Not NASCARTA

As most of you now know, we gave up our car last September and are experimenting with living an urban lifestyle dependant upon public transit and, well, hoovin' it. On the way to work last week, a new driver mysteriously appeared driving my morning route.

This guy was the MOST polished gentleman I have seen in some time. His navy blue shirt was crisp, ironed with precision for every crease and fold meeting military dress quality. His hair was perfectly manicured, shaved close around the temples and ears, sweeping up to a two inch stylish afro squared off atop his head. His beard was a sheer work of art. His chiseled features were strikingly matched by the carefully clipped hedging along his jaw. I've not seen anything like it before. A circular gray patch on his chin was the focal point of the masterpiece beard. From the white circle two black (I wondered if he dyed them that way) arcs raced up his jawline and ended in perfect points nearly meeting the bottoms of the lobes of his ears. Altogether the beard looked like a giant smile under his mouth. Or some kind of freaky clown face, depending on your personal knowledge of old Steven King movies.

At any rate, what was as curious as the new driver's appearance was his inability to drive anywhere quickly. The new driver somehow matched his articulate personal style with equal care driving. He was so cautious, it became annoying. At one point, it took nearly five minutes to take a right - TAKE A RIGHT - in light traffic! And, I swear, we never got out of second gear, like during the whole ride! He was a good driver. But too good. Too careful. Too cautious.

I got to work about five minutes later than when riding with the normal lady driver. Now, she drives the bus. And while she's doing it, she chats up the ladies in the front the whole time. She knows her business, does it well and gets us where we all need to go safely. She's a multi-tasking, quick-witted talent. Personally, I like CARTA's drivers, and rarely complain since I find riding the bus kind of entertaining. And riding beats the hell out of battling even the most occassional bouts of road-rage.

It's been a few days and I haven't seen the gentleman driver with the facial hair artwork. I'm sure if I do see him again, he will be doing whatever he is doing slowly and carefuly.

Getaway CAR-TA

Sometimes truth in the public transit realm is stranger than fiction. Considering a recent total eclipse of the moon, it's likely the odd scenario I’m about to describe to you could be further astrological phenomenon, typically resulting in crazy human behavior as noted previously in Full Moon Bus Rides. Regardless of the cause, what I observed last Friday night was nothing short of a mystery. With the worries of the office left behind I boarded the bus. I patiently read as we motored through Mt. Pleasant back toward Downtown Charleston. The bus jerked a bit to a quick stop and a random guy boarded. He passed in front of me and sat diagonally across from my seat near the back. At quick glance he carried what appeared to be a large cardboard box. A closer look revealed an item wrapped in a clear piece of plastic. It looked as if it was the clear wrapper from another product, retrofitted around the cumbersome object being heaved around by the young passenger. I was able then to make out what looked like an old desktop computer inside the plastic bag. Along the back wall, where the guy picked a seat, he was able to situate the large box to his right, snuggly tucked against the end of the intersecting row of side wall seats where there is just enough legroom to slide in against the wall. There his box was probably slightly more secure, being deterred from sliding forward should the bus jerk to another stop. Fascinated and totally nosy over the mystery object dude carried through the rain on a miserable Friday night, I spied over my book and eyed the man as he looked out the window. He was outfitted in black and I noticed the item was not a computer, but in fact, A CASH REGISTER. I almost began to laugh and cursed my own twisted sense of humor for finding scenarios such as this to be completely hilarious. I mean, come on, how often do you see a guy dressed in black get on the bus carrying a cash register protected from the rain? To top it off, no one on the bus looked a bit concerned. Not one person batted an eye or said a thing….including me. How could any of us know if the guy was a criminal without a car, or a cash register repairman without a car? In either case, how does one approach this question with a perfect stranger, anyway? Mystery intact, the bus finally lumbered up to my stop and I exited without incident or a further hint of what would unfold when the guy would later get off the bus. I thought about him carrying that cash register around on the streets of Downtown Charleston and snickered a little. I wondered if anyone would notice. It seemed to me the least the cash register carrying enigma could have done was wrap it in something other than CLEAR plastic! Honestly.

