Monday, November 22, 2004
Hobo Diaries: I Loathe Buses
Let me start at the ending: yes, I did make it to the interview evenutally, and yes, I did get invited back for rounds 2 and 3. Oh, but were it only that simple...
If you bother to scroll down, you'll notice that I did not think I got called back for the marketing job. It turns out that they didn't call me back because they forwarded my resume et. al. to a sister location that is accessible by the Metro. Yay the Metro. I'm a huge fan of public transportation, as anyone who knows me can attest, and this is more than just because I don't own a car. But that's not the point of this story (not to mention that Energy Policy discussions are way less interesting than India v. The Bus Round VI.) So, I was supposed to be at the interview site at 12:45 this morning. No problem. I was supposed to take the Metro to W. Falls Church and then take Bus 28A or 28B to the Leesburg Pike/Ramada exit. When they told me on the phone that I was supposed to take a bus, my stomach sank, but I would like to do this job, so I didn't say anything. Oh, the humanity.
I leave the house this morning a little before 11:30 because I want to make sure I get there on time. (What a joke.) I had to wait a little bit for the Metro Blue line, so I didn't make it to W. Falls Church until 12:43. I go running out of the station and fortunately (I thought) there was 28A waiting right there for me. So I hop on the bus and I call the people and tell them that the trains were running a bit late, but I'm on the bus and I'll be there as soon as I can.
I keep checking the notepad in my lap because my stop is not forthcoming. They are out of route maps on the bus, so I can't check to see where I am v. where I want to be, and I start to wonder how long I'm supposed to be on this bus and where on earth am I going. Did I get on the wrong bus? No, I'm on 28A. Where are we going? Is this a metaphore for my life?
Then we hit traffic. There was a nasty, nasty accident that required 8 lanes of traffic to be brought to a dead halt, three ambulances, two firetrucks and more police than you could shake a stick at. There went a good half an hour.
As we continued our tour of Northern Virginia (I saw no fewer than three college campuses, one ghetto and two business districts), I become increasingly convinced that regardless of the number on this bus, I am not going the correct way. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to fix this. This is what I dislike about buses - they are way more complicated than trains, poorly marked, and if you fuck up - which you probably will if it's your first time - you can't fix it easily. And the man sitting next to me hasn't bathed in days. I know I shouldn't blame the bus, but smelly people tend to happen more often on buses than trains. And to say that this gentleman "smelled" is an understatement.
Fortunately for me (I suppose) we eventually ended up at another Metro Station - Kings Cross. For those not familiar with the DC Metro map, think of it this way: The Metro is sort of a square. I was supposed to be a at 10 o'clock on the map, but thanks to my bus ride, I'm now at 6 o'clock on the map. Good times. It's now 3:00.
So I get back on the Metro, and go back to W. Falls Church and try again. Upon further examination of the bus schedule attached to the pole outside, 28A has two possible routes, NW and SE. The number of the bus is the same, but the routes do not overlap. It was then I wanted to beat the bus system to death with the pole. But that would ruin my suit, so I sit down to wait for another stupid bus.
I get on the bus that is going the correct location, and that's when I run into problem #2: The exit I want is not named like the people on the phone told me, but naturally, I did not discover this until I had also taken this bus to the end of the line. So as the bus turns around and I try it again. I am going to make it to this interview before they close, and it had damn well be worth it.
I exit the bus (with help from the driver who is making fun of me at this point) and then I'm faced with a new problem. I have no idea where to go now. So I call the office and ask for help. The chick on the phone tells me they are in the "Four Sevens" Building, which is perhaps the worst bit of directiong-giving I've dealth with all day. I'm standing on what is basically Hotel Row, so I'm thinking that "Four Sevens" is a cheap version of "Four Seasons" but that's really not it at all. Underneath the very large sign directly in front of me that says "Srathmore University" (or something) is the address in very tiny letters: 7777. Clearly, the Universe was mocking me today. It is now 3:45.
