I've recently come to the realization that the world is an easier place for people like me who can sleep anywhere. I recently waited until the last second to book a flight from New York to Durham, and the prices shot up at the last second, so I decided to take the much cheaper but much more maligned "night bus," a popular mode of transport in Japan but not very common in America apparently. The night bus is much less frizzle, much less TSA, much less strict on bag allowances and much less occupied about what's in your bag. (The Raleigh-Durham airport has a drug-sniffing dog that goes behind passengers as they walk by to sniff what's in their bag, and I just think that the dogs are good, but are they THAT good?) But the night bus does take much more time, which is fine if you can fall asleep on the bus! In the history of my life I almost always fall asleep on long distance drives as a passenger (and sometimes ALMOST as a driver! Dangerous!) because the motion of the car on the highway is just so peaceful, a gentle rocking while still in motion that makes me fall asleep more easily than just lying down at home in a still place. Ever since I was a kid taking long road trips from Chicago to Disneyworld in Florida because my parents couldn't afford the "Disney Magical Flight" or whatever it's called, to driving back and forth to college in Champaign, IL, to making a long trek from Illinois to CA for law school, to going back and forth from LA to San Francisco to Vegas, I've always been able to sleep on those long drives, making it an efficient trip. It's necessary to find a willing driver, so I'm thankful to the drivers who drive me.
Just like in Japan, where night buses are the cheapest option, buses are probably the cheapest option as well, as a bus can take like 50 passengers and employ just one bus driver. A $150 flight could be just $50 by bus, 3 times the price but also more than 3 times the amount of time........that's the trade off of life, I guess........time v. money. Except if you can sleep anywhere like me (even in some uncomfortable seats, night lying down!) and can just sleep and cut the time down!
Just like the airline industry of tiers with Delta being near the top (some swear by JetBlue, I used to be a big believer in Southwest) to acknowledged lower tiers like Spirit Air and now unfortunately United Airlines, the long-distance bus business also has tiers! The Chinese-owned bus companies Wanda and Panda bus (they sure know how to pick their names!) are pretty disorganized and have had discontented customers, Greyhound sometimes cancels their routes which is just unimaginable for those waiting there for the bus to arrive, whereas Megabus and Boltbus are OK (so far) in my book. Word of warning: every bus company has designated stop areas where they drop passengers off to get slaughtered by $10 sandwiches and $3 water bottles.......Don't fall for it! Hydrate beforehand. Night bus, the cheapest hotel-on-wheels you can find (without a shower, that is).
Life after 30 is different among one's friends group. People are always trying to notice if other people are having a baby, or if they already have a baby, if they're going to have another one. It's like the new "did you do your homework? What assignments do we have?" when I was in school (MJ still does this), or what's new in life? Oh, I have a kid now. It's the implicit question when married and presenting oneself at a party or social gathering.......people are checking whether the wife is showing any signs, or not drinking any alcohol when they normally would be... I can't tell if it's a happy thing or a sad thing, where everyone is eager to celebrate your pregnancy, or trying to get a look at the next brave/foolish couple who is entering parenthood. I guess the intrigue of not telling everyone or telling everyone could be fun for the mother, but only until they actually have to deliver the baby! Truly a life-changing (in all senses of the world) event. I just hope MJ and I are truly ready when we're ready to have a baby and ready to announce to the world we are actually expecting!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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