#Adventures in Adventuring: Life lessons learned from a crack head

So, crazy little adventure on the city bus yesterday. I’ve just passed the 450 day mark of taking public transportation in Los Angeles and I can very genuinely say that in that time I had yet to ever be scared for my safety; the city bus is a GREAT place!!! I’ve learned so much about people, and since I’m on my phone for 90% of the day anyway it makes it a LOT safer for someone like me to not be on the road. True story – I don’t want a ticket! 

Hold on, need music. 

Either way, yesterday I had a shit ton of errands to run ALLLLLLL over Los Angeles. I had to go to my eye dr. to pick up my glasses in the valley, then head WAYYYYYY the fuck downtown to drop off my dress from Donna Mizani that I borrowed for the Oscars (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH!!!), followed by picking up a new pair of high tops before I run around SXSW for AT&T starting tomorrow. 

Not having a car that is legal to drive right now – I have to compartmentalize my errands as much as possible, but on days like yesterday – sometimes you just gotta grin and bear it. What’s GREAT though is that for $5 you can do an unlimited ride on the MTA for the entire day. Considering its $1.50 each way … the thing starts to pay for itself pretty quickly. 

I first went up to the eye doctor, who I couldn’t BELIEVE had my glasses ready so quickly!! One day! And all I paid was $139 for the exam ANNDDD lenses. Thanks so freaking much to Cinzia Designs for the frames … check ’em out! 

I’ve been rocking one contact lense for the last month, and I genuinely haven’t even had an eye exam nor a change in my prescription in almost a decade. When I put on these glasses and could actually SEEEEEEEEEEEE … it freaking blew me away. It took me a few minutes to adjust actually before I started walking; I laughed thinking, FUCK I am blind, and WOW was my prescription out of date! 

Note to nerds: Considering we spend our days staring at screens, make sure you get yo’ shit checked out!! AND make sure you’re giving your eyes a break from wearing contacts. 

Anywho, I then peaced in the middle east, headed back over the hill and got on the 2 headed to downtown. The 2 runs down sunset and from where I was in Hollyhood could take me ALLLLLLL the way down to Hill and 7th where I could grab my next bus down past the fashion district. (All of this is facilitated by google maps, btw. They have a viewing option for public transportation which breaks down exactly how many stops, how long it will take, and alternative routes – SAVES MY LIFE!!!) 

I got on the 2, put on my headphones and slipped away into my people watching. Being on the bus has a soothing and meditative quality for me. I stare off into space, get to relax and reflect – I ADORE taking public transportation. 

About 20 minutes into the ride we were down past Sunset and Vermont, and I hear this really loud bang two rows back, by the rear door. (All buses in LA have a door up front and one in the back, technically in the middle of the bus – but you know what I mean.) 

I brushed it off at first since there’s always some sort of commotion or activity going on … but then I hear in an EXTREMELY loud voice … WHO HAS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! 

WHO HAS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! 

WHO HAS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! 

WHO HAS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! 

WHO HAS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! 

Over and over and over … that same sentence repeated no less than 10 times in a matter of seconds. 

After having been recently hit from behind with a brick to my head, my first impulse was to BRACE!!! 

I wasn’t sure what was going on, where the hell this was coming from … OR EVEN WHAT THE FUCK ROCKS WERE … but I knew shit was about to hit the fan, and you can steal ANYTHING from me from a financial or material perspective, but for the love of everything holy, I do not EVER want to be hurt like that again physically. 

The voice repeats over and over … WHO HAS ROCKS!! WHO HAS ROCKS!!!! 

I look over and see everyone else is still facing forward, then I sneak a peek through the seats and can see the bus driver hasn’t even flinched. I had NO FREAKING IDEA what was going on, or who was doing this – but I knew it was coming from behind me, and I DID NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED. 

The voice then says, YOU!!! You look like a streetwalker, I KNOW you have rocks on you. 

I quickly realize he was talking about the woman that just came on the bus the previous stop. She had very blonde hair, and was wearing rather provocative clothing considering it wasn’t even noon … but hey! who am I to judge? You rock on wit’ yo’ bad self! 

The voice then continues … 

You think you look like Beyonce, but you look more like RuPaul. GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING ROCKS!!!! 

Damn Gina, I don’t even know what the fuck rocks are – but that was a low blow!!! 

No one on the bus says anything to the guy, nor does anyone even move – even the female he was talking to; she didn’t respond AT ALL. (fascinating) 

Moments later, I could hear him scream as he jumped off the back of the bus. I then sat up, flipped up my droid (which has a 1.3 mp front facing camera which makes it SUPER easy to take pics of people without them really noticing) and snapped this … 

I GENUINELY had no idea what the fuck rocks even were – but obviously I could tell it was drug related, and people in that state of mind are LITERALLY BAT SHIT FUCKING CRAZY and will do anything to get a high. 

Totes not my scene. 

The door then closed, and everything went back to normal. It amazed me though just how UNPHASED literally EVERYONE on the bus was. No one moved, no one talked to anyone afterwards gossiping about it – even the chick he was insulting … no one cared. He was filed away as crazy, and everyone else just carried on. 

I was the ONLY person on the bus that reacted in ANY capacity. 

Even the friggen driver!!! He could have closed the door on the guy or something, and he didn’t. He knew that the guy would go away and in a matter of moments everything else would return to normal. HAD people reacted though who knows what that could have lead to.

Makes me wonder what I am reacting to in my daily life that could potentially magnify a situation versus negating it like in this instance. 

HMMMMMMMMMMM … must go ponder. 

Thanks crazy bus dude! You not only gave me a lesson on rocks, but also on life!

Rock on … just not literally. 

#kthxbye