I walk out of the building again at 4:00, maybe 4:05. I have spent no more than 15 minutes in this interview, though it took me all day to make it there. The guy who interviewed me was 23 (and cute, I might add), and not the toughest interviewer I've ever faced. Basically, I answered two questions: Where do people hang out, and how do baseball parks make their money? Easy and easier. (Where they eat, work and shop; Food and Souviners - yeah VMI!) It's a good thing he did most of the talking, I was exhaused from my duel with The Bus.
Fortunately, I made it home without incident, though $7 lighter. My call back interview is Dec. 1. I will be using public transportation again, and I'll be wearing a skirt this time (as I said, the interviewer was cute) so we'll see how that goes.
So, the overall rundown in India v. The Bus:
Round I: The First Day as an SCE Intern, Summer 2003. India winds up wandering through the Spanish ghetto in the desert in a black wool pantsuit with a briefcase. Bus wins.
Round II: Middle of the Summer Experimental Bus Trip to SCE Mandated By My Parents, Summer 2003. Parts of my body that I didn't know had fat on them jiggled. India calls home irately once at work, parents save message because they think previous sentence about jiggling fat very funny. Bus wins.
Round III: Express bus from BWI to the Greenline Metro, Summer 2004. Though there were initial problems as to how to pay a $3 fare with a $5 bill without getting change, the leftover laundry quarters saved the day. India wins.
Round IV: Dupont Circle to Emma's apartment, Summer 2004. I forgot to ask for the address/correct stop, so I exit the bus way too soon. Steve Nelson was no help. But I had a map of the bus route, and I just walked the rest of the way...in DC, in the black wool skirt suit. Fortunately, there was a change of shoes in my purse, and I conqured the route...eventually. India wins, though barely.
Round V: Emma's Apartment to The Mansion, Fall 2004. Extremely cold, and of the three possible bus stops to stand by, I picked the wrong one because I missed the hidden fourth one. Waited in the cold until I gave up and picked an alternate route that was more expensive, but much, much warmer. Bus wins.
Round VI: Down Wisconsive Ave to The Mansion, Fall 2004. Sort of an alternate route from Emma's apartment. Bus almost won because Steve was getting bored waiting with me and was about to hail a cab and make me get in it, but just at that moment, the Bus appeared. And I got out at the correct stop. India wins.
Round VII: Today, Fall 2004. Bus clearly, clearly wins.
Overall: BUS 4, INDIA 3
If you bother to scroll down, you'll notice that I did not think I got called back for the marketing job. It turns out that they didn't call me back because they forwarded my resume et. al. to a sister location that is accessible by the Metro. Yay the Metro. I'm a huge fan of public transportation, as anyone who knows me can attest, and this is more than just because I don't own a car. But that's not the point of this story (not to mention that Energy Policy discussions are way less interesting than India v. The Bus Round VI.) So, I was supposed to be at the interview site at 12:45 this morning. No problem. I was supposed to take the Metro to W. Falls Church and then take Bus 28A or 28B to the Leesburg Pike/Ramada exit. When they told me on the phone that I was supposed to take a bus, my stomach sank, but I would like to do this job, so I didn't say anything. Oh, the humanity.
I leave the house this morning a little before 11:30 because I want to make sure I get there on time. (What a joke.) I had to wait a little bit for the Metro Blue line, so I didn't make it to W. Falls Church until 12:43. I go running out of the station and fortunately (I thought) there was 28A waiting right there for me. So I hop on the bus and I call the people and tell them that the trains were running a bit late, but I'm on the bus and I'll be there as soon as I can.
I keep checking the notepad in my lap because my stop is not forthcoming. They are out of route maps on the bus, so I can't check to see where I am v. where I want to be, and I start to wonder how long I'm supposed to be on this bus and where on earth am I going. Did I get on the wrong bus? No, I'm on 28A. Where are we going? Is this a metaphore for my life?
Then we hit traffic. There was a nasty, nasty accident that required 8 lanes of traffic to be brought to a dead halt, three ambulances, two firetrucks and more police than you could shake a stick at. There went a good half an hour.
As we continued our tour of Northern Virginia (I saw no fewer than three college campuses, one ghetto and two business districts), I become increasingly convinced that regardless of the number on this bus, I am not going the correct way. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to fix this. This is what I dislike about buses - they are way more complicated than trains, poorly marked, and if you fuck up - which you probably will if it's your first time - you can't fix it easily. And the man sitting next to me hasn't bathed in days. I know I shouldn't blame the bus, but smelly people tend to happen more often on buses than trains. And to say that this gentleman "smelled" is an understatement.
