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Riding most of the week on a bus has its ups and downs, mostly coinciding to potholes. My interaction with the other people on the bus has ranged from pretending to be asleep to discussing local politics and sustainability efforts. Mostly I just scurry myself to a seat and try not to attract attention. And so I found myself one day overhearing the conversation of two teenage girls that left me wishing I hadn't. If this pair is the future we have to look forward to, lets squeeze this planet dry of life before they get to it.

"I need a pencil!"

I could hear it clearly from him and acted on it immediately. Handing him the pencil, I received a quizzical look and the response, "How did you know?" But with a dismissive shake of the head, he took the pencil and continued on with his work.

I found it harder to resume my studies. How did I know he needed a pencil? I was sure I'd heard him say he needed that pencil. At that point, everything about him seemed to exude that need.

A thought-provoking exchange leads one person to wonder if telepathy exists. Could this discovery lead to a device that allows it to be used more commonly?

No one is content in this modern world. Many people are caught in a vicious cycle of working themselves to death while accruing endless debt. People used to yearn to be free, now they just yearn to be able to afford some new fashion or widget. The capitalistic consumer-driven society has enslaved the people and driven them to an endless pursuit of an unattainable happiness. Where did we go wrong? What happened to the leisure society that was predicted? What can we do about it?

They had taken everything from me... my love, my passion, even my freedom. The only thing left in my heart was revenge. Revenge, that bubbling cauldron of emotion that rolled and boiled inside me just under the unassuming surface.

So you want to be a quantum mechanic? Where cause and effect are kissing cousins? You've come to the right place, but not the right time. Perhaps you should come back a few years ago. Poke a few holes in the quantum foam, and see what happens.

Travelling occasionally makes me a bit nervous. Ending up in an unfamiliar neighborhood is not my idea of a nice day. However, if the benefit is great enough, I'll consider it. That's how I found myself with my partner on the #42 bus bound for Ewa Beach. Someone online was getting rid of two decent spec computers that were way better than the cobbled together computer we had at home. Once more I cast my fate upon the benevolence of the bus system.

Mass transit is an acquired taste. The denizens of the bus systems put up with so much--late buses, crowded buses, being stuck in traffic, and broken down buses. Its understandable that tempers can get a bit frayed. I've seen, heard, felt, and unfortunately smelled more things on a bus than I care to remember. Understand that Honolulu's theBus has occasionally won the "America's Best Bus System Award." It just seems that sometimes, particularly on certain bus routes, you get more loonies than the rest. Today, I "enjoyed" the company of a person spouting vitriolic obscenities--someone who obviously hated everything I looked like and represented.