Day one hundred and ninety five ... An audio look-back at, "Day three ... Public displays of connection."

Day three was an eye opener for me.

I hadn't taken the bus in a very long time. 

Consequently, I had forgotten how interesting it was to listen to other people talk--to their friends, to themselves, or to a little candy bar shaped device called a cell phone.

Well this guy--we'll call him Cell Phone Guy--was on the 5:20 p.m. bus every night, and every night he'd hold court--by himself. And it was oh so much fun to listen in. He was a big guy--maybe 250 lbs.--with short, brown hair and a few piercings--I think he was a waiter. He had a voice made for texting. That is to say, It was anything but pleasant--a bit sassy with a little self-loathing and dramatic frustration mixed in. 

Either way, he gave me the idea for this story, adapted from the one side of the conversation I heard. From right about here ... 

This is the Florence bus on the P.V.T.A. (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority). I took it four nights a week for three weeks to get to my outpatient program. The program was a three-hour-a-night course which meant that I only got to take the bus in to Florence. I had to bike back the three miles or so to Northampton every night (there are bike racks on the front of the buses for your convenience). 

Three miles ain't nothin' to a strong guy like me.

Three miles is one quarter or what I biked today.

Three miles through the slush of January snow, though, is a whole different story.

And that is how I got home almost every night for the first three weeks of January--on my bike, in my boots, long, wool coat, gloves, hat, and scarf.


It's hard to fathom it all, what with a heat wave of three days in the nineties coming my way tomorrow.

But just look at this guy ...

... this guy's going to forget his gloves when he gets up. And the guy in the reflection behind him is going to yell from the back and hold up his gloves and wave them in the air. And this guy right here, the guy in the boots, long, wool coat, and scarf (not to mention the impressive beard) is going to be thrilled beyond belief. He's going to be thrilled because it's going to be about fifteen degrees when he gets out and the wind chill factor is going to make it feel like it's five below ...

... and riding a bike is a tricky feat with your sleeves pulled down over your fingers.

But he's going to have quite a story to write about when he gets back.

And so, I hope you enjoy the third in the series of audio look-backs I am happy to present. Once again, it is narrated by yours truly. The theme music was written and performed by me, with all other incidental music written and performed by Mr. Scot Coar, who also produced the segment at Sow's Ear Studio in Easthampton, MA in March of this year.

If you are having problems accessing the player, please let me know. My desktop, which runs Internet Explorer doesn't seem to want to support it, but when I use Firefox it seems to solve the problem.

Either way, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoy, from Fearless By Default, "Day three ... Public displays of connection."

PS: Days four, five, and six will be coming in the next few weeks. Until then, thanks for reading and listening.

F.A.J.