Due to limited funds, there was no way I could afford to take our car into BigTown, let alone pay for parking. So, I had two options, walk or bus it. The bus won.
The last time, I had been anywhere near a bus, must have been when visiting Amberley Working Museum in West Sussex, before Christmas. (The buses weren’t actually working, which itself is rather ironic ). Prior to this it must have been May 2000, on the occasion of Paul’s 40th Birthday, when he (a bus fan) hired a Party bus to take us to London’s South Bank, for a spin on the Millennium Wheel.
It also happened to be FA Cup Final day, the last to be played at the old Wembley Stadium, (which, sadly, was not part on our itinerary) and my team were in contention against Aston Villa. Thankfully, Chelsea went on to secure their second FA Cup in three years courtesy of a goal from Roberto Di Matteo. But I digress.
On Monday this week, with my virgin ‘Oyster’ card in hand, I boarded the suggested bus at the suggested bus stop. This would be my first proper bus ride in years, and other than the bus driver, the only voice I heard came from the bus itself, which announced in a digitised but vaguely friendly voice our route number and our destination, and as we progressed, every stop.
In under fifteen minutes we had reached journeys end, suffered no traffic hold ups, and the driver for his own good reason, had seen fit to drive warp speed where possible, adding to my excitement. I began to anticipate the return journey in five hours time.
Tags: 40th birthday, Amberley, Bus, buses, Chelsea FC, destination, excitement, FA Cup Final 2000, funds, hope, itinerary, occasion, Oyster, Paul, redundancy, traffic, Unemployment Stories, work, workhope
workhope.wordpress.com 
January 31, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
“Irreverant comic humor from the US”! I love it, I’m adding you to my blogroll as well.
Truth be told, I’m actually a Canadian living in the US and once my employment ended stateside, my right to work here expired as well. Making for a very complicated situation.
Monday I am driving up to Canada to search for work, a family separation that hurts me to the core. I would say wish me luck, but as luck is the intersection of preparedness and opportunity, wish me preparedness and opportunity!
January 31, 2009 at 10:17 pm |
I hope that the journey goes well for you. How long you away for ? It might be of course you’ll gather plenty of new material for your work. Ever thought of publishing a book of “Unemployed Dad” cartoons. Should be a market for you!!
Wishing you success, Unemployed Dads should stand together in these times!