more of the same that is more of the same

or how to use a title that has already been used when this post seems like more of a fitting one than the previous one. summer is definitely over and i am not driving as much, that is, until yesterday... but alot of the sweetness of the ac has gone out of the flavour of fall. not as many stories, not as many bums riding the rails of my buses wheels. maybe i am (gasp!) getting used to this and becoming more and more acclimatised to the rhythms and a bumpy herky jerky momentous rhythm they are of a bus drivers life, like a broken jack in the box, that comes popping out, jerks back a pace and then pops out again. or the constant static that flows from the speakers of many a bus radio. all of the buses had radios to begin with and now whenever i need a radio while deadheading to keep me company or help me from falling asleep late at night or early on (a duran duran song became my best friend one morning out of utica) there is only a blank and missing faceplate to greet me, or static because the radio itself cannot be tuned or there is no antenna. but i am getting a little bored. ralph kramden whereever you are, patron saint, i need sustenance.
my bumper fell open yesterday on my drive to oneonta. i pulled up beside a car on my way there to see the astonished look from the passenger and driver. they pointed at my front end with terror and hilarity on their faces. i pushed open the window and they yelled, 'you're bumper is about to fall off!' i knew what they were pointing at immediately and wasn't at all shocked which, i think mystified them with my cool indifference to it. thanks, i said. at the garage the same thing had happened. so i had expected it. some of the buses stow a spare tire in back of the front bumper which is hinged to swing down and reveal the monstrous tire. it must have been almost comic if you looked at it right. the bus, a big grin on its face with its lower jaw opened... 'i've swallowed a tire and your little chevette is next!'
i had the pleasure of fielding this question on my way to new york yesterday as well... ' what time do you want to get to the city?' i said, well, i'd like to get in on the sceduled time, but without a crystal ball, we'll just have to wait and see.
but then again, i've had many brilliant moments driving a bus. i think the mind can play wonderful tricks on itself that go far beyond seeing mirages on the road ahead... it can drift and bring you into some surprising territory. i've had the beginnings of a novel sprouting from the initials on a semi in jersey and my deep subconscious came up with these little gems of absurdist bumper stickers... smile! i'm a republican!, there ain't no shit on this ducks ass..., and (thank you click and clack...) 20 drunks can't be wrong. maybe my mind wanders too much or maybe the passengers are not amusing me as much as they used to. i think that i will come out of this funk when the days and the road fly by me again.