Boarding
I still don't completely get the customs and ways for the bus.

I take a commuter bus so we all get on at the same stop. There are about 6 stops through downtown Portland for deboarding and/or boarding and then the bus goes back to Vancouver and we all exit at the same place where we started. (You know, after we work all day.)

The bus is rarely crowded. Yesterday was the first time I've ever seen someone stand and I think he wanted to because there were a few open seats.

I used to take a different express bus that left from the old downtown transit center. There was this lady who always went to the front of the line when we started boarding. I saw someone drop her off and she walked straight to the front of the line to board. Even though there were tons of places to sit, this irritated me and I gave her the stink eye.

What I think is funny is sometimes I'll arrive at the stop and a few other people will already be waiting. Sometimes when the bus arrives, they wait until I board. Or one or two will stand back and a couple will go ahead and board. Or someone else who came after me will go ahead and board first. It's like there's a weird hierarchy of boarding that everyone knows about but me.

For the trip home I wait at the corner which is a stop for at least a half dozen different buslines. When I see my bus pulling up, usually no one is stepping forward. So then I step forward and I'll notice a whole bunch of people who have been waiting longer than I have, lining up behind me.

Maybe I'm the pushy one. Maybe they're all standing behind me, nudging each other and rolling their eyes and whispering, "There's the 'me first' lady shoving to the front with her giant neon-green bag and paperback with a knight and unicorn on the cover."