This is why it isn't working...

So, I've been getting a little familiar with the UTA transit network. My car engine ate itself (just a little...it still runs, but it makes a racket!) just before New Years, and in order to afford to repair/replace it, I've had to keep working. Tommy opens the end of next week, and that's hopefully when my period of exile from behind the steering wheel also concludes.

But my experience with UTA has shown me one of the reasons why it hasn't really caught on outside of Salt Lake City. It's inconvenient.

I'm not talking about the actual 'riding the bus'. That's the least inconvenient part of the whole thing. That's easy. A pain in the ass, perhaps...but easy. I'm talking about the rest of it.

Now, if you have ready access to the internet, some of what I'm going to point out isn't so much of an issue. Their website is actually pretty easy to use. Timetables are there, maps are available, information about prices is easy to locate, routes are generally pretty easy to figure out...

But, say, tonight, when I had to run to the store to pick up some last minute items for the show, I realized that, outside of Salt Lake City, I had yet to see a bus stop with a timetable. Now, if you're on a definite planned trip, that's not a big deal...you looked it up, you know when the bus is coming (theoretically--more on that in a moment); but if you just ran to the store and browsed for a while, you've got no idea how long it will be before the bus gets there. Now, on a nice day, that wouldn't be a big deal. But when it's 20 degrees outside, standing there for five minutes is excruciating...waiting a half an hour is Hell.

Which brings me back to knowing when the bus is coming. It would be nice if they were even a little bit more consistent. It seems like every day that I'm on time, they're late...if I'm late, they're on time. Saturday was a perfect example. Every other time I've gone out to catch the bus to SLC, it's been at least five minutes late...and it takes me that long to walk to the stop from my apartment. We had auditions at Salt Lake Community College on Saturday, and I was going down to help out...to get to SLCC from my place, by 10 am, I had to catch a bus at 8:05.

I hadn't quite organized myself the night before, so even though I got out of the shower with plenty of time, by the time I chased down all the odds and ends I wanted to take with me, I got out of my apartment a minute before the bus was supposed to pass the main stop in town (mine was about three stops down from there...) So I started walking, briskly...

When I was a block away from my stop, the bus went by--on schedule. I growled and swore and walked back to my apartment (because I couldn't walk to the bus stop to find out what time the next bus was coming!!!) Luckily, I wasn't expected at auditions until callbacks (I like going to auditions to see who I may be working with for the next year), and the next bus was almost an hour later. I got something to eat, checked on a couple of eBay auctions, and got out the door in time to make it to my stop by the time the bus should be hitting the main Kaysville stop.

And the bus was seven minutes late. It got better...I had a choice of options for how to get to SLCC, all of which connected with my bus route at a couple of different stops once we got to Salt Lake. The fastest, by only a couple of minutes, involved me walking a block and a half to the Trax stop--and the Trax car pulled out just moments before I got to the stop...on time, because I was running late, of course. So I had to walk back to the stop I'd just left, to wait for a different bus. There was a scheduled wait of about ten minutes...that turned into twenty...

At least I didn't have to ride the bus home!

The final problem UTA has is that, once you get out of the Salt Lake area, there's really minimal coverage. In Davis County (where I live, for those not familiar with the geography--it's just north of Salt Lake), if you need to go anywhere outside of 'standard commuter hours' (ie, after six pm!), there is ONLY ONE BUS that runs through towns (I'm not sure how late the express buses run)--and it only goes up the old highway that serves as Main Street for Farmington, Kaysville, Layton, and Clearfield. Kaysville is a pretty broad-ranging city, for only having one bus route. Layton is much worse. It wouldn't be a problem if there were secondary bus routes, that would connect with the existing one...routes that just circulated through Davis County. But there aren't.

And, y'know, there's only so many ways you can encourage people to ride the bus. There's a financial incentive, yes...$50/month for a bus pass is much cheaper than a car payment, insurance, gas, and other maintenance costs. There's an environmental incentive--which has lately been the big number they've been playing.

But, when it's just too damned inconvenient to be practical (I can't go grocery shopping on the bus...it's as far to the grocery store as it is to the bus stop, for one thing, and I can only buy so much in one trip because I have to carry it home afterwards!--I can't take my laundry to the laundromat because there's not enough room on the bus for a laundry bag--and I don't want to carry a jug of laundry detergent on top of that!), when waiting for the bus is rolling the dice on frostbite and hypothermia unless you're wearing enough clothes to make you burst into a sweat when you walk, and when you just can't count on the bus getting you where you need to go on time, those incentives just aren't enough to make it worthwhile. And, if you live any distance at all from the main route through town...well, either start training for the marathon or stay home, I guess.