Cosmopolitan Charlestonian 2007 Round-Up

Often times we catch ourselves saying, “Wow, we sure do live in interesting times.” Recently we learned this saying is actually a Chinese curse, and a blessing. 2007, if nothing, has been interesting. So, we bring you our year-end round-up of events as well as some random residual thoughts left of 2007. Cheers for the coming New Year!

2007 found this pair leaving behind our vehicle and moving solely to a life supported by public transportation. Our “dream car” was a Jaguar. We worked hard to have our dreamobile and it was eventually realized. Nearly six years ago, in a country of easy credit, we were astonished and proud to have achieved our dream far earlier than the typical mid-life crisis estimation. Why not be proud? Nice car, nice house and you’ll be happy forever, right? We were culturally more than acceptable. But as ironies go, shortly after getting the Jag, we heard about peak oil theory and decided to look into it. At that point we began to see the true price of car ownership - false self images, extensive environmental damage, war and the extent to which this country will go to resist change. We felt hoodwinked. Obviously, if you’ve been with us since the beginning of our blogging escapades you will recognize these costs and understand their full breadth as they extend far beyond the prices paid at the dealership and the pump. After several books read and many hours of research we arrived at the conclusion that “happy motoring” will eventually be limited, so why not just get on with it and figure out a better way to live. Between the population boom, leveling of economic playing fields via globalization and the squandering of our resources, it’s pretty obvious this party ain’t goin’ on forever. Now that gas prices are estimated to reach $3.50 by the 2008 summer travel season we are pretty darn happy to have shifted away from a dream that was an albatross in disguise. We urge you to tell Mayor Joe, your individual County leaders and our State politicians that Charleston must grow its public transportation systems at once to further secure our economic viability.

We highly recommend getting out of your car(s). Our decision in 2007 put us in a very unique situation. We are now qualified as Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority critics. Although you may enjoy knowing that aside from the vast expansion of transit as necessity, there are many wonderful elements to commuting by bus.

- CARTA gives out a free copy of The Post & Courier each morning, but you’ve got to be quick! They’re usually all snatched up by 9:00 a.m.
- Public transit is safe. Since we began riding, we have seen and heard about many automobile accidents. Sadly, some were fatal. However, not one CARTA bus crashed, nor was anyone hurt to our knowledge on a CARTA bus in 2007.
- Ride n’ Read as Bitsy says…we read A LOT! After months of observing and being observed, fellow passengers have worked up the nerve now to occasionally ask what we’re always reading, especially those that don’t [read]. “Whatcha got to read today?” A conversation usually forms thereafter. We’re beginning to form a deeper appreciation for the power of community diversity.
- For those interested in psychology, riding the bus provides daily lessons in human interaction, especially once one begins to follow the characters (wink).
- Carrying bags after walking to the grocery store has given us nice looking arm muscles.
- Walking or riding bikes to the grocery store has other benefits too. For instance, when you really have to CARRY IT ALL BACK HOME you make much better purchasing decisions. Freetos? Sure, they’re light but take up a lot of space in a book bag or knap sack. Sodas – too heavy and that potion will kill us anyway! If you’ve got to carry something 3 blocks, make it beer. We’ve also been shopping more often at the Farmers Market downtown since it offers a nice, organic supplement to the grocery stores. Good eats and very svelt waistlines for 2008!
- Getting out of the auto “bubble” opens one to actual human experiences before and after work. We’ve met some wonderful, nice, normal working people on the bus and it is a pleasure to say the least.
- No more road rage – our coworkers probably like that.
- We’ve met lots of our neighbors by walking everywhere we go. The Eastside is peppered with an abundance of wonderful residents who do not fail Charleston’s hospitable reputation with their good mornings, good afternoons and good evenings as well as warm wishes for each holiday that comes and goes. A few inquiring minds have questioned us on the sudden disappearance of our vehicle.
- Olympic busses with environmental plusses. The busses in Charleston run on natural gas which when burned releases less CO2 compared to oil/gas. Charleston bought those nifty buses after the Olympics were held in Atlanta a few years back. Atlanta bought a bunch of them for the Olympics brand-spanking new. They used ‘em for a few months and then Charleston recycled them at a nice used price. Charlestonians may remember that transaction. The busses are still in very good condition IMHO.
- Thirty-one Dollars. That’s our monthly expense for one unlimited bus pass. It’s only $1.25 for a random trip if not using a pass.

