Parking LotKermit the Frog famously said "It isn't easy being green," but this could also describe bus riders like me, who are acting "green" or are just too stingy to fork over big bucks for a car, depending on how you want to spin it. I don't own a car, so have to ride the bus whenever I want go downtown. The advantages of not owning a car are numerous. I save money. No need to pay for car insurance, parking, gas, etc.
However, you have to be able to put up with the limitations of public transportation and there are many of those too. The bus is often crowded, smells and there could be crazies, pick pockets and public nose pickers on the bus. Today as I was headed out for my photography class, I witnessed an elderly man who was digging into his nose very publicly. As my mother likes to say - he doesn't even know how to write the word shame! Then when I came back I saw a middle aged woman picking her nose too. That's just disgusting because when you think about it, these people then go and touch the same bars that all the other passengers hold to steady themselves if they are standing. This is the reason I disinfect myself after each bus ride.
If I eventually succumb and get a car, which I know I need to do sooner or later, I might want to get a Smart car or a Mini because these small cars would be easier to park than larger ones. I'm not very skilled at parking. On the other hand, fuel efficiency and cost may just nudge me into getting a Japanese car. Those things are so reliable!
About the Picture: I did this panorama in class today using Photoshop. It was so easy. You need to take several pictures in portrait orientation with about 10-20% overlap. The software then just stitches everything together. The subject of this panorama is pretty boring though I have to admit.
