Wapsi Square Forum

jwhouk wrote:Wife doesn't want me lounging around our new trailer, while she is trying to get a job at a daycare. And sadly her car needed a few thou in repairs before we left, so we have a credit card to pay off before I can just lounge around.

The school in question is in the "good" part of Mesa, with a really high-achievement and AP placement background.

Of course, I also have a job interview Monday - as a bus driver. (The irony of this is, before I became a state employee, I drove bus for Racine Unified back in Wisconsin...)

Have you tried to find a job a bit less stressful? Like driving a dynamite truck, or landmine tester?

Bookworm wrote:

jwhouk wrote:Wife doesn't want me lounging around our new trailer, while she is trying to get a job at a daycare. And sadly her car needed a few thou in repairs before we left, so we have a credit card to pay off before I can just lounge around.

The school in question is in the "good" part of Mesa, with a really high-achievement and AP placement background.

Of course, I also have a job interview Monday - as a bus driver. (The irony of this is, before I became a state employee, I drove bus for Racine Unified back in Wisconsin...)

Have you tried to find a job a bit less stressful? Like driving a dynamite truck, or landmine tester?

Bookworm, we need a like button in here so I can spam like certain commentary.

Considering my former occupation as a juvenile correctional officer, "bus driver" is a much tamer option.

jwhouk wrote:Considering my former occupation as a juvenile correctional officer, "bus driver" is a much tamer option.

Might depend on how popular those Mad Max movies are around that area. . .

C'mon, this is the greater Phoenix area.

...you might have a point.

Catawampus wrote:

jwhouk wrote:Considering my former occupation as a juvenile correctional officer, "bus driver" is a much tamer option.

Might depend on how popular those Mad Max movies are around that area. . .

As long as the supervisor doesn't go by the name 'Immortan', I think he'd be okay.

Bookworm wrote:

Catawampus wrote:

jwhouk wrote:Considering my former occupation as a juvenile correctional officer, "bus driver" is a much tamer option.

Might depend on how popular those Mad Max movies are around that area. . .

As long as the supervisor doesn't go by the name 'Immortan', I think he'd be okay.

And as long as he stays away from Chicago... or... *shudders* the dreaded pit of traffic horror and despair known as Los Angeles...

And I thought Chicago was bad.

I live on a residential thoroughfare in what is charitably called East Mesa. The speed limit on said street (which is five lanes - two in each direction and a center turning, or "suicide" lane) is 45 mph.

Back in 97 and 98, I used to drive a bus for my church and for a summer camp associated with my church (the camp director was the church pastor's dad). Every Friday, I would drive the campers back to Toronto, ending up driving on the 401 (a 16-lane highway, 8 in each direction) during afternoon rush hour.

Changing lane with a bus was both difficult, yet uncomplicated: use your blinkers to indicate your desire to change lane, wait a few moments to confirm that no one is, indeed, letting you change lane, then start ever so slowly creeping into the next lane, until someone "wakes up" and gets a sudden urge to be courteous and let you complete your lane change. Works every time...

Two types of yield law: legal, and natural.

Legal: cars yield to pedestrians, trucks yield to cars, semis and busses yield to trucks. Big yields to small because bigger vehicles carry some responsibility to not send everyone else to destination fucked.

Natural: small yields to big because otherwise, you get shitmixed. Self preservation.

Please don't get me wrong (and I'm not saying you are, just making sure you don't): I am all for the bigger road users to take steps to protect the more vulnerable road users. In the example above, for instance, I would not actually change lane until I was sure that the other car had backed off, leaving me room to do so.

