Posted: 2022-02-11 At: 9:00 am:  


I've taken public transportation a good portion of my life. Partially because of financial difficulties. Partially because of many years of car troubles. Though, mostly because public transportation is an efficient, enjoyable form of transportation.

I've lived in the city most of my life. I've always felt living close to work was a benefit. I use to like driving, yet, even when I enjoyed driving, I knew driving long distances in traffic is unhealthy for both the driver and the environment. Plus, driving in traffic isn’t fun.

Driving is also very expensive. Car repairs, gas, insurance, accidents, and stress are eliminated or at least reduced with the aid of public transportation. I feel I’ve always made better use of my time riding on a train or bus, than behind the wheel.

Though, like most things in life, public transportation isn't perfect. Sometimes the trains and buses are overcrowded, creating uncomfortable situations. Other times they may experience mechanical problems causing them to run late, sometimes not at all. Bad weather can make taking public transportation difficult.

With that said, public transportation does have plenty of benefits. Public transportation gives drinkers the opportunity to drink responsibly. Riders don't have to worry about driving if they have a few to many drinks.

During the holidays, I always felt a sense of comradery with other passengers. I've taken public transportation on New Year’s Eve several times, often celebrating with a variety of different passengers.

Miami offers multiple forms of transportation. Downtown Miami offers a type of train called the People Mover. The People Mover is free for all passengers and rides on futuristic looking elevated tracks routed throughout the city.

The tracks even go through a high-rise building, with a stop within the building. The People Mover also has large windows offering passengers incredible views of the city.

In general, People Movers arrive at their stops often and usually aren’t crowded. Though, during events they can become extremely crowded.

I remember taking the People Mover home from work during the ING Marathon. The ING Marathon is a foot race held downtown Miami. Thousands of people participate and watch.

The day of the marathon, the People Mover stations and the cars were jam packed, to the point where there literally wasn't any room to move. After waiting on the platform, I squeezed into one of the cars. Luckily, I'm not claustrophobic. Once I entered, I wasn't able to move an inch.

Miami has trains routed through the city called the Metromover. The Metromover is probably the fastest mode of transportation within the city. The Metromover has many stops, including stops located in downtown Miami, the Hialeah Horse Track, Miami International Airport, a variety of malls, grocery stores, and hospitals, just to name a few.

Because of the variety of stops, riders can maneuver throughout the city easily without a car. They also provide riders access to necessities needed for everyday living, in addition to access to different events.

Miami has hundreds of bus routes. Many of them are designed to funnel riders to train stations. Some buses run 24/7. Buses cover all areas of the city.

Many, travel frequently between Downtown Miami and South Beach. Many, if not all city buses allow passengers to bring their bikes via bike racks located on the front of the buses. Trains also allow riders to take their bikes in the last train car.

I've always felt using public transportation was a thrill. I've witnessed plenty unusual, interesting and sometimes just plain crazy events on buses and trains. I never knew who I was going to meet, what I was going to hear or see.

When I wake up late, running to catch the train or bus really got my adrenalin going. Even though running late isn't the perfect situation, having to hustle to catch a bus does start the day off with a bit of excitement, usually giving me a jolt of energy. The energy helped get me through the day.

Being able to sit and read, chatting with a total stranger, people watch, looking out the window while enjoying the scenery are many of the different possibilities I faced each day.

When I was living at Overlook I decided to take the bus to the beach. I walked a few blocks South to West Flagler Street to catch the 11 bus to the Government Center. Once I arrived at the Government Center, I could take any number of different buses to South Beach.

Before I left, I packed a duffle bag with a couple towels and sun tan lotion. Then, I walked to the bus stop. It was the middle of the summer, the middle of the day and smoldering hot outside. About ten minutes later the bus arrived.

The bus was packed, standing room only. To make things worse, the AC wasn't working. The second I stepped in the bus, I felt the heat overtake my body. I don't think I ever experienced a temperature as hot.

As I entered the bus, an older man was standing in the front, yelling, “THE AC ISN’T WORKING! THE AC ISN’T WORKING!” in both English and Spanish. I smiled at his sarcasm. I looked around at all the passengers. They were all dripping in sweat. I kept having to wipe the sweat from my face with my beach towel as the bus headed towards downtown.

