Let the White girl stand

I’ve been navigating and adapting to the public transit system for a couple of months now. And although I haven’t had much trouble, there are a few things that puzzle me.

For example: Why do most of the buses smell like Axe Body Spray and cat piss? I can sorta understand the Axe, as it is the fragrance of choice for the lower-paid masses, but I’ve yet to see a cat board a bus and present a monthly pass to the driver.

Also, why do so many people ride the bus at 5:15 in the morning? I do because it’s the only way I can get to work on time, but the people riding along with me don’t look like they even have jobs, let alone anyplace urgent to be that early in the morning.

Some of the buses are becoming unpleasantly overcrowded. I’m guessing the gas prices have something to do with the increased ridership, and I understand that. But if you have a glimmer of hope that chivalry is still alive, just hop on a DART bus during rush hour and watch your hopes get dashed. My bus was extra crowded this morning. The only spot left was about a half-inch between a large black woman (who wasn’t budging) and a tiny Asian woman. Tiny Asian woman did her best to scoot over as far as possible, trying to give me a seat. I may be getting smaller, but there was no way I was going to fit, so I just stood. I turned and looked at the line of at least 7 men who had seats, who saw me standing, and not one of them got up and offered me a seat. They looked defiant, in fact, daring me to say something. The look in their eyes said to me: “Let the white girl stand.” So I did. I shook my head, rolled my eyes a bit, and held on to the nearest thing I could to keep from falling into someone’s lap. I did, however, step on a few feet, just for good measure.

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Weight Watching update:

I just completed my 12th week on the plan. I’ve lost 16 pounds** and who knows how many inches. I feel great, and even though I have a long way to go, I know that I’m doing it the right way (slow and steady wins the race) and for the right reasons (it’s all about ME! I’m not doing it for anyone else). I feel better about this than any other so-called diet I’ve ever been on. No pills, no shakes, and I’m seeing and feeling results. This rocks.


(**16 pounds is my official "Weight Watchers" weight. However, my doctor weighed me in 3 pounds heavier right before I started WW, so I've actually lost closer to 20 pounds. Yay me!)