I love the bus.

Tons of people I know hate riding the bus; or any form of public transportation. They say it's weird, dirty, the people are freaky and stare at you, they don't want to be forced to sit next to the guy that smells like a bum or a sweaty tourist. I like to people watch and  believe you me, there are few places better than good old Metro.

ASIDE - these days everyone and their brother is plugged into their MP3 player so no one looks at you anyway. Toss loads of dark glasses into the mix on any sunny day and it's almost like being in a house of mirrors. You could not feel more alone.

So besides all the practical advantages of taking 'the second car' like not having to drive myself, my employer provides me with a dirt cheap pass and there happens to be a bus line that goes right to my work and drops me off about five blocks from home, I get to check out all the weird, dirty, smelly freaks that ride it with me.

And make no mistake, there are almost always some on board. Like three days ago. This guy was sitting a few rows in front of me and had on a knit cap. Only unlike most of the youth today who pull it all the way down so it practically obscures their eyes, this guy had it rolled all the way UP stylin' like Jacques Cousteau:

Never have I seen this style carried out to this extreme. This hat was rolled up so far it looked like a yarmulke.

What exactly does this (let's just call it what it is -  a fashion accessory) accomplish? It's covering about 10 percent of his head and if it actually were cold and windy the first strong gust would steal this skull decoration no problem. Watches, belts, glasses, purses, they all have a second purpose over and above being fashionable that is practical. This woolen thimble? Not so much.

I've always wondered about this particular fashion accessory... What look exactly is this person striving to achieve? The esoteric, French artist? Some overly dramatic cinematic stereotype of a sailor? Certainly not that of the  underwater researcher and SCUBA pioneer pictured above.

I gotta say, I love zip-lining! What could be more fun than placing 100 percent of your trust in a little piece of metal, some webbing and then tossing yourself into space? That's right, not much.

Shelley and I just got back from Whistler where I had booked us a trip with Ziptrek Ecotours; we did the Eagle Tour. At first I was pretty skeptical of a zip line in the winter but it was totally amazing. The more I think about it, the more I think it was even better than a zip in the summer. At least at this place.

Why did I choose the Eagle Tour? Because it boasted of a 2000' zip of course. Bigger is bigger after all. Without further ado, here are some pictures and video of the trip.

I thought walking along the suspended bridges and zipping from tree to tree was pretty damn incredible. The third zip deposited you in this 'tree house' 140' up in a Sequoia for crying out loud. We had two guides, one would go first so that he could help us land and one would sweep. It was fun to see the first guide zip as his pulley would clear the snow off the cable and send up a rooster tail as he zoomed across the valley. We were told that we would approach 50 mph on the 2000 footer and it felt like it. I tried to keep my head facing forward but the snow was stinging my eyes too much so I had to shield my face with my glove.

I would do it again in a heartbeat; what a f'n blast.

OK - who's the sneaky republican in here? How else to explain that giant John McCain banner ad at the top of our blog this morning. "Don't Let It Happen" - with a picture of Hillary Clinton's head floating in a crystal ball. That's good stuff. Maybe a certain someones Orange Juice Rant (not naming names) tipped the scales to the right. I'll be sure to pepper my next entry with enough socialized health care, legalized marijuana & abortion rights rhetoric to remedy this ridiculousness.