Bus Etiquette, 101

There is a long list of things to do and to avoid while riding public transportation. Riding on a bus, packed with people, early in the morning is not exactly the perfect way to start your day. However, it beats using gas and having to walk from the “Commuter Lot” out by the football stadium.

The past year and a half of frequently using the bus service from our apartment complex to downtown or just to campus, we have accumulated some pretty interesting stories. Anything can happen, and trust me…it does! Aside from the late night adventures on the weekends, most people follow the standard bus procedure: get on, sit/stand, and ride quietly to your destination.

But of course, as with anything, there are those people who like to shake things up a little bit. These include, but are definitely not limited to, the following “people”:

1) The Cell-Phoner You think you are talking quietly, and that nobody around you is listening. You’re wrong. Since you are (usually) the only person talking, everybody is listening. You’re not quiet and you’re not discrete. Plus, since we can only hear one side of the conversation, you seem a little crazy sometimes.

2) The Multiple-Seat Taker I admit: when the bus isn’t full, I use the seat next to me to place my “stuff”. However, when the bus is packed, and there is a line of people still getting on…Move Your Stuff! This is just rude. Nobody likes to stand, and some people can’t reach that over-head bar. Even if you can, it really doesn’t help that much. Especially not with some of the crazy bus-drivers loose on these streets.

3) The Stinker This one is self-explanatory. There will always be those people who just don’t smell good. They may not be aware of this, but whew…body odor is pretty potent. There are preventative measures that can be taken though! Please look into this before riding public transportation. You will be doing us all a favor. And yourself, because it’s not fun to be the Stinker. You don’t want to be “the stinker”.

4) The Shopper Around here, the buses are frequently used by students traveling from campus/downtown to Wal-Mart, Target, Wegmans, etc. I think it’s great that we have a bus service that allows students to do this! With so many students crammed into a small space, it is somewhat of a nuisance to have a car due to limited parking. So kudos to you taking the bus, saving gas money, not polluting, etc. One little tip though; remember that you have to get back on that bus, with all of your purchases! If you have to load them onto the bus in multiple trips, you’ve probably exceeded a limit. Then you get to ride the whole way back to campus surrounded by plastic bags, and people who might be slightly annoyed that you are taking up the space equivalent of about 5 people. Just a heads up.

And now, due to my bus experience this morning, I have a special addition to this list of things NOT to do…..

5) The Gum-Chewing Over-the-Shoulder-Reader

As I am riding to campus in my seat, I am reading an article in the newspaper I had just picked up at the bus stop. The bus is packed so there are people standing in the aisle next to me, and apparently the space behind my seat. A few minutes into the ride, I hear a constant “smacking” of gum. By smacking, I mean loud, open-mouthed chewing of the gum. You know, the kind of chewing that everybody around you can hear. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Gross. Gross. Gross.

Luckily for me, the gum-chewer is standing right behind me. And leaning down towards me, reading over my shoulder! Chomp-chompin’ right in my ear as he reads the paper from behind me.

I’m not a fan of the reading-over-the-shoulder tactic. Let alone when it is somebody I don’t know, and they are chewing gum in my ear. So to bring a stop to this nonsense, I looked up. Not enough to catch the gum-chewer’s eye, just enough to notify him that I’m aware of his presence. I gave him “the look”. Ugh. I put my newspaper away, and spent the remainder of the ride to campus listening to his chomping.

Future advice to all who use public transportation; Be courteous to the riders around you. Try to avoid all of the above, and we will all be grateful!

Larisa has also documented some interesting bus stories. Check it out. Also, feel free to add to this list with your stories, because I know there are many floating around out there!

Gum-Makes mouths happy

This is my philosophy. I will come right out and say it: I chew gum, all the time. It’s habitual, tasty, entertaining (during long lectures, this is what I resort to, sounds pathetic doesn’t it?), and most importantly…it keeps my mouth happy.

Here’s some history for you:

According to my research, gum was put in action by the ancient Greeks. Its legend was continued by the ancient Mayans, who chewed the sap of a sapodilla tree, and by early North American Indians, who chewed the sap of spruce trees. In fact, the term “gum” was used to describe the chewable sap of trees until around 1850. At this time, John B. Curtis created and marketed the first “chewing gum” and labled it State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum. The concept continued to evolve including the creation of gum-dispensing machines, flavors, long-lasting gums, and “bubble” gum.
This brings us to 1914; William Wrigley, Jr. and Henry Fleer create the Wrigley Doublemint brand (about.com).

Thank you good sirs!

Clearly, this brand is still being chewed and enjoyed today by mouths around the world! I am a consistent ( and by consistent, I mean weekly) buyer of Wrigley’s Extra and Orbit brand gums. More specifically, Extra-Polar Ice and Orbit-Bubblemint.

Would you like to be let in on a little secret of mine???

Add these two flavors together (that’s right, chew two pieces at once). Chew simultaneously. Enjoy. I like to think of it as my personal contribution to the ever-evolving gum; I’ll call it….”Polar Bubble”.

I’m also a huge fan of gumballs. I honestly find it hard to resist a gumball machine. Even more so after winning a FREE movie Rental at Mike’s Video! All I did was put in my quarter, anxiously watch the orange gumball roll down the spiral exit into my hand, and voila! My gumball was a “winner”! What was even more entertaining; the 5 year old girl who got a gumball after me (mine must have enticed her), she got a “winner” too! Great story.

However, I will admit that too many of these would result in the loss of teeth with which to chew the gum. Not good, stick with the sugar-free!

The benefit to gum-chewing: it cleans and whitens teeth!
This movement was initiated by Trident brand gum, and has since been picked up as a marketing device for gum labels that claim to “whiten”. There actually may be some truth to this statement. Here are the facts:
-chewing gum makes your mouth salivate
-Saliva contains Calcium
-Calcium is a key factor in maintaining bone health and teeth strength!

On top of all that, the aroma of gum that is released as it is chewed is much more pleasant than the odor-remnants of a hearty meal. It is simple, cheap, and tasty way to cleanse your palate!

Flavor recommendations from the gum connoisseur herself:

Extra-Polar Ice and Watermelon if you are in the need for something sweet. Orbit-Bubblemint, Sweetmint, Raspberry mint, and the original Peppermint.

Let me know what you think!