saturday july 5

today i stepped onto the 5-springbank bus in the evening, and was immediately requested to do something by the driver. not quite hearing what she'd said (except the word "window"), and only seeing her gesture towards what seemed to be the front window, i asked her to repeat herself. "open some windows on your way back," she repeated cheerfully. "just grab 'em and yank 'em as you go by." this was a troubling request, though the bus did seem slightly stuffy. generally speaking, when i'm sitting on the bus, i carefully measure how and when i open the windows, making absolutely sure that i'm going to do it right, rather than sitting there pulling on the window and having it not open, while the rest of the bus snickers quietly to themselves and assumes i'm a little weakling. making matters worse in this scenario was the fact that not only was i holding a six-pack of beer in one hand, but there were also people sitting in the seats below the windows i was meant to open. walking towards the back of the bus, i was able to lean past one woman not too awkwardly and pull open the first window. as i made my way towards the second window though, the bus lurched into motion. faced with the prospect of maneuvering my way to the window on a moving bus while leaning over another woman who was sitting on the aisle seat, i decided that one window was enough. i shot a glance back at the driver to ensure that she wasn't watching me, holding me to her request, and quickly made my way to an empty seat. upon sitting down, i was pleased to feel a slight draft from the lone open window.