The Constant Launderer

No, this isn't turning into a Ralph Fiennes fan site. With one final pair of pants hot from the dryer, I have just concluded a week-long rampage of laundry. I don't know what happened this week - some kind of cosmic forces intersecting on my laundry hamper - but it was nearly always overflowing for the last seven days. I honestly don't remember wearing that many articles of clothing, but the numbers just don't lie. Regardless, the laundry is done, and both the washer and I are happy.

... For those of you who were waiting to hear my story about my updated commute, I apologize. Here's the scoop. DC's Metrobuses, on the interior, aren't that bad. Granted, my experience with them has only risen to a grand total of two lines: the B2 into the Vienna/Fairfax Metro and the N22, a shuttle running from a couple of Metro stops to the Navy Yard and points between. I still find them to be well-maintained; though some sport "proudly refurbished by WMATA" tags, the older buses still do their job well. The buses I've been on haven't been that crowded, either, though I'm leaving pretty early in the morning these days.

No, my main beef with the buses are not their insides: it's the lack of reliable timing. I know that it's a nigh-impossible task to keep a bus line running exactly on the clock, especially in an area like this. However, this Friday, I waited at our bus stop for a line that never came, until I realized that I didn't really need to be that late to work, so I abandoned the experiment, walked the 5 minutes back to my car, and drove anyway. You let me down, Metrobus. You let me down real hard back there. Unless there's been a major change to the timetable that I don't know about, it looks like the 6:44 bus is non-existent these days, and I can't afford to wait for the 7:10.

The second phase of the experiment was with the aforementioned N22 line, and it worked a lot better for me. While it's still warm out, though, it's definitely not worth paying the $0.35 transfer fee to have them drive me 4 or so blocks to the Yard, even if that ride could save me a couple of minutes off my commute. I'll probably change my tune, though, when the winter hits and the wind from the Anacostia starts reminding me of the Drillfield.

So, it was going to be a grand way to save $50 a month, but I'm afraid the project is on hold for now. Bret's Transit: 0, Metrobus: 1.