This past weekend was the annual Roadeo at work, but unfortunately I didn’t get to go, since I was busy getting some much needed rest instead. I’m kind of annoyed that I didn’t go, though. I had volunteered to help move the buses back to our lot after the event, mainly to be sure that mine got parked somewhere decent. It didn’t. I spent about 5 minutes this morning searching the lot for it. Another driver finally showed me where it was - they had buried it in the furthest back row of the bottom lot, behind about 6 other buses. Now, my bus is only about the 4th or 5th bus to leave in the morning, and I can assure you that not one single one of those buses in front of me rolled out anywhere near as early as I do. So I got a very nice, late start to the day. In addition to that, no one had been thoughtful enough to refuel the buses used in the Roadeo, so I had to fill mine up before I could take it out in the afternoon. Ugh. I was also very annoyed that my mirrors and seat had all been adjusted, but I kind of expected that.

I ran about 10 to 15 minutes late all morning today. When I pulled up to my second-to-last stop, the dispatcher radioed me and asked me to please pick up that student today. I should have told her no, but instead, I was nice and informed her that I had just pulled up. The kid’s official pick-up time is 7:15, and I got there around 7:30-7:35. When he got on the bus, he asked me in a rather excited manner if that was going to be his new pickup time. I told him that I was just running late this morning, and that it was supposed to be 7:15-7:20. I thought it was kind of odd that he asked me that, since the times just got adjusted last Wednesday. I found out why this afternoon. While we were sitting at the school waiting for a few of the kids to saunter up, he asked me if there was any way to move his pickup time to 7:30. I told him that the very latest I could make it was 7:25, and even that was pushing it. He got kind of sad and told me that there was a show on TV in the mornings that he wanted to watch that ends at 7:30. I wish I could have helped him out a bit, but the kids have to be at school by 7:50, and there’s just no way I can pull it off. He said he’s going to ask his parents for a videotape to record the show. I think I might ask him in a few days if he got one, and if not, I might pick one up for him.

When I was refueling my bus, the only nice mechanic we have walked up to me and asked me if the ABS warning light was still staying lit on my bus. I told him it was, and he said that he would take a look at it sometime soon, since he had done some adjustments last week that should have helped. It’s nice to know that he remembered that problem, and he also remembered a few of the other things that I have written up on the bus. Some of the other mechanics told me that I would simply have to live with the crappy wipers on my bus. They put new blades on last week, and there is still a 2-inch strip of the windshield that doesn’t get wiped, and which happens to be directly in my field of view. I asked if there was any way they could adjust the tension on the arm to push the blade against the glass a little more, and they told me that the only thing in there was a spring, and it had no adjustment. And that was their official stance. Not even, “We’ll see if we can replace that arm.” Just, “Nothing we can do.” I’m glad that my ability to see doesn’t matter to them.

Outside of that, nothing really exciting happened today. Last Friday, I got to move two buses over to the other lot for the Roadeo, and ended up working until 6:30. Plus I got to spend a ton of time cleaning my bus between runs, which was nice, until it started raining all over the windows I had just spent an hour cleaning. Stupid rain. My bus still looks nice and shiny, though, so at least my efforts didn’t go to waste. My timesheet even had two “Thank you” notes written on it for cleaning my bus, and helping with the shuffle. That made me happy.

I also discovered last week while cleaning all the windows on my bus that it apparently used to belong to Covington Schools in Kentucky. Evidently, it was bus number 14 there. I find it strange that it had any previous owners at all, since it’s a 2001 model year Blue Bird, built in May of 2000. I wonder how long Covington had it before my company bought it. I’m not too sure how long it’s been in our possession, I just know it’s been there longer than me (which is only a month so far). Maybe if I ask around, someone will know. Not too sure that I care that much, though.