Get on the Bus

After an entire week of sickness, you could say I had a case of cabin fever so bad that I felt like the heroine of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden when I finally left the house on Sunday. Wait, you don't get this reference? Heresy! This was one of the seminal books of my girlhood, along with My Darling, My Hamburger and The Pigman. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden proports to be the story of a schizophrenic teenager, who(in a rather unlikely set of circumstances, because who commits a 16 year old girl without at least trying a few options?)spends two years in a mental institution after which she is seemingly released and functional through her long sessions of talk therapy. Except that you know, it wouldn't work that way. Plus, I was stunned to learn years after reading the book so often that it is my personal Harry Potter that most schizophrenics do not "escape" to fantasy worlds that they create called "Zion" or something. In fact, you have to wonder where the author did her research because when I finally moved to San Francisco in my late teens, I was amazed to discover that the mumbling group of street people who were, in fact, schizophrenics were not having nearly as creative time of it.

But I digress.

The point of my story is that I left the house and found the outside world nearly as strange and alluring as a recently released schizophrenic. In short, I took the bus downtown to the Central Library, where my good friend B. was reading, along with my Seattle friend C. (also known as Seattle's Poet Populist. I am not making this up.) It was absolutely wonderful to see B. who lives in Portland with her sweet husband W. As an added plus, W. works for Nike and brought me two pairs of amazing new Nikes! Schwag-o-riffic!

The 16 bus is my new best buddy. I'm bringing coffee and donuts for the 16 bus the next time I ride it. It is scenic, it is friendly, it is efficient, and no one smells. I'm hoping to find a lover like the 16 bus.

Today I coughed and coughed like I was quitting smoking for the 14th time, but also made it halfway around the Lake - so it appears that I'll be back to my grumpy old self again in no time.