Pedestrians will always have the right of way at an intersection, provided they follow the rules (i.e. cross when permitted by the lights). And if one should run across in front of me, illegally, I will try my best to avoid him (whether by braking or swerving). But my example was there to illustrate that many times, people care not how difficult driving a heavy vehicle is, and they are too much in a hurry to bother letting people ahead of them. Rather, they would prefer to accelerate and either pass in front, or at least stay right where they are, next to the truck or bus that is indicating a desire to change lane. So the truck or bus driver may mildly "intimidate" the arrogant and/or oblivious driver (because not all drivers are sticking to it because they don't want to be passed by a large vehicle, but some are merely not paying attention to the vehicles around them, and therefore not noticing the large vehicle's blinkers on...), but the large vehicle driver will usually still wait until it is safe to change lane. If all else fails, the driver will significantly slow down (continuing to blink for a lane change), until the car on his side has moved on, and they can go behind them instead. One more effect of significantly slowing down, is that other drivers around will notice something is going on, and cars further behind in the lane we wish to accede to will more likely realize we need room to move over.

So yes, "bigger" must respect and protect "more vulnerable", but not to the extant that they no longer can function on the road, because no one lets them maneuver at all... It helps, when "smaller" is courteous towards "bigger"...

And when all else fails, you can deploy the flamethrowers or the smoke-grenade launchers.

Oh yah, nah I gotcha, I didn’t mean to sound like you weren’t being responsible. The smaller vehicles just tend to have a bit of a napoleon complex sometimes.

Only sometimes?

By the way, don't worry, Glytch. I didn't think you were downright accusing me of being irresponsible, but you still made me realize I left my post somewhat ambiguous. So I wanted to make sure that my meaning was clear, and that I was not advocating that Might makes Right, or anything like that.

I was offered the bus job if I want it. I kinda like the idea of a split-shift.

jwhouk wrote:I was offered the bus job if I want it. I kinda like the idea of a split-shift.

Those can be interesting, if you don't live too far from work. That's what I've been doing for the last 7.5 years.

I essentially live about 10-15 minutes from each of the three depots they have for the school buses. I stated that I really prefer the larger buses, but as I'm thinking about that, I'm not as sure.

Go for it! There's not much special about driving a minibus... It's just a bigger van. Plus the mirrors aren't as good, as they're based on van mirrors. And you're not sitting that high up, so you don't see quite as much as when you're in a full-size bus (with big mirrors, too!)

The one vehicle I've had the most fun driving was a full-size school bus with stick shift.

Personally, I do my best to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists. However, they don't make it easy - as most of them won't give two shits about the laws or even common sense. Then, our illustrious political leaders want to pander to them.

Case in point - in Houston, they've been destroying roads to put in bicycle lanes. They would actually take a safe three to four lane road and turn it into a not very safe two lane road with two bicycle lanes - for the forty or so bikes a day that use them. This is despite the fact that the laws say that bikes get two thirds of the lane for themselves, and are to be treated as vehicles like automobiles.

So, what do the bikes do? go the wrong way down the road, outside of the bike lanes, run stop signs, red lights, and fail to signal anything. Pedestrians? Wander randomly around the road no matter what the intersection says, or is doing. Often not even bothering to look, as it's not their problem. (I'm talking at intersections. Different rules apply for away from marked intersections, of course)

How many times have I seen a police officer giving any of them a ticket? Never. They can't be bothered to get out of their car for anything short of someone speeding - in an automobile. My attitude is simple. Don't give them any additional privileges until you can show that they are aware of their responsibilities - including enforcing the laws - and that means on the walkers, the bikers, and the drivers. (If a car fails to give 2/3ds of the lane, ticket them. If the bike is going the wrong way down the road, ticket them. If the walker crosses on the 'don't walk', ticket them. If they don't have ID? Confiscate their bike, car, or for the walker, take them to the station and make them call for someone that can come identify them.)

DinkyInky wrote:I'd probably be a poor fit for that, because I'd tell them I have a "particular set of skills".

Oh, and as previously stated, yes, I always bring a knife to a gunfight...

(Did you get the Petri Dishes I sent your way?)

I've been in negotiations to set up franchised 'Orphan Black' Outlets...