Stop making sense

One month ago, the Carbondale City Council voted down my request to have the Greyhound bus stop on N. Washington St., but the vote has failed to stop the momentum for change. This is because (as a salesman) I "don't take 'no' for an answer," and because (as a teacher) I can not accept ignorance as an answer.

How a thing is named and framed can make a huge difference in how it is perceived or understood by the intended audience. As I (re)listened to the testimony of Council members Haynes and McDaniel, as well as citizens M. Nesbitt, E. Simon and M. Stalls. The reasons were wholly emotional, not based on logic.

I think this was in part because the City staff required that it be called a "terminal" when Bus Stop would be more accurate, since it is not a "terminal" as in "end of the line" at all. The buses that stop there do not remain, but motor further north and west to St. Louis, or south or east to Nashville or New York.

So, what are the issues with the bus stopping there?

• Safety (lighting. this is racist? should that neighborhood racism talk group chime in?)
• Parking spaces (taking up 2 spaces 24/7, when they are only needed about 1/2 hour per day, total. something wasteful about that, yet solutions exist. two parking spaces would be tied up for the entire day -- week. But there is ample parking in the 200 block of North Washington St. as anyone who's ever driven up or down the street can testify.
• Hours of operation - the city wants to set the hours of operation, but this should be market driven, not arbitrary.
• Restrooms - these will be available.
  
• Traffic congestion? Busses stop all over the neighborhood. In the case of Greyhound, it's three busses per 24 hours. 10 am, 8 pm, 11 pm.

The next time this request is brought before the City Council, everyone will better informed about the bus biz.

No Smoking on the Bus!

This unfortunate traveler from Kentucky got put off the bus in Carbondale, for smoking in the bus restroom. He had to wait 12 hours for the next bus to St. Louis. While he waited, he joined my son Chris and I in a game of catch in front of the Washington St. office. When the office closed, we gave him a ride to the Amtrak station, where this photo was snapped.

Literary tickets

Justin Benton, a graduate student in Creative Writing at SIU, had some recommendations for me: David Foster Wallace, The Broom of the System; Max Barry, Company, Syrup. I recommended Vance Boujillay and Jersy Kozinski, and also Thomas Pynchon, three of my favorites.

This afternoon, another litterateur visited the office, poet and SIU alum, Robert Shrum, who also shares a large house with me and three other guys in the "publishing district" of Carbondale. Robert is currently reading Umberto Eco's classic Foucault's Pendulum.

Two round trip tickets to New York City

Had a bit of fun today with this medical student from SIUC.

Told her we were out of ticket envelopes and handed her two round trip tickets to New York City just as you see here.

Politely she accepted them, before she saw that I was joking and posed for this photo.

Her son, in the background thought it was hilarious!

Another satisfied Greyhound customer

Who is this Greyhound customer?

Have you seen his bilboard on highway 13?

Have you seen his television commercial?

Click on his photo to find out who.