be going home. Everyone on the bus was. People chatted in a friendly manner. In general, it seemed, the snow was bringing out the best in people.
The bus, she is not coming.
A few blocks later, a man stepped in front of the bus while it was moving. He was not at a designated stop but the bus driver stopped anyway and let him on. He told the man that he shouldn’t step in front of the bus like that. He would have stopped if he’d flagged him down. He thought the man was trying to take his own life. “YOU WHAT?” shouted the man. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”. “I thought you were trying to take your own life,” repeated the bus driver. “What did you say to me? You thought I was trying to take your light? What would I do with your light?” “Nevermind,” said the bus driver, realizing that he was talking to a crazy person. Everyone moved further away from this man.
Eventually, a seat opened up and I sat down between two women. The man moved directly in front of us and grabbed the bar above his head. He was on the short side so he had to reach straight up. His shirt rose up and we could see the band of his tighty whities above his pants-line. His belly flopped over the top of his jeans. He was about 5 inches from our face. I looked up at my husband and gave him a knowing look. Things were about to get interesting.
I chatted with the girl next to me. She had come from the Seahawks game. We talked about how nice people had been in the snow. How it was bringing out good will in everyone and it was kind of magical. The crazy man listened in. He had no volume control. He interrupted us and addressed the girl. “YOU WENT TO THE GAME?” She politely responded to his question. “WHERE WERE YOU SITTING?” She told him. “HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY FOR THE TICKETS?” She told him her friend bought them so she didn’t know. “ARE THEY SEASON TICKETS?” She said they were. “HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW MUCH THEY COST?” She said she didn’t purchase them. He was also apparently hard of hearing so every other question she responded to she had to repeat. All of this was happening IN MY FACE. His line of questioning got more invasive and aggressive. He asked her if she went to school and where. Where she lived. If she had children. She politely answered all his questions in short answers. The men behind him began to wonder allowed if they needed to kick some ass. The girl pulled the cord and exited the bus. I’m assuming she de-boarded early to avoid this man who seemed like he was on the verge of pulling a knife out of his underpants and stabbing anything within arm’s length. As she stood to leave he said “I’M NOT DONE TALKING TO YOU! IS YOUR CHILD HALF BLACK?!” The girl said nothing and exited. The man shouted after her and repeated the question. The bus driver closed the door and pulled out from the stop. The man actually asked if he could open the door back up so he could continue harassing the woman. The bus driver, obviously a seasoned professional, ignored him.
Now there was a seat open next to me and my husband was stuck further back on the bus. So guess who sat down in it! I prayed in my head that he wouldn’t start talking to me. One stop later, two seats together opened up further down so I moved quickly over and the fella and I both sat down. It seemed like the guy was about to get off the bus anyway. But before he did, he pushed through the crowd to get to me! He said “EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME MISS! Did you move down here JUST TO GET AWAY FROM ME?!” I told him that I wanted to sit next to my husband. “SO IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME THEN?!” “Nope!” I lied. Yeesh! I thought I had somehow stayed off his crazy radar but I guess not. And this after I had just been musing with a stranger about how the snow had brought out the best in people. I guess not all the fruitbats stayed in the fruitbat cave that weekend.
There was also the guy who drove drunk down the middle of Queen Anne hill, honking at sledders. He got out of his car and threatened to kick their asses because “THIS IS A FUCKING ROAD”. When they pointed out one of two “road closed” signs to him, he kicked it over and shouted that he didn’t care what the sign said. His even more plowed girlfriend eventually coerced him back into his SUV and they drove off before “the cops busted [them]”. There was a terrific video of this on YouTube. They also recorded the guy’s license number. A background check reveals several DUI’s. So clearly the guy is an asshole in any condition. The snow can not be blamed.
Home at last.
Christmas Eve, we had friends over, some of whom had been stranded in town. I’m glad they had somewhere to go since they couldn’t be with their families. Christmas day, we trudged over to China First for some traditional Christmas Moo Shu.
Despite the bus woes, drunk assholes and the fact that I haven’t been able to make any money the past week, it’s been pretty fun! Hopefully next time, the bus system won’t be so ill prepared and they will have enough plows to clear off the main streets. This has definitely been an interesting and informative glimpse into the End Times.
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