And Now For Another Exciting Episode Of "As The Wheel Turns"

For those of you just joining in with the unabashed frolic above and beyond the bounds of sanity that we call Messenger, here's whats up with my learning to drive a bus:

I got tired of driving past crippled veterans waiting for buses because there weren't enough drivers to go around, so I took the written test for a Commercial Drivers License, then the driving test, and am now in the process of learning routes, etc. Just moved to Florida a few months ago and still can't find my ass with both hands and Global Positioning assistance, but am learning more every day.

30' buses are a breeze. Places I'd have hesitated taking a car prior to this training are good to go as my skill level increases. 35' buses, well, nothing to write home about as far as the sweat-your-balls-off factor goes, but the laws of physics still apply and they're a tad more difficult. 40 footers are something else. I've yet to reach the point of spinning them in figure-8's with aplomb, but AM getting better at it. Narrow old roads that weren't even designed for cars can be a bitch to swing a big bus around in, so we grin, bear it, and try harder. Everyone tells me that it comes if you really want it to, so I continue to endeavor to persevere.

The crazy drivers coupled with half the town undergoing road construction doesn't help, though. The bus drivers unofficial credo goes something like this: If someone does something stupid, don't venture from your lane to avoid hitting them or they you because that can only make matters worse. If it's a car, let the bastard run into you because it ain't gonna hurt YOU, and defensive driving techniques CAN be used against you by a fancy-pants lawyer. Lots of idiots try passing on the right, for example, and if a driver moves his bus to the left to accomodate such a stupid act he can run into other vehicles, etc. The cops and the insurance companies want to see your bus stopped in your lane with a nice little sports car hood ornament.

This is of course alien to normal folks who try to AVOID collisions, but I can see the point.

Anyway, tomorrow I finally get my CDL, Class B with Passenger Endorsement, and will find some time to test a Springfield XD. I'd have put it off but I've a hankerin' to cap with this little plastic fantastic, and Lem is interested in one as well.