Thursday, October 11, 2007

Public Anonymity has Lost its Lustre

I started a new temp job this morning somewhere downtown, and I decided not to take my Segway because A) it was too cold, and B) I like to scope out a work situation before I bring the Segway down. Are the sidewalks generally wide enough and not too crowded? (I don't like to use the Segway where the sidewalk is way too packed, like M St. In Georgetown!) Will there be a good place to lock it up during the day? And so on.

It turns out that this location is quite Segway-friendly. The sidewalks are wide and mostly clear even during the morning rush, and there are plenty of nice bike racks right in front of the building. (I used to be hesitant to leave the Segway parked outside all day, but I am pretty sure that if I double lock it -- U-lock and cable lock -- and set the alarm, it'll be okay.)

Since I started using the Segway, I started missing something that I didn't realize I would miss until it was gone: my Public Anonymity. I hadn't realized how nice it was to not be Stared At all the time -- until I started getting stared at ALL THE TIME. My loss of public anonymity was actually a major thing, causing me to not take the Segway out as much as I might have otherwise.

So, it's a funny thing... as I was standing there after work today, waiting for the D1 bus for 20 minutes and finally settling on the D6, which would mean a transfer on Wisconsin Ave. but at least it would get me out of the damn cold -- I realized that if I were taking the Segway, I could have been HOME by now. And that would have been awesome.

It seems public anonymity is not all it's cracked up to be. :-)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

bus rides are fun -- but your segway is more fun!!!! i hope your first day of work was AWESOME dude!!!! bill is visiting me from the U.P. tomorrow so this weekend is going to be crazzzyyyyy and filled with east lansing bar hopping and going to the club and finally for once living it up down in east lansing.... so, i'll send you pictures!!!! lol. btw, it's yt bobo!!!! :-) xoxo liz

Anonymous said...

check out my blog! lol....

xoxo liz

NYCindividual said...

It's been pretty cold out here, too. I've been afraid to take my segway out because I don't want to get rained on. Have you ever been rained on while riding your segway? Is it bad for you segway? By the way, I totally can relate to your situation because I hate buses, even if they are warmer than taking a segway.

NYCindividual said...

WOW. I haven't had any negative comments yet, except for when my friends make fun of how I like to supposedly show off on purpose. I live in the midwest, so I suppose it could have something to do with that. But I don't think having a segway makes us nerds. Not at all. Too bad you didn't have time to really tell that guy what you thought.