The Commuter Dream & How I Learned to Let Go of it

When we were all eager little saplings in our final year of high school, most of us took a considerable amount of time debating on which university would lead us all to our happy little dreams. Commuting or moving out were two pretty big factors to consider. Should I move into a tin-can sized room and share a washroom with 20 other strangers and hope this magically creates a life long bond between us all, where we'd all move to New York City, live above our favorite bar and I could narrate the story of how I met my future wife? Or I could be the sleek and suave commuter, taking a really sexy mode of transportation, like the train! Well kids, this isn't the story of how I met your mother, this is the story of how I let go of the commuter dream.

What is the commuter dream you ask? Well it goes a little like this:
You wake up early in the morning, maybe 6 or 7am depending on how perfect you are. You are completely energized, ready for what the day has in store for you. You go for a run, you eat a breakfast so wholesome it makes Mother Teresa look like she operates a meth lab. You take a shower and dress; your outfit is the perfect balance between the utility needed to efficiently carry all your tickets and cards and the sleekness required to be a sexy commuter. You drive, you make the bus in time. In fact, the bus waits for you. The driver greets you with a smile, you take your seat. There's room for your backpack despite the unreasonably tight space that's supposed to be for your lower limbs. You sit back- maybe you nap, maybe you do some of your readings or maybe you make eye contact with another sexy, sleek commuter and serendipity takes over. Your comrade in sexy, sleek commuting becomes your sugar pie, honey bunch. Maybe this actually is the story of how I met your mother...

You don't look like this when you commute 

But I can tell you with all certainty that commuting is nothing like that. Most of the time it is smelly, literally. There's bus fumes, car fumes, Hamilton fumes (a whole other animal), and people fumes. Besides the smell, it can get incredibly boring.  You're either fortunate enough to fall asleep for 50 minutes straight (Like E, who has an internal napping clock) or you're playing bejewelled, hoping to Ghandi that the guy next to you doesn't ask to borrow your phone so he can call his Ma to pick him up (We'll teach you how to avoid that awkward situation specifically later on). And so, step one of becoming a good commuter, is to let go of the commuter dream. Some days you will roll out of bed and wear whatever is in a 50cm radius of you and barely make it to the bus. Other days will be better, and a few will be really good. We're here so you can make the best of it.

Peace , Love & Hamilton
-A

GO Transit 101

Hello and warmest of welcomes to those who were bored enough to somehow stumble upon this here little blog.

This is a collection of all things related to the the commuting experiences of two suburban-sheltered, young women trying to make it 50 km to and fro the place where dreams are cultivated (university, bitches). There will be stories, reviews, thoughts...mostly random, also at times, incoherent, but yes, there will be thoughts. And many a long-running sentence, because this is just how my mind works.
Why am I typing like I'm speaking to you in colonial times? Because it adds appeal. Methinks. Slightly pretentious? No...incredibly. OK, so, essentials you need to know about this blog and its authors...

I am E and A will post something shortly after this I think.We are 20. We've been friends since the 5th grade. We share similar interests, like walking on the beach against the backdrop of a sunset. We both commute to school taking the same route on the GO Bus, except, A goes West every morning, while I go East. Every time we both happen to be in the same city, we have a myriad of GO stories that we share whilst enjoying Willy Dogs...

Taking a break.

Vroom, vroom. Ready for action.

So we've decided to compile these verbal conversations to blog form for all the world to laugh, cry, and sympathize with. We're just a little kooky, what some call artsy-fartsy...that said, let this be a warning...there will be elements of such things shared here. For example, look forward to my next post where I'll be showing off my scrapbook collage of GO Bus tickets accumulated throughout the 2011 year! And I kid not!

Mobile hot-dog shaped carts of heaven.
Photo courtesy of this guy.

Class dismissed. Don't forget to look up Willy Dogs.
We'll probably do a post solely dedicated to those one day...