I love the idea of public transportation. Unfortunately, in practice, public trans sucks big time. Maybe I would think differently if I actually lived in the city. From the suburban point of view though, my god, the experience is agonizing. Take today, for instance. I had a one o’clock Berlitz teacher orientation (back to English teaching again… maybe). I caught the bus at 11:30, arrived at SFO 12:10, caught the BART at 12:20, walked to the building (located in the hoyty-toyty financial district) and arrived exactly on time. Sure, 90 minutes doesn’t seem so bad. On the way, I worked on my college applications equivalent (i.e. job apps). I get to answer supplemental questions like “Describe a program/project you managed from start to finish” and “Give an example that best demonstrates your leadership skills.” Fun shit, I tell you. So yes, had some time to also write out my to do list, organize my purse, etc. But on the way home? First, I had to wait 20 minutes to catch a BART that went to the airport (most only go as far south as Daly City). Then, when one finally arrived, it didn’t pull all the way down the subway tunnel. By the time I figured out it was only boardable from the center, the damn thing had already pulled away. Fucking a. Had to wait for the next airport one. The BART stops a lot, so getting to the airport took like 35 minutes. When I arrived at SFO, I went downstairs and waited another 15 minutes for the bus. Then at the next station, a group of Special Olympics (at least that’s what was on their backpacks) people boarded. Now I fully support the SO. Of course, they have same rights as I do with public access, but I’m just saying, the passengers made for a rowdy bus ride. They pretty much yelled at each other whenever they spoke. One dude rocked back and forth incessantly. I just felt ill-rested. I know, I should have brought headphones. I didn’t. To make matters worse, I was dehydrated, my contacts were dry, and I had a splitting headache. Finally, I got home a bit before 4:30. In summary, I had a one-hour event downtown. I was gone from 11:30 to 4:30. See what I mean? By car, the commute is probably 30 minutes each way but then parkings is next to impossible, plus it costs an arm and a leg. A lose-lose situation. The solution, I suppose, is to just get a job on the peninsula.

The good news today (haha, you weren’t expecting any, were you?) is that I have three interviews this week. Un-fucking-believable, right? Another one for teaching, one for a fuel cell technology startup, and one for a San Mateo sustainability NGO (it’s so close, I can ride my bike there!). Thank goodness the ball is finally rolling! I need to start my professional life!