Today's Grand Bart Adventure
If I don't start having a real life outside of commuting, I'll be forced to convert my blog into a Bartblog.

Next to me today were two guys speaking the thickest jive I've ever heard. The only words I could make out were 'bitch' and 'size 34,' though I tried valiantly. As I got off the train, I decided to add money to my ticket so I didn't have to later. This is a mistake, downtown Oakland is no place to wave $20 bills around. There was a man standing in front of the ticket machine, posturing as if he was going to buy a ticket. He asked if I had 30 cents. Seeing the pile of pennies in his hand, I guessed incorrectly that he was actually trying to buy a ticket. Oh no, he was just begging. TOok the 50 cents I offered for a Bart ticket that he had no intention of buying and ran off. Fucker.

I'm grumbling to myself as I come up the stairs out of the station (this is perfectly accpeptable in lovely Oakland, especially near any Bart station entrance. It gets less acceptable as you get farther away.) and another nice man comes up and asks me for money. He's sporting an I heart Jesus lanyard and seems to understand when I (determined not to be duped again) say no. He asks if I'm going to work, what I do ("You build web pages? You must be smart!) and says he wants a soda and a bag of chips. I think we all do on some level. At this point I'm feeling sort of guiltly, or at least akward because I'm headed to the ATM to make a big deposit. I seem him again a block later, he's gathered enough for his snack so all is well with the world.