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Hi, I'm Darryll and I live in Pullman, Washington with my wife and two kids. I'm a licensed Architect and am employed as a Project Manager at Washington State University. In addition, I have my own business doing residential designs in the greater Palouse area. I am a self-taught pianist, song-writer and singer and am involved in the music department at my local church.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

School Bus Days



For many kids, riding the bus was an integral part of the school experience. I lived within easy walking distance of my Grade School, but was bussed to both Junior High (we didn’t have “Middle Schools” in the ‘70s) and High School.


There is a whole mindset and culture that exists for those who are subjected to riding school busses. This discussion will undoubtedly span a couple of entries, so for today, I will address the different personalities and the roles they played on the buses.


Stoners: Yeah, you know who you were. There was only one place for you - the back of the bus. Since most bus drivers tried be cool and played the local rock and roll stations you, were in your element. You’d get on the bus with that “certain sweet smell” emanating from you and would head straight to the last rows – passing by the rest of us with your unwavering glassy-eyed gazes and plop down. Your ride was filled a few customs. You’d take out your pipe and admire it, to the horror of us who caught a glimpse of it. You’d let out a few expletives here and there to scare us all, and you’d talk in low hushed tones among yourselves, only to shoot some sly looks and laugh under your breath with each other.


Geeks. Just like you would think – glasses; pocket protectors; nice neat clothes; belongings on lap and held close; sit as close to the front as possible for safety. If a few of them were together, they might share about a latest chess conquest or exciting science experiment. If they were alone, they sat in complete fear and just prayed that they would get to their destination without getting beat up or made fun of.

Jocks: Sat together; wore their letterman jackets ALL the time; sat next to and flirted with any pretty girls; talked loudly about their latest game, the party last night, or how much they benched in the weight room. They passed the time by punching the nearest unsuspecting kid. Fortunately, during their respective seasons, they didn’t rid et he bus much.


Cheerleaders: Sat near the jocks; did their make-up all the way to and from school; dressed impeccably and were the object of every guys quick peeks.

Te Rest Of Us: We were band members; serious students; good kids; and a whole lot of other things. We just tried to get on the bus and ride without getting into any sort of a situation. We did our darndest to look cool, fit in, and just get by without making any mistakes or looking stupid.


We all had our own way of “existing” on the bus. More on this subject later.

5 comments:

joe said...

I really loathed the bus. Especially in junior high. I never did fit in with the rest of those losers..

joe said...

.. I mean, just look at the way I'm dressed here...

Marco said...

Hi Darryll,
Great to find your blog. Didn't like the bus much either but luckily avoided it most of the time. I think I was "The rest of us" ... was in the band, my friends were the science nerds, played sports and could stand up to the jocks and seniors (got the "big" genes). But for some reason the cheerleaders were out of reach.

Blast from the Past said...

Thanks for the comment, Marco. I was out of town for a few days visiting family. I've got plenty more memories that we discussed at Thanksgiving to share. Hope to get back on the blog tomorrow!

The only way the cheerleaders were "within reach" was if they happened to look your way and pay some interest in you. Uh, yeah... that never happened in my MY world! :)

Unknown said...

Your comment about make-up on the bus is funny. In our high school - the girls bathroom is where everyone headed 1st period and it was okay to be late to your first class. Our homeroom, where they took attendance, was between 1st and 2nd periods. I just realized 3 years ago when my son started high school that he has homeroom 1st period. Who knew? Looking back, our school must have had a problem with buses arriving on time. So being late for 1st period was never an issue. Anyway... the girls bathroom in high school was a fighting match. Almost every girl brought their curling iron and plugged it in - in the bathroom. You unplugged someone's curling iron and plugged in your own. You prayed that whoever's iron you unplugged was not a mean girl who could walk in at any moment. We also would fight for mirror space. We used lighters, even if we didn't smoke, to melt the black eyeliner that was applied throughout the day. The bus was bad, but the girl's bathroom was worse.