BUS-TED.

so. everyone. i moved to newtown a couple of weeks ago. i am loving it and am already "so newtown", here are some reasons why:

- tried African cuisine for the first time.
- went to the Vanguard and caught myself next to Tim Freedman.
- walk in to Pretty Dog every day, as if I momentarily forget that I can't afford anything in there.
- catch myself in the gluten-free aisle at Franklins eventhough I'm not a ceoliac.
-bought incense at Newtown Variety- 'Chandan' scent.
- get asked for money about 5 times a day and always reply with "I'll help you when you help yourself!" (JOKE guys. CHILL)
-changed 'My Cinemas' from Greater Union Hornsby to Dendy Newtown.
- realise that my friends in Surry Hills may as well live in Sudan. there is no way to see them. ever. unless i get a cab. but so many people I know live in newtown so why would i?

anyway another thing that has come from my move is the shift from trains being my main source of transport (no more mX...refer to earlier post) to now it being buses. this has been quite good actually. despite the fact that i basically never get a seat and about ten buses drive past me without stopping, i'm liking the buses.

two things happened this morning. firstly it was my first time using a pre-paid bus ticket thingy. so that was extremely nerve-wracking, i imagined all these scenarios in my head, putting it in the machine the wrong way and some really cute guy seeing me and laughing "other way you dumbfuck!" etc. But it actually went pretty well and no one seemed to be paying much attention to me (weird).

the second thing that happened was that I was lucky enough to get a seat this morning in one of those four-seater compartments at the front where I was staring back at the rest of the bus. hate them! after I'd been on the bus for about 5 minutes there were no seats left and a lady got on the bus who was about 45 years old. she seemed quite fit, healthy and whatever else. she had a couple of shopping bags with her too.

the girl sitting directly in front of me (some Sydney Uni student) saw the lady get on and after a moment of questioning what she was about to do, came out with "do you want to sit down?" well. well. well. what had she started. the shopping bag lady gave her a look like "are you kidding me right now?", shot her a sarcastic smile and said "no I'm fine thanks." much awkwardness followed. but i actually love a bit of awkwardness when it doesn't involve myseld. I was SO happy that my iPod had died so I could hear this whole exchange.

but it really got me thinking. where do you draw the line? when are people old enough to be offered seats? what is the criterion? what if a relatively young and healthy person has white hair (remember how it was cool to dye your hair grey for a second)? what if a clearly old person is fit as a fiddle and talking on their mobile and listening to an iPod, and not "old" in the "traditional sense"? should they be left standing?

personally, i've decided the day I get offered a seat on a bus is the day I officially stop catching public transport.

more "so newtown" updates to follow...