Reboot the Bus

2008 May 10, 14h

Today, there were signature gatherers at the U-District’s Farmer’s Market for not just one but three initiatives. First is Booth Gardner’s “Death with Dignity” initiative #1000, second was #1015 related to requiring certification of long-term care workers for he elderly and disabled, and finally Tim Eyman’s so-called “Reduce Congestion” initiative #985.

I got curious about these initiatives and found the Washington Secretary of State’s Initiatives to the People list. People submitted initiatives like requiring CPR training to get a driver’s license, making it a crime to “lie about war”, dissolving the Port of Seattle and transferring its duties to King County (why is that a state issue?), or requiring the state to raise fuel taxes to make up the lost revenue caused by $30 car tabs etc. Most of these are probably not going to make it to the ballot this November, because they require at least 224,880 signatures from registered voters. Collecting that many signatures is a huge task. I wonder if the Internet and social networks could be used to facilitate that process.

Anyway, after signing some of them. I headed down to Westlake. It was protest day. In the park and along 5th Ave there were anti-war protesters, socialists, Anonymous Scientology protesters. On the Macy’s corner you had crazy evangelicals with big signs.

I got on the 255, headed for home, all was fine. Until we got to Montlake, the driver said something about “rebooting the bus’s computer”. I thought he said ship’s computer or maybe I watched too much Star Trek. After a minute, he restarted the bus and said “all is well”. We crossed the bridge very slowly, leaving a huge empty space before us. When we stopped at Evergreen Point, he said he had to reboot the ship’s… I mean bus’s computer again. Another two minutes of loud beeping from the bus and we are off again. It wasn’t any better, the engine simply was giving the power needed. The bus slowly climbed up the ramp to Bellevue Way as we headed towards the South Kirkland Park and Ride. He rebooted one more time in front of the Burgermaster and called for a replacement bus from Bellevue Base. We waited at the P&R for a few minutes and our new bus was here to pick up the journey.

I got a free Douglas Fir from the market, courtesy of the WSU Master Gardern and now I’m out to plant it.

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