Fortunately for me (I suppose) we eventually ended up at another Metro Station - Kings Cross. For those not familiar with the DC Metro map, think of it this way: The Metro is sort of a square. I was supposed to be a at 10 o'clock on the map, but thanks to my bus ride, I'm now at 6 o'clock on the map. Good times. It's now 3:00.
So I get back on the Metro, and go back to W. Falls Church and try again. Upon further examination of the bus schedule attached to the pole outside, 28A has two possible routes, NW and SE. The number of the bus is the same, but the routes do not overlap. It was then I wanted to beat the bus system to death with the pole. But that would ruin my suit, so I sit down to wait for another stupid bus.
I get on the bus that is going the correct location, and that's when I run into problem #2: The exit I want is not named like the people on the phone told me, but naturally, I did not discover this until I had also taken this bus to the end of the line. So as the bus turns around and I try it again. I am going to make it to this interview before they close, and it had damn well be worth it.
I exit the bus (with help from the driver who is making fun of me at this point) and then I'm faced with a new problem. I have no idea where to go now. So I call the office and ask for help. The chick on the phone tells me they are in the "Four Sevens" Building, which is perhaps the worst bit of directiong-giving I've dealth with all day. I'm standing on what is basically Hotel Row, so I'm thinking that "Four Sevens" is a cheap version of "Four Seasons" but that's really not it at all. Underneath the very large sign directly in front of me that says "Srathmore University" (or something) is the address in very tiny letters: 7777. Clearly, the Universe was mocking me today. It is now 3:45.
I walk out of the building again at 4:00, maybe 4:05. I have spent no more than 15 minutes in this interview, though it took me all day to make it there. The guy who interviewed me was 23 (and cute, I might add), and not the toughest interviewer I've ever faced. Basically, I answered two questions: Where do people hang out, and how do baseball parks make their money? Easy and easier. (Where they eat, work and shop; Food and Souviners - yeah VMI!) It's a good thing he did most of the talking, I was exhaused from my duel with The Bus.
Fortunately, I made it home without incident, though $7 lighter. My call back interview is Dec. 1. I will be using public transportation again, and I'll be wearing a skirt this time (as I said, the interviewer was cute) so we'll see how that goes.
So, the overall rundown in India v. The Bus:
Round I: The First Day as an SCE Intern, Summer 2003. India winds up wandering through the Spanish ghetto in the desert in a black wool pantsuit with a briefcase. Bus wins.
Round II: Middle of the Summer Experimental Bus Trip to SCE Mandated By My Parents, Summer 2003. Parts of my body that I didn't know had fat on them jiggled. India calls home irately once at work, parents save message because they think previous sentence about jiggling fat very funny. Bus wins.
Round III: Express bus from BWI to the Greenline Metro, Summer 2004. Though there were initial problems as to how to pay a $3 fare with a $5 bill without getting change, the leftover laundry quarters saved the day. India wins.
Round IV: Dupont Circle to Emma's apartment, Summer 2004. I forgot to ask for the address/correct stop, so I exit the bus way too soon. Steve Nelson was no help. But I had a map of the bus route, and I just walked the rest of the way...in DC, in the black wool skirt suit. Fortunately, there was a change of shoes in my purse, and I conqured the route...eventually. India wins, though barely.
Round V: Emma's Apartment to The Mansion, Fall 2004. Extremely cold, and of the three possible bus stops to stand by, I picked the wrong one because I missed the hidden fourth one. Waited in the cold until I gave up and picked an alternate route that was more expensive, but much, much warmer. Bus wins.
Round VI: Down Wisconsive Ave to The Mansion, Fall 2004. Sort of an alternate route from Emma's apartment. Bus almost won because Steve was getting bored waiting with me and was about to hail a cab and make me get in it, but just at that moment, the Bus appeared. And I got out at the correct stop. India wins.
Round VII: Today, Fall 2004. Bus clearly, clearly wins.
Overall: BUS 4, INDIA 3
