Who pulls a bus over?

So, my darling coworker told me a quizzical story that I had to pass along.

She commutes daily on the fast bus from Orem to Salt Lake City. The fast buses are really nice: coach style, easy to sleep on, smooth ride, etc. She enjoys the fast bus for many reasons and has taken it for some time now.

During her commute two weeks ago, her bus was pulled over. 70-something passengers watched in mild rage as the cocky police man walked to the bus, boarded, and left.
People were silent as they tried to figure out what the issue was. Tail light out? Possible. Improper use of signal? Who uses a signal in Utah anyway? Speeding? My coworker mentioned there were several cars passing on the right.

No one knew and no announcement was made.

All that was certain was that there were 70 people who were either late for work or missed their transfer. I would be pissed.

The next day my coworker learned the bus driver received a speeding ticket.

So here are some questions I had:

• WTF? Who pulls over a bus?
• I would have assumed the police department would have some agreement with UTA to take a license number or something rather than delaying the route and passengers. Even to just save face for UTA.
• Who pays the ticket?
• I feel that tax payers are paying for the cop to pull the bus over AND possibly for the resulting ticket. That thought is frustrating and stupid.
• What is the consequence for the driver?
• Was the policeman just trying to meet his quota for the entire month with one vehicle?
• Did he feel that he had to pull the largest vehicle over to prove manhood?

I don’t know. I feel that the whole situation is ridiculous.

Traditional Wednesday Depression

I am a huge fan of Travelzoo.com. They have provided some of my favorite vacations and typically have really good deals. If you are ever able to take advantage of their offers, you won’t be disappointed (at least, I haven’t been yet). Every Wednesday they send out a “Top 20” list which features the best deals on travel for that week. This list incorporates deals from local to international, from hotels to full vacation packages. It’s a wonderful list to read, plan your next getaway, and dream about the possibilities.

DISCLAIMER: Part of me hates Travelzoo because they send their Top 20 list on Wednesday morning. WEDNESDAY MORNING. Why would they send it halfway through the work week? Why would they send it when I’m tired from the first two days of the week but know full well that I still have two full days left? It’s cruel to send these dreams to the average worker.

I hereby present you with my Wednesday tradition (which generally leads to mild depression):

• Open the weekly "Top 20" deals email from Travelzoo
• Daydream at my desk of going/being somewhere cooler than here
• Pick my favorites and send them to Andy
• Get no response from Andy (because he ignores my email)
• Remember that there is no cool vacation in the near future (and no reprieve from the 27 degree weather and inversion)
• Buy an ice cream sundae sprinkled with Reese’s peanut butter cups or a large order of French fries to ease the pain
• Go back to work

This is a typical Wednesday. Thanks, Travelzoo.

Pause. The Flashmob.

I had the opportunity to participate in a flash mob this morning. It was a Zumba flash mob at a nearby mall. Being part of a flash mob has always been pretty high on my bucket list so I was thrilled to be part of it. The song (and dance) was "Pause".

I put on a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans so I could appear to be a mere unsuspecting shopper. I donned my Sorel's (as it was snowing) and arrived at the mall with 15 minutes to spare. I met my friend there and we stood nervously wondering how this whole thing was supposed to work (this flash mob was not particularly well organized).

11 o'clock came and went and my friend and I wondered if this flash mob would even happen. Sure enough, at 11:12 the song "Pause" began blasting through the mall sound system. My friend and I ran to join in on the dance.

I'm a show off by nature and enjoy being front and center. I ran to the front and began busting a move. About 10 seconds into the dance I realized a serious problem. My long sleeve t-shirt was inching up. Keeping up with the dance I desperately tried to pull the shirt back into place. It refused.

For a while I tried and tried to keep my shirt down. Then, I shrugged and stopped tugging it down. How bad could it get? Then I realized that the shirt had made it's way up to my bra. Awesome.

Ever aware of the many onlookers with cameras and other recording devices I tried to decide what would be worse: Self consciously pulling my shirt down or being proud of my personal "Truffle Shuffle".

Before I could reach a decision, the song ended. I hope everyone enjoyed watching my belly bounce in the opposite direction of the rest of my body. But this experience will serve as a great motivation to start running again.