thought experiments 1 and 3

my bus ride is the best part of my week. "her antidepressants make her... bilingual." blending conversations and distorting context is the best! so is eavesdropping! lately i have been making maps of where people sit. boy who color-coordinates his shirt and shoes always sits as near to the front as possible, on the driver's side. old woman who can barely walk usually makes the long and treacherous trek up the stairs to the back of the bus, no matter how many people offer up their seats on the way. then there is boy who i am in love with. he has dark, almost black hair and thick whiskers and primary colored t shirts. stunningly handsome, and plain too. his left arm is broken and in a sling, and he always gets on the bus after i do, and off before i make it to school. those ten minutes trying to avoid awkward stares and obvious seat changes are usually the highlight of my day. i relish everyday social anxiety! why fight it? i have yet to talk to this boy, but this way i can imagine that he is the type that reads books and wants to discuss them after making love... in heaven.

my experiment for this week: make a map of my bus ride based on the words i can see from a middle, right side seat. my plan is to record times and locations for all the words i see out the window. i did some field work last week and came up with: carpet king gross road cruz car wash photo enforced lane ends merge left live oak senior center coffeetopia mohler+sons vacuum no soliciting speed limit 35 alzheimer's association pleasure point bagelry labor ready temporary labor star of siam thai cuisine remodel units available valero corner store ATM cash cash cash liquor old republic tire co. organic jesus don't walk tenga cuidado con escalon big basin next exit time to shop free solar yes we can la madrona drive data distributing sewage emergency marlboro safety belt law enforced thrift center yo la tengo open 24 hours, and a hundred other beautiful words.