The best day of the week to be outside and spend a fair amount of time with my doctor. But, that was not the beginning, nor the end of this tale. It turned out to be the worse day that I have had riding the bus. Looking through the telescope of the rest of the day, pictures were excellent. But back to this tale.
The night prior to my trip, I had spent on the computer planning the trip out so that I would have more time for photography than waiting for a bus or train. Armed with that information I went to bed and had a wonderful night of sleep. When I awoke, I hit the shower, dressed and checked my backpack to make sure it was in order, drank a cup of coffee and had an English Muffin but I grabbed the heavy coat. The temps were in the upper 30s° F but were headed for the mid 60's. I took the garbage out and walked to the bus stop. I was a bit early by half and hour but I didn't want to miss this bus as the rest of the day relied on it. Not to be. First, the bus was 6 minutes late. Second, the driver, already being that late, flew past my stop as if he had a big teeth dog on his rear end. This was unbelievable. I have been noticing the running of red lights, had breaking and turns for a while, but that goes with the territory from time to time. This was not the time. If I had missed my doctors appointment, I would be charged as a no-show. Plus, it was darn chilly. With phone still in hand, I dialed DART for me and was glad to let the others throughout the system that had been flat out ignored to save the driver from getting a report because of his lateness ride on my back. It's one of those things that just compounds and compounds until someone puts a stop to it. (pardon that pun).
Now, I pondered what to do next, take one of the next available buses that puts me farther from where I needed to be to catch my 360 to the doctors.Or, just cool the jets a minute and wait to see it the next would be on time ,or if I would have to wait the entire hour to get back on schedule. So, I waited. Along came the bus on the half-hour. I boarded, and the very next stop the driver was flying through the intersection and slammed on the air breaks missing the bus shelter the length of the bus. But, he did pick up his passenger, not like his route fore runner that left me standing at my stop.
Now, catching the 360 would put me at the hospital and my doctor's office on time. Not by much, but on time. I had built in to that schedule my lunch at the taco place in the hospital atrium. I had previously enjoyed a great lunch there and I had planned that to be the same for my trip yesterday. I had also planned to walk down onto the White Rock Creek Trail both before and after my appointment for a discovery mission on spring buds.
On seeing the doctor, the report was not as good as I had hoped. While the past surgeries had been successful, because of the nature of them, My doctor had called in consultants into the OR rather than bringing me out of my deep sleep to ask permission for other procedures. That was the nature of the appointment yesterday. The complications and the complexity of the surgeries have not responded totally as hoped for and the doctor after my exam and discussion, placed a call to the doctor that had been consulted during my operations. They are of two different specialties and work very well together.
The second doctor called my doctor back and when he had described the situation to the doctor, the second doctor will set up an appointment and have me come there for a second follow up. They are going to work out a plan to put me back in perfect harmony again. So, upon leaving the doctor, I walked across the street, down the embankment to the trail and got my camera out. I needed to defog my brain at that point. After getting my near hour of shooting, I packed my camera and walked back up the embankment and crossed the street again to my stop. Along came my bus. I boarded, took my favorite seat and enjoyed the ride to the train station where I would catch my 463 bus home.
Pulling into the 360 stop position at the train station, down at the far end was my 463 waiting. I can't run, but I can walk pretty darn fast. Just when I was near 5 or 6 feet from the end of the bus, the driver closed the door and jack rabbited out on the side street. I had been waving to him, yelled a couple of "Hey" but by DART's on rules, once the bus leaves the stop they cannot take on passengers. I understand that, but as I have seen before and saw again later that same day, drivers can pull the circle and come back around and pick up a passenger(s) from a late arriving bus or train. But, of course, this dude used that rule to his own advantage. That was the wrong button to push. Again with my phone in my hand, I did not hesitate to punch that speed dial for DART. And, yes, I filled another complaint on the 463 staff of drivers. DART can sort it out. They have cameras on the buses and at the rail stations and, that was the second time for the 463 this day (yesterday).
My pass that I had purchased before leaving the house was what DART calls their Mid Day pass. It cost more than the reduced Senior Rate for a Morning Pass or an Afternoon Pass. I usually take the Afternoon Pass because it runs from noon until 3 am the following day. The morning runs from 3 am through noon. So, I had to take the Mid day from 9:30 until 2:30 pass. My doctor's appointment was for 1:30 and any way I looked at it, I would need to buy a Senior Rate Afternoon Pass but that's okay too. I had expected that. So, the 571 pulls in and it goes to the Downtown Garland Rail and Transit Center. I could take a leisure ride there and catch the 463 coming back this way. A little father, A little longer, A little more money. But I felt good about that for some reason, I was meant to be on that 571 that day. Then I looked at my digital ticket that had 20 minutes left and seemed to be stuck on 20 minutes. So, pulling out of the station, I noticed immediately, the movement had been slowed. It just felt better. It just felt right. I was interested at that point to observe this driver and along this route. Nothing that I had been experiencing on the 463 since the Schedule Changes on October 19th was on this route. Interesting, I thought. Not, Interesting. Something else was up. We finally get to the rail and transit center and low and behold, there sat the 463. I pull up my ticket and it says 20 minutes. I got off the 571 walked across the platform and stepped onto the 463. In some thought about the 20 minutes, even though I had paid more for the ticket than my Senior rate, this ticket was taking into account the problems created by the two 463 drivers during the day.
When the 463 pulled out of the station, there was no jerking, whirling or any of that. And, something else, the route to the old Baylor Scott and White Hospital and The new VA clinic and the Behavioral Unit that still functions, had been eliminated. I had seen a note on the web site but didn't read it because I wasn't going that way. But now the know why I did go that way, don't we? Now, not only is the situation interesting, but it is curiously much more interesting. Actually, the third bus, 360 prior to the 463 runaway, the enjoyable 571 and now the 463 again acting like a mature pup that would rather lay on the porch with his head in his paws than run and jump because he could. The entire trip was like the 571 and most noticeably to me if not others. Maybe the phone calls had done their job. I hope that someone else was helped during the day because of my experience. That's the point.
