The sights and smells of the city

Did I mention smells?

I think it's probably fitting, given my propensity for the "earthy," to write about flatulence--more specifically, flatulence on MUNI, San Francisco's municipal transportation system. If you're not a frequent rider of MUNI, you can easily imagine yourself as one of the sad ranks by picturing a small, enclosed space filled with a disproportionately large number of loud teens yelling at each other or into cell phones; old gum squished between your seat and the wall; garbage piled underneath your feet; and the occasional homeless person ranting jibberish and leering at you from a three-foot distance. It makes for a glamorous trip across the city.

While heading home from work yesterday, I hopped on the T street car (yay, nearly time to sink into my cozy pants and catch up on "The Real Wives of Atlanta") and not once, but TWICE, in single week did someone pass through the doors of the car only to pass something else, trapping my fellow passengers and me in a noxious haze.

The second time this happened, the egregious offender stood proudly in the aisles and gave grimacing nearby passengers knowing glances as if to say, "Aaaah, yes! That's what relief smells like, people!" But the pained expression on the face of the woman sitting next to me was a glimpse into what we all were feeling: that we wanted to die quick deaths--or at least that the guy might get off at the next stop so that the doors would open and inject some oxygen into the atmosphere.

Unfortunately we were stuck for about five more blocks, suffering in silence.

After I stopped breathing through my mouth and lurched out of the street car at my stop, I couldn't help but marvel at how much us city-folk endure on a daily basis. Perhaps putting up with other folks' bodily functions makes us more tolerable of humanity in general, and therefore, a bit more easy going and less apt to become angry at situations outside of our control.

Then again, and against all of my best save-the-environment intentions, I think I might start driving to work a bit more frequently.