What do you say: ‘Muni’ or ‘the Muni’? 12.17.10
Photo by JC Dill courtesy Language Log
See this post from the distinguished (really) Language Log blog, written by linguistics scholars and read by really smart and nerdy people.
For the record, I don’t use a definite article when referring to [the] Muni.
For the record, we don’t either. But we see both sides of the argument: Using “the” is harmless enough. And there is only one Muni, right? Man, if there’s another one, we really hope someone would’ve let us know.
The item we refuse to budge on is the all-caps version: “MUNI.” Muni is an abbreviation, not an acronym, mkay?
Nothing like a little grammar to get your day started …
Muni average speed visualized in graph (update) 12.16.10
Update (7:54 a.m. Friday): Fischer went and produced another graph, above, this time “with less visual noise.”
Previously:
By Eric Fischer. Who else? Looks a lot closer to a 9 mph average than 8.1 mph, dontcha think?
Immortalize the Muni Fast Pass! 12.16.10
The Muni Diaries Fast Pass T-shirts designed by Nate of New Skool not only make good holiday gifts — they’re also a great way to show your love of the now half-dead San Francisco tradition that was the Fast Pass. Fast Pass cards were a tactile experience (nice to hold those flimsy things in your hands or have them get wet and stop working, right?). But also, discovering each month what the passes’ two colors would be was, shall we say, one of the greater joys of the overall Muni experience?
And now you can wear that experience and remind everyone around you how colorful and cool things were “back in the day.”
Until December 31, the T-shirts are on sale at our Muni Diaries Etsy store: $22 plus shipping.
Also, Secession Art and Design at 3361 Mission St. (across from the 30th St. Safeway in Bernal) carries hoodies, onesies, and some sizes of shirts we’ve run out of. If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow night, drop by Secession’s holiday party Friday from 6:30 to 9:30, get some homebrew, cupcakes, and Fast Pass gear!
Back door black hole 12.16.10
Photo by freya.gefn
But, sometimes, someone falls off the bus.
This girl was with a handful of friends, and they got off at a Van Ness stop, I forget which one. Something north of Geary. It was Tuesday, and a little rain was still coming down. She was the last one of her crew out. She slipped and fell down and onto the back stairs. Her friends and a guy standing near the door helped her out, but she seemed to bang up her knee and suffer at least a little ego bruising. I had never seen someone fall off the bus, but it reminded me to step carefully on Muni during rainy season. Falling off the bus is so much worse than regular falling, amirite, folks?
The driver stopped the bus and checked to see if she was OK, as I patiently waited for someone to get angry and demand that we get moving again. But that didn’t happen and everyone was deemed OK.
We went along until another stop, and another gal got her grocery bag stuck in the same area, in some no-man’s-land between the back row of seats and the doorway. She was freed after some collective shouting of “back door!” (which actually worked this time), but it made me wonder why this black hole was eating everyone passing through it. User error? Just one of those days?
Bonus: Obvious-Visiting Guy asks his Obvious-Local Friend, “Does shit like this happen on the bus all the time??”
Welcome, friend. And hold on.
Little green lunch on the 38-Geary 12.15.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
I was riding on a crowded 38-Geary reading a book, trying to pretend I was somewhere else. Deeply engrossed in my book, I didn’t notice the commotion happening around me.
I felt something on my foot and glanced down at the floor to see the hugest bullfrog in the world staring up at me. I shrieked and jumped in my seat, dropping my book in the process. I then felt a tapping at my elbow and looked over to find a tiny little old lady trying to get my attention.
She dove under my seat and wrestled the frog into a pink plastic shopping bag. Then she nodded at me and scurried off hauling her lunch, which I could see squashed up against the side plastic bag staring mournfully out at me.
A frog on Muni. Hmm, that’s a new one.
What forms of flora and fauna did you experience on Muni today? Share your story here on Muni Diaries.
A Muni two-seat ensemble 12.15.10
Comic book vendor on the 47-Van Ness 12.14.10
Photo by Anna L Conti
Muni rider Charles caught an interesting scene from the back of the 47 last night:
There was a guy attempting to sell comic books and related items to passengers. Periodically, he would hold up things and announce, to no one in particular, the price and perhaps some noteworthy aspect of the items. I wish I could have heard some of his more detailed descriptions, but I was sitting too far away.
Which brings up the question: What else should be sold (legally or not) on Muni?
Edible Gifts From Muni Drivers 12.14.10
The above photo shows a gift received from a Muni operator, according to jasontoff, who took the picture. Nice photo, but, it raises the question:
Well, what would you do if a Muni driver gave you some candy?
About those seat ‘butt holes’ on Muni 12.13.10
Photo by Vanessa Elise
Muni rider Judy asks the burning question …
Not all buses have them, of course. But with all the wet weather as of late, we’re left wondering the same thing. If they are in fact drainage holes, many of them don’t do their job (insert requisite joke about Muni employees here).
What do you think those little holes are for?
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
