All good things...

So school has started, and it's pretty awesome. Except for one thing.. I was in Thermo and I realized that this was one of my last physics classes. I'm down to three left to finish.

Of course, I only had to take 7 upper division ones to begin with, but it's still sad. There is a very unique element about physics, and hopefully I'll capture the essence of it in the next few lines.

Let's take a question in biology - How come highly charged molecules can't cross the cell membrane? Well, it's because there is electrostatic repulsion. Why is there electrostatic repulsion? [This is now a chemistry question] - Well, it has something (or everything) to do with Coulomb's law, which is now physics. Why do like charges repel? Well it has something to do with the characteristics of subatomic particles... (and I'm not completely sure of this answer). Why do these subatomic particles have this property?

At this point, people are often at an impasse. You can either go the atheist way ("I don't know") or you can be religous and say "God".

Pretty soon, it becomes obvious that all the Why? questions lead to physics, and many Why? questions in physics lead to one of two dubious answers. Take it as you wish. I'll flatter myself and giggle in a corner like a maniac.

Let's talk about something more interesting - how about THE MOST TERRIBLE GREYHOUND BUS RIDE EVAR. Yeah. Sounds like a plan.

Let's start with.. tutoring. I finished tutoring at 6pm and by the time I was done explaining DIT and walked back to Wankthorpe*, it was 625pm, with the Greyhound bus leaving at 750pm. I rested for a bit until the 800lb gorilla woke me up and it was late.

So I mooched a ride off Robert and arrived just in time to stand in line for 25 minutes to realize that the 750pm bus was full, the next one was at 1015pm. OK. Whatever. I don't really mind waiting somewhere as long as I can do something (electro homework), but what bugs me the most is that I kept having to guard my stuff. Almost everyone looks suspicious there.**

1015pm. Woohoo! The bus is here, 2.5 electro problems are done and I can finally get some rest, with a deathgrip on my laptop bag, of course. Fate hates me. By the time I got on the bus making sure my check-in luggage was actually under the bus and not in some dude's trunk, the only seat left was in the back, the three seater, wedged between two people.

Whatever. I can deal with that. Deathgrip + Eurobeat should keep me hibernating until 130am. Not so. In the darkness, I heard a voice*** - "So where you headin'?". I'll be painfully obvious, I thought. "Dallas. You?". "Colorado, gonna stay wit my bro for the week".

Undoubtedly, my first mistake of the night - asking him where he was going. I told him I was going back for a bed because I didn't want to sleep on the floor. Then he says "Heck. I'd rather sleep on a floor than jail anyday".

ONE MUST NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS. I thought of that one office episode, with Prison Mike. HEY! He could be in jail for insider trading.

Someone else asks - "Why'd they put you in the job, yo?"

Then he recants his story. He's 20, separated from his wife, who has both of his kids. He used to have an apartment where they were staying, but his wife's new boyfriend (who is 16 years old), decided to move in and "tell him how to run the place", so he "put a gun to his head". The arresting sheriff put him in handcuffs, but he struggled, and apparently beat up the sheriff.

Yellow Alert!

The he shows me his handgun, which.. he had on the bus, for some reason. By this time, the klaxons were already blaring and the council had evacuated through mini escape pods to a nearby support vessel.****

I was practically lifeless after that, minimal control. Only saying the right words so I don't get shot or something.

Oh and, the two drunk women throwing up in the bathroom created a pleasant aroma in the back of the bus.

It's just a forceful reminder.

All good things must come to an end. Like Physics! :'(
Crappy things linger. Like Greyhound.

*: I literally googled "a s***** place" and found this. Sounds aweseome; I'm sticking to it. It's my apartment. Or... is it austin? Both.
**: I often imagine families being part of a conspiracy to steal my stuff.
***: Sounds like a batman trailer.
****: There is always a support vessel when I travel, usually anchored to the side of the vehicle. No more details. This is somewhat classified (embarassing) to talk about.