Happy 4th of July Everyone

Hope everyone is having a safe and fun filled 4th of July!


I decided to stay close to home today with no special plans. Too many years of firework shows at Dodger Stadium, Hollywood Bowl, lol...and Jim, remember that year you, Cheryl, Art and I decided, on a whim, to drive down to Puerto Nuevo for the 4th? And last year, Tony and I drove up to Santa Barbara for the street fair and fireworks show only to be in the wrong place - we were standing on the top floor of a parking structure thinking it would be the BEST place to view the fireworks and we were blocked by trees. Go figure!

Today, I slept in and then went to the mall for a much needed mani/pedi. Then I bought some things over at Macy's since they were having a sale. Its so hard to find shoes that don't scream hootchie mama these days and none of the purses appealed to me. Hmmm, maybe its a sign I'm getting old? I even stopped by over at The Gap which is my other staple, and nothing in that store inspires me anymore. That store has just gotten so blahhh. This mall didn't have an Ann Taylor or I'd have stopped by there too.

So June is over and I'm proud to say that I have successfully stuck to my goal of using the bus as much as possible for my daily commute to work. I pretty much drove 2 days of each week and bused the other days. That's a 60% reduction of carbon emissions. I spent a total of $200ish on gas alone in the month of June with 4 fuel ups. That's quite a change from fueling up every 4 days.

Looking back, there were days when I didn't have to drive to work. I was just lazy and didn't want to get up early in order to make it to the bus stop on time. But the days that I did drive, I had a great time doing fun things like that Scarface Swear Along, eating at some great restaurants with friends, and running errands. I think I can do better than 60%, so I'm going for 80% in July. That means driving just once a week so I don't go nuts with feeling like I've completely lost my personal freedom. I know that I should bus everyday as there's really no reason I should drive. I actually am feeling more and more frustration with the time I spend in traffic when I do drive, the lack of parking (even metered parking) in Santa Monica, the inevitable parking tickets, etcetera etcetera etcetera. Sigh....Thursday, I left work early to start my 3 day holiday early so I could get to Scrap N' Yap for their sale and it literally took me over 2 hours to get there! My bladder was about to burst and the heat of the day even in my air conditioned car gave me a headache. I just DON'T enjoy driving anywhere anymore.

So, since I carry my little Canon Elph with me everywhere, I couldn't help but snap these pics of the people I encounter on the bus. They are people from all walks of life. lol...in fact, many of them look like white collar professionals who are often clad in designer clothing and accessories. I just find it hilarious that people who wear Coach walking shoes, Chanel sunglasses, carry Coach, Louis Vuitton, Burburry and Fendi handbags, and tote Blackberries and iPhones are all taking the bus. Some look like regulars before I got there as it really is the only sensible way to commute if you work in Downtown LA. But over the course of the month, as I've grown comfortable and confident in my own routine, I see soo many mass transit newbies with that hesitant deer in headlights look who are often clad in designer duds.

LOL...irony can be so hilarious sometimes or perhaps my own stereotype that mass transporation in LA is just for the economically depressed is wrong since NO ONE walks in LA! LOL

So with all this free time, I've gotten alot of reading done and am finally using my ipod. I need to load more music on it since I need more variety to listen to. Its been wonderful just sitting with nothing to do, with no care in the world. I read these books the last week of June. Yeah, well, it took me awhile to finally get into actually doing something productive on the bus.

Water for Elephants was for my book club selection headed up by Laurie. I do love that woman and her sense of humor. The book was a very endearing love story about how the main character met his wife set in a circus menagerie during the Depression Era. The other was just an extra I picked up at the library. (I actually got a library card..its been over 20 years since I've had one!) A Respectable Trade was also a love story of how a white English woman fell in love with her African male slave during the late 1700's in England when the African slave trade was flourishing in Europe. I cried for this one too at all the graphic descriptions of abuse.