Houston Metro Bus Etiquette

I ride the bus to work every day. It's my time to do things like read, surf the net, email, sleep. The seats are comfortable (when you can get one) and I don't stress out in Houston traffic. I live in Magnolia, northwest of Houston and work at the Texas Medical Center which is south of downtown. So to get to the Med Center I have to take a bus from Cypress to the transit center, then change to a bus to the Med Center. Coming in is fine, the buses work like clockwork. Coming home is a different story. Sometimes I don't leave my office at the right time, and end up just missing a bus. And for some reason in the morning, the buses run every 10 minutes but the afternoon they only run every 15 minutes. Then when I get to the transit center, we usually just miss that bus and have to wait. And then that bus is the one that is full a lot. So I end up standing about once a week, but it's only about a 30 minute ride, so it's not bad.

So here is where the etiquette comes in. When I get on the bus, if there is a completely empty seat, I move to the window so there is room for someone else. Most of the buses are like airplanes, FULL. If I'm on the first bus where I have to change, I try and get on the front or if on a double bus, by the back door. When I'm coming home or on the last bus in the morning where I'm the second to last stop, I go to the back.

There are all these people that get on and either pile all their stuff in the other seat or sit on the aisle so no one else can sit with them. Then they pretend to be asleep. So you have to stand there and say, excuse me, I need a seat, then they begrudgingly move over like you are incoveniencing them.

Then there are the people that have to sit in the front seat that are reserved for handicapped. I saw a guy on crutches have to sit in the back to the bus and struggle down the aisle. I was so embarrassed for the etiquette handicapped on the bus.

Finally there are the people that have their music blaring through their headphones so loud that you can hear it 3 seats away. One middle aged lady (my age) had her music blaring through the bluetooth and was sitting in front of me. Luckily, I listen to books and put my headphones on and could drown her out.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very nice people on the bus. The majority is totally polite. And EVERYONE thanks the bus driver as they get off the bus. I'm not sure you see that in other cities. We have one hilarious bus driver on the Med Center route in the mornings. Since I don't always leave at the same time, so I get a range of bus drivers within a 30 minute window. This guy is of Indian descent and is so cheerful before dawn!! He says things like: morning, morning, morning when you get on. Then as you are leaving he always wishes you a good day in a very cheery voice! He is such a delight. The majority of the bus drivers are very cordial! There are a couple of sour pusses, but most of them are wonderful.

The overall experience is very worth it not to have to hassle with traffic, driving, wear and tear on your car. Also it is helpful for the environment. Houston metro is now driving some hybrid buses!

Cookies

I made cookies yesterday. It's been sad here since we lost our beloved Gizmo. He was the sweetest cat and so young. We miss him very much.

First of all is Peanut Butter Cookies. My favorite.





Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
from http://www.elise.com/

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
1 Cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugars, cream for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the sugar butter mixture.
2 Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.






QUAKER'S BEST OATMEAL COOKIES
From the Quaker Oats Website.

3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar1/2 c. granulated sugar1 egg1 stick butter1 tsp. vanilla1 1/2 c. all purpose flour1 tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt (opt.)3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack. Store in tightly covered container. 4 1/2 dozen.
OATMEAL COOKIE SQUARES: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13"x9" pan. Bake about 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely; cut into 1 1/2" squares. Store in tightly covered container. 4 dozen.
VARIATIONS: Add any one or combination of two of the following ingredients, if desired: 1 cup raisins, chopped nuts, or semi sweet chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter flavored pieces.



From the back of the bag of Nestles chocolate chips. I use walnuts for the nuts.

Toll House Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars. SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks. FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Gizmo

Please pray for sweet Gizmo. He had emergency surgery today and is at the Animal ER. We found out he has a blockage and his vital signs are not good. He is the sweetest cat. I can't find a good picture of him right now, but I'll keep looking. He made it through surgery, but it's touch and go. We are thinking good thoughts for you Gizzy.

UPDATE: We took Gizmo to Texas A&M. He was doing better but is now in a coma. We are hoping he comes out of it tomorrow.

Time for Snowsuits

It's getting warm in Houston, so it means it is time for snowsuits. I know some people are confused, but it's very simple. During the summer in Houston, it is impossible to wear cute summer clothes. I have to have a jacket for the bus I take to work. It is so cold on the bus I am miserable. Then I get to work, and it's cold in the building. I'm not sure why people can't understand that we don't need the air conditioner to run colder than the winter is in Houston, TX.

You can't even go into restaurants without taking in a sweater. Don't people know how much electricity they are using? And it is not comfortable!

Strange Quirks I have

I have some strange quirks:

1. I only like to clean house when it's sunny outside. That means no cleaning when it's dark or raining.
2. I like raw carrots but can't stand cooked carrots.
3. I love to exercise but only in the morning.
4. I like sweet and low in hot tea, but like my ice tea with not sweetner in it.
5. I hate to drive, but end up doing all the driving. Except for going to work, I take the bus, it may be longer, but I'm not stressed.
6. I don't care for beef, pork or chicken much.
7. I don't care for chocolate very often.
8. I don't like very many sit coms.
9. I don't like many stupid movie comedies.
10. I love British shows and movies.
11. I love French movies.
12. I don't like potatoes, but love rice.
13. I don't mind cleaning or doing laundry.
14. I love to cook, but baking is OK.
15. I love sports.
16. I don't care much for science fiction, but loved Lord of the Rings, Steven Spielberg's Take, The 4400.

The Best Coworkers in the World

I will not miss my job because management has been horrible for the past year. However, I will miss the best coworkers ever. These flowers (now hiding in my bathroom so the cats can not eat them) were sent by KM. He was the best project manager ever!! I know we will remain friends forever!! I will also miss KM, the user support analyst. Despite having bad taste in college football teams (Nebraska Cornhuskers), I love her to death. And she is married to a Longhorn, so she does have good taste. KM has been there for me since DAY 1! Without her I would have been totally lost.

Then I can't say enough about the Houston team, most of whom have gone on to new jobs. But AS and RM were so welcoming and became such close friends. AS and I share a love of books and had a blast finding new authors together! RM and her darling daughter AB will always have a fond place in my heart.

There were a lot of good friends, but these deserve a big shout out.

Less Stress

I've been a bit stressed lately. In November I lost my beloved aunt. Then 2 weeks later I told I needed to move to Nashville or lose my job. I chose lose the job. I didn't like it that much any more (bad management) and I don't do country music. In all of December I did not get one call on jobs. Starting the second week of January I started getting a lot of calls. I had one interview a couple of weeks ago, but have not heard one word from the recruiter. I find that very tacky. She was all gung ho, and then nothing. Last week I got called for an interview on Thursday. Friday morning they asked me to come back this week and meet the whole team. They were great. Two hours after I left I was called with a job offer! My present job ends Friday, and I got a severence package. And I start the new job on Monday! I'm so excited!

I just filled out all the forms, and scanned them in to email them to my new employer. I feel very fortunate to find a job in this economy!