Ever get stuck in one of those infinite recursive greetings?
"Hello, how are you?"
"I'm good, how are you?"
"I'm fine, how are you?"
"I'm good, how are you?"
It happens to the most courteous and the most absent-minded of us, a natural inability to stop a cycle of reflexive knee-jerk pseudo small talk. I had one of those conversations with the driver of the #82 Kimball-Homan, except I think he meant it. He smiled and spoke cheerfully *both* times I asked him how we was.
This is generally a very pleasant bus. There are some trying times to be sure (45 minute wait once last year), but with nothing at the two adjacent divisible-by-400 north-south streets Kedzie and Central Park, this bus is absolutely *key* for traversing the midwestern belt of this midwestern city.
One time, a woman got on the bus pushing a luggage case rigged up with an elaborate spotted cardboard dog with its paws reaching around an empty bowl and a cartoon bubble saying, "I'm begging so my owner doesn't have to." She was on the bus for a good five minutes, mumbling some pleasant eccentricities to herself, which was quite a break from the more threateningly-self-mumbled eccentricities you sometimes hear on some other bus lines. Luck of the draw, maybe, but I usually enjoy this ride. read more