Tales from the Bus: Hurling through space and time

The bus was almost my undoing a couple of weeks ago.

I think I may have had a spot of an ear infection. I was dizzy and nauseous. I told Hal to go to work without me so I could stay in bed for a little while longer trying to right my world -- as I was listing to one side like sinking ship.

I left the house and made it to the bus stop.

There were approximately 2 million people waiting for the bus. I don't usually take the bus this early (it was before 9), so I was unprepared for the multitudes of people waiting for the bus.

Lucky for us, two busses pull up. 

Unlucky for me, there is no seat. Approximately 1 million of the 2 waiting joined the already full bus. I got on and was crammed somewhere in the aisle facing backwards. (Can you see where this is heading yet?)

So I do okay for a little while. Then, right as we entered campus (about 5 minutes or so into the ride), I start getting hot. At this point in time it was below zero with the wind chill. I figured there were just too many people on the bus.

I break out in a cold sweat.

Uh oh. 

I take off my gloves. No help.

Oh jeez -- just get to the library! (The library and the business school share a stop, and most of the people get off at that stop.)

Still sweating. I unzip my coat. Nothing.

Oh boy. This is not good

I realize that I'm not seeing very well. The sun had risen enough so that it was hitting the bus windows in such a way that made it hard to see. I was in a daze.

It hits me that I am going to puke on the bus.

With 2 million people pressed in next to me. 

I turn toward some girls sitting near me.

"Please pull the thing!" I croak out, desperate. They pull it for me. The bus starts to slow.

I spin around, smacking a girl sitting on the other side of the aisle upside the head. I apologize, I think. In any case, she tells me it's ok.

In the nick of time, the bus pulls to a stop and opens the door. I stumble through the group of people to the back door and am free!

I throw OFF my coat and sit down on a snow-covered wall. I stay there for about 10 minutes, enjoying the cold, which immediately helped the oh-no-gonna-puke feeling. 

I ended up walking most of the way home, after waiting for a long time for a bus that never did come. I emailed my teachers, crawled back into bed, and stayed horizontal for the rest of the day.

And that's the story of how I missed my only classes this year.