In other transit news this year, we learned Atlanta has opened Atlantic Station Commuter Café. The first of its kind, the Commuter Café is a “clearinghouse for transportation alternatives” for every resident of the live/work, mixed-use community. Jealous, we note they even have a car check-out service. But hey, it’s Hotlanta, right?

Speaking of Atlanta, and for a Dry Times follow up, we thankfully report they’ve gotten a little rain over that way. Previously parched, Lake Lanier rose just slightly since Christmas. However, they are far from out of danger with worsening drought conditions forecast. Maybe they’ll find a solution by next summer involving something more than prayer.

Certainly we could not have a year-end wrap up without mentioning our horror as we realized the State of South Carolina was represented over the course of a few weeks, by a mapless and quite possibly mindless Miss Teen SC in the speech she made on “U.S. American” television. Yikes. If only she had a map. Then she could get to Oz and finally take delivery of the brain that’s apparently been on order for eighteen years. After that she can organize trips to India and Africa to help Paris with all the drunken elephants.

Other interesting tidbits from around Charleston include the start of construction on the bike path along East Bay Street leading to the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, and the securitization of an 11 million dollar bond for revitalization and construction on the old Cooper River Bridge footprint where a lake/park, shops and much more is planned to be developed. That is also exciting news for the Eastside, formerly known as Hampsteadborough as developed by Henry Laurens in 1789 (a little Charleston history for you there).

The Cosmopolitan Charlestonian did some reaching out in our own small diplomatic effort in 2007 to overcome the saber rattling and scare tactics in the seventh year of a failed Presidential Administration. We found a tiny glimmer of hope in the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) reports released earlier this month regarding Iran’s “ceased” nuclear agenda. In a world running out of oil, it makes great sense for Iran to power their country with nuclear and sell off their black golden resource to others around the world, like China, for one. Our postings on Iran were made at the height of the propaganda production wherein they were accused of developing nuclear arms rather than reactors. We certainly have our fingers crossed that a higher road can be taken effecting shifting powers in the Middle East while subverting any additional, disastrous war plans made by U.S. Americans.

In 2007 we corresponded with some interesting people. We traded e-mails with James Howard Kunstler hoping to review his upcoming book, World Made by Hand, scheduled to be on shelves around March. We were not accepted this time, but still give the plug because his work is strong. E-mails were traded with Bill Settlemeyer, of The Charleston Regional Business Journal (Setcom Media) with kudos cast his way for splashing peak oil, global warming and great environmental debate amongst the pages of the business journal. It’s been time. We met Bitsy Parker of ValueWit, in Austin, TX through this blog. This femme-fireball blogger banned Christmas in her house and experiments on bus riding with children in tow and/or busy business luncheons scheduled. She found us and we’ve been comparing bus notes between Charleston and Austin ever since. Finally, The Mad Hatter of There Goes The Neighborhood, who also holds down the fort at Lowcountry Blog Jam (where he graciously accepted The Cosmopolitan Charlestonian’s inclusion on his blogroll) posted some inspirational thoughts and kept us going right at the beginning when it may have been easiest to quit. Thanks goes to the Hatter as well as Wendy who brought to our attention The Post & Courier’s blogroll so long ago. It’s a good one for staying up on what’s going down around town. Finally, friend, published writer and fellow blogger, Stacy Crew, provided great advice and inspiration. She can help with all your organizational needs.

In one last random thought, we share that we are not very good at conserving water. We’ll get better in 2008. It’s a resolution at least. Since learning of a water crisis that is hitting most states in the union, we’ve tried to reduce excess water usage. Thought it would be a no-brainer until one finds themselves letting the shower warm up, running the water while brushing teeth, etc., etc. We’ll keep you posted on progress in future entries and provide further information on this additional limited resource.

As midnight draws near, we leave this posting with hope for the New Year. 2007 is running short on its own imperfect measurement. Time is simply the river on which all life flows. May we all appreciate every breath experienced on this earthy plane and draw on each moment with a greater consciousness for a greater good.

We most certainly live in interesting times.