fighting the good fight

There’s a man beating his imaginary drum set… oh my, right as I was hoping he’d soon grow tired, he begins to add some terrible vocals to the forceful stomping of his foot to the 217 floor.

Geez, he lightened up, finally, but let me not jinx all of us here at his mercy.

I understand he’s having a mental moment. People have mental moments, we all do. However, the frequency and force of disturbance to the surrounding public at which people have them in Los Angeles is next level.

I look forward to the days where public transit in and around Los Angeles reflects that of any other major metropolis in the modern world. Think Paris. Think Chicago. Think New York City. If you’re a real dreamer, skilled enough to look beyond a bit of reality, THINK JAPAN! [inserts heart-eyed emoji] I’ve not yet traveled to Japan, but from the people to whom I’ve spoken that have done a little konnichiwa, public transit is not only efficient, it is CLEAN!

Drummer man is whistling. I suppose standing, now, it’s a bit less conducive to pretend play a percussion set.

Thank The Lord, getting off this 217. Drummer man is getting off too, please Jesus don’t let him be headed to the same train as me. No, can’t be. As I was walking off the bus and giving him a blank stare through my face gaiter that hopefully said “stfu”, I noticed an LAX airport employee badge on his arm!

Now you see how I immediately gave this man grace.

Ou. This is a new train, I don’t think I’ve ever been on an L.A. public transit vessel and seen the doors and passenger hand-railings and seats actually appear a smooth stainless steel. The cab even looks wider within.

Everyone is quiet on this train, thank goodness. Well, the the exception of this man talking on the phone directly behind me. Apparently, he thinks he’s an important artist, a music artist of some sort, a rapper, perhaps. He’s making mentions of similar moves 50 Cent made, nearly drawing himself as a peer or at least close enough to be in comparisons with a-rapper-turned-media-mogul.

In Japan, I hear, people respect shared spaces. The cleanliness of public transit that we talked about earlier is one way that Japanese people obviously respect public places by not throwing sh*t anywhere out of laziness. Folks that have traveled to Japan tell me that people will hold on to their trash all day if they have to to dispose of it properly.

Ms. Dori, a close girlfriend of my previous landlord, travels to Japan annually and would always brings us stories when she’d visit Ms. Sylvia’s property in L.A. Ms. Dori says that in shared public spaces in Japan, the Japanese people don’t even hold loud phone conversations, nor hum, and damn sure not beat an imaginary drum.

Now do I expect us to have the same mutual respect for our fellow citizens in the United States of America as the Japanese have in their country for one another? No, I operate within reason, occasionally.

However, is not causing a whole f*cking ruckus too much to ask?!

Oh, that brings me back to Mr. Drummer Man. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt when I heard him causing a fuss in the back of the bus. I glanced back. He didn’t seem to notice any of our annoyed glares. It was as if he was in his own world, as I said having a mental moment. I faced forward away. Oh, Lord, please place your hands on the mentally deranged of Los Angeles.

I thought this man, Mr. Drummer Man, was one of the many people that we all pass from day to day around L.A. having psychotic breaks, or having completely broken and in an ongoing state of brokenness and mental unrest — these individuals can be found under highways, setting up camp beside businesses, and on public transportation wearing no shoes, showing the collision of tectonic plates that has taken place on the heels of their feet. They have their moments and we sane (at the moment) people ignore them.

When I stood up to get off the bus and I saw Mr. Drummer Man wearing untattered clothing and an employee badge to boot, my eyes may have visibly bulged in surprise mixed with confusion.

I’m confused because how tf can you hold it together to maintain a job, or at least have one today, have showered and put on clothes without rips and tears, yet not be able to hold your sh*t together on this short bus ride?! Y’all, I’m not exaggerating, this man was ramming his feet into the floor with all the force in his body. He was in the back of the bus and the passengers in the front of the bus beside the driver were looking towards the back, evidently disturbed.

Sitting in the middle of the bus, closer to the back than the front, his stomps were causing the floor beneath my feet, as well as my seat, to vibrate. AND IT WAS LOUD! Mr. Drummer Man beating his imaginary bass was beating tf out of my eardrums. UGH! I could scream right now! Of course, I won’t, I try to respect other people’s experience in public spaces, as anyone with good sense would!

I was sitting there thinking, “yeah, bringing a bigger bag to have had my Bose noise-canceling headphones would’ve been worth it.”

It pissed me off to see that LAX employee badge and him looking decent when he stood up and came towards the back door. You mean to tell me that you have some sort of good sense in that noggin and simply choose not to exercise it? F*ck all of us, forget about our nervous systems.

I don’t care to drive a motor vehicle and absolutely loathe Los Angeles traffic, but whew child…

The people that take L.A. public transit, especially in certain pockets of L.A. that a passenger may have to pass through, goodness gracious, they make it hard for a girl.

I believe in streets for all. I believe in more funding towards active transportation and public transportation. Public roads, the prioritization of public funds for public roads should go to the public. It’s really very simple. Cars, private motor vehicles, should NOT be prioritized in public spaces! I stand by that and ima stan’onnit!

Los Angeles will be on the world stage come 2028, we’re hosting the Olympics here. I can already see them trying to clean it up and be revved up, ready to run an efficient engine. I look forward to the improvements and I hope they’re here to stay.

Okay, I’m only two stops away from where I’m getting off the last leg of my public transit trek today. A bus to a train then a train to a bus. Now, a friend is picking me up.

I could’ve gone to my girl’s place and rode with her and her guy friend from DTLA, or he was even willing to pick me up. At first, I was going to let him pick me up from a meeting point, but traffic was too much, I don’t wanna put nobody through that, not for me. I told them to just head out to the valley and meet me at the final stop of my bus route, which is around the corner from the studio where we’re going to attend a live podcast taping.

Ou, I wonder if there will be some chicken wings. I need a shot going down my throat and a tender wing between my teeth two seconds after I walk through the door.

Okay, let me go’on ‘head and press publish on this and pay attention for my stop. My model girlfriend Maya and her co-worker/crush are already waiting for me there.

All I want is for the normal, sane and sensible folks taking public transit around L.A. to outweigh the others.

Later, y’all.