Ever since Sandy, my workday begins and ends in a cloud of confusion. When the trains weren't running, it was the constant checking of the schedules (and watch) to make sure I was able to make my three bus connection. When I figured that out, it was how do I pay for it? Luckily I was able to use my October monthly for the buses until Nov. 9 but after I had to delve into the world of zones on my own. Without a zone map, I was helpless and just became that person with the cash in hand with no clue how much to put into the receptacle. Why? Because not having taken these buses I had no idea how many zones we go through to get to my stop. It's ridiculous that the bus driver has to ask people where they're going in order to charge them the appropriate fare. It slows down travel time and must be annoying for the bus driver as well.
So the next week I got a weekly train pass that I can also use on the bus but only for one zone. I still ended up paying for the other two zones. This week I've put my trust back in the trains but they're still on a limited schedule - or at least my line is. It's really making my days and nights mentally and physically exhausting.
One of these nights after work, Winter Storm Athena rolled through. I was so eager to get home that I got on the right bus but going the wrong way.(It was actually the bus I normally took pre-Sandy so I blame it on my subconscious). A fellow passenger helped me work it out and I caught a bus from Headquarters Plaza to the Willowbrook Mall. From there, I caught a bus to Bloomfield where I waited for my trusty 92 that drops me practically in front of my building. Well, suffice it to say, the 92 wasn't so trusty. It actually never came - or the one scheduled to go to South Orange and not just from Bloomfield to the bus depot in Orange never came. I got to the bus stop at 7:50pm and when I left with another passenger to walk to the cab station (which was apparently right up the street) at 11:15pm the bus still hadn't shown.
Of all nights, especially given the fact that the buses were the ONLY way to get around, I didn't expect the bus to do a no-show. I mean, there were about 20 of us waiting for this bus in a nor'easter that was definitely kicking our butts. Why stay out there all that time? Well my phone was dead (I had worn down my battery life based on the fact that I was close to home but I killed it trying to check on the bus) and I couldn't flag down a cab to save my life. It was so cold that I was plotting how my family was going to have to file a wrongful death suit against NJT because I was sure I was going to die from hypothermia.
BUT, I digress...
All I do in my post-Sandy commute is wait (for late trains and buses) and run (to catch my connections). The NJT trip planner is disabled to prevent confusion so I'm piecing my trips together on a wing and a prayer.
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