Damn, I miss my car. I can't wait to get paid...

A ray of hope...

Never underestimate the value of a good friend. I've lived with that concept in my mind for years, and I'm constantly reminded of it. It happened again today.

A friend of a friend (or a not-quite-so-close-friend, depending on how you want to define 'friend') has done some automotive work in the past...he works at a place that has access to all the tools and gear to really tear into a motor effectively, and he's done work for Marla in the past for just the cost of parts. So, I wheedled Marla into seeing if he might be willing to do some work for me. I didn't go so far as to have her ask him to do the work...I have enough personal pride that I wouldn't pass that particular buck along the line. I just wanted to make sure that there was a chance he might say yes, before I put myself in the awkward situation of asking him for a big favor (I hate asking friends for favors which they can't fulfill...I hate even more being asked for favors that I can't fulfill, so I don't want to put anyone else in that position).

So far, the light is green. Marla called tonight and said he'd be willing to talk about what needs to be done, and whether or not he could do it. So, for the first time since my engine started chattering at me, I've got a little hope for the thing. I'll still likely need to come up with something else to drive while the work is being done...but at least there's a glimmer of light on the horizon.

Funny, how you don't realize how stressed you can get about some things, until that stress is relieved.

Please Tell Me It Won't Be Monday All Week...

It was one of those days...

I chipped a molar the day before Christmas Eve, and today I FINALLY got into a dentist to get it looked at. It wasn't hurting, just the sharp edges where the enamel sheared away kept poking my tongue, so I was in no rush.

Maybe I should've been. Once the dentist got in there and looking around, he saw that there was some additional decay in the chipped tooth...and decided to schedule another appointment so he could really give it the attention he felt it deserved (at least he ground off the sharp edges...) The problem is, he doesn't have an open appointment slot until the middle of next month. So, now, I'm trying to decide if I want to sit and wait, or if I want to see if another dentist will fix it sooner. I mean, it's already got a cavity starting, and there's a gaping hole through the enamel on one side, so I can only foresee the decay progressing faster and faster. And I don't have dental insurance, so the faster I can get the work done...and, more importantly, the cheaper!...the better. But, apparently, it looks to be in pretty good condition, because he had no qualms about scheduling another appointment, and didn't really bat an eye when I informed him I had no insurance. We'll see what develops there...

The other tidbit of 'good news' that I got today was about my car. Two nights before New Years Eve (yeah, I had a LONG holiday season this year), my car started making a horrendous racket while I was driving home from work. Today, I found out what was causing the racket. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was...but it was worse that I hoped. There's a broken valve lifter (at least one...maybe more)...and depending on how much collateral damage that broken part did, the repairs could run as much as $1400. Considering this is a vehicle that's just shy of 300k miles, that's a lot to spend.

So, I'm in the market for another car...which I can't afford right now. I'd be able to afford it once I finish the props design job I just contracted...but that job would be a helluva lot easier to do if I had a car. I hate the Catch-22...need a car to get to work, need work to afford a car. Last time I needed to replace my vehicle, I'd just finished paying off a prior loan...which I had to turn around and get all over again. The time before that, I made the mistake of using part of an advance on a job I'd contracted to buy the car...and then the job fell through and I had to pay the money back.

Well, I pride myself on my creative problem solving. Guess it's time to get creative, huh?

Naturally...

We've had clear and cold weather for almost the entire month of December. January is almost always colder, with less snow, than December.

So, of course, today, when I REALLY wanted to get into work to take care of some stuff, the day after I've taken my car to the garage (which pretty much means I'd have to walk to work--done it before!), IT'S SNOWING.

And not just a little snow, either. I just looked out the back door to see how much I'd need to bundle up for the walk, and there's about three inches built up. There was NOTHING yesterday. I mean nothing. The grass was bare.

It's supposed to keep snowing through tomorrow morning, according to the forecast, and then get much colder. Great--I have a production meeting in Salt Lake at 10 am that I'll have to take a bus to reach, and then I'll be at Lagoon until close to 7 pm. So I get snowed on in the morning, and then get to walk home after the storm's blown over and the cold air settles in.

It's gonna be a long year, isn't it?