After a few stops, the towel was soaking wet. During the ride, the older man in the front kept yelling, “THE AC ISN’T WORKING! THE AC ISN’T WORKING!” Sometimes he turned around, facing all the passengers in the back to let them know the AC wasn’t working. He seemed to especially enjoy telling new passengers about the AC issues as they boarded the bus.

The passengers on the bus were barely moving. Many were older and probably just trying to make it to their stop without passing out. We all knew the AC wasn't working. We were just trying to survive the heat. Though, as bad as the situation was, he put a smile on a few of the riders faces. And he certainly made the bus ride memorable.

With that said, we were in a dangerous situation. Older people were in the passenger seats. Many of whom probably couldn’t take the heat for an extended period of time.

Given the circumstances, the bus driver pulled over a few miles into the trip. He asked everyone to exit the bus, letting passengers know another bus with working AC would arrive shortly.

Eventually, I arrived at the beach. Finally, I could cool down in the ocean. When I arrived, I didn't waste any time getting in the water. Today, I still smile when I think about that ride.

When I first moved to Miami, I frequently took the bus down NW 36 Street. From where I lived at the time, 36th street was the best way to get to downtown.

One day I was on the 36 bus heading west. As the bus was pulling away from a stop, I heard a little thump from the back of the bus. When the thump occurred, the bus driver stopped the bus. Then, he immediately began talking on the CB radio.

I didn't know why. I don't think most of the passengers did either. The driver asked everyone to exit the bus. When I exited, I found out why. A car hit the back of the bus. Apparently, the car was trying to go around the bus as the bus was stopping.

Even though we barely felt the collision, the car sustained substantial damage. I walked the rest of the way to my destination. The other passengers either waited for the bus driver to fill out an accident report or waited to catch another bus.

The Flagler Street buses are almost always packed. The Flagler Street buses are where I’ve seen a number of characters with charisma and unique personalities. I’ve also seen plenty of passengers who've put down a few to many drinks. That was the case on this day.

I was riding the 11 bus heading West on Flagler Street. When I took my seat, I smelt an odor of stale alcohol. I also noticed a man sitting a few seats in front of me swaying in his seat from side to side, though, just slightly. When the bus came to a stop I realized he was quite intoxicated.

The bus stopped at the corner of West Flagler and 42nd Ave. He tried standing. He had trouble getting out of his seat. After a couple tries he finally pushed himself up with his arms. As soon as he stood in the isle, he fell backwards hitting his head on the seats behind him.

He bounced off the seats into the isle, landing flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. He was in and out of consciousness. If I remember correctly, a few passengers lifted him to his seat where he stayed.

I use to take a bus at the Miami International Airport to get to and from work. One day, while the bus was pulling out of the Airports bus stop, I saw two younger adult ladies running after the bus.

They caught the bus as it was pulling away. As they were running alongside the bus they were knocking on the door. The driver stopped the bus. Though, he didn't open the door.

The bus sat for a few seconds. The ladies stood in front of the door waiting. They weren't sure if he was going to let them board. They knocked again. The driver got a little upset with their impatience. He put the face of his hand to the door, yelling, "RELAX!" at the same time in a disgruntled tone.

He set those two ladies off. A few seconds later he opened the door. He probably wishes he hadn't. The ladies entered with a fury, yelling at the driver in both English and Spanish, letting him know their distaste for his tone.

The driver didn't sit back and take it. He jabbed back and forth with the two ladies. The driver and two ladies kept arguing even after the two ladies paid, and took their seats.

Most of what they were saying was in Spanish. Regardless, even with my limited Spanish, I didn’t have any difficulty recognizing the wide array of curse words spoken with anger.

The argument escalated. Neither the driver or ladies stopped yelling. The bus driver had enough. A few minutes later he threw the ladies off the bus. He pulled over before exiting the airport. He opened the door and told them to get out. They did.

Before leaving, bus the driver reported the incident. He was told to wait at the scene for a transit official to arrive. Once the transit official arrived, the driver filled out an incident report. After the report was filled, out he was cleared to continue his route. The entire tabocal took about a half hour.

I took the bus to and from work for many years. I often rode with the same passengers every day. Over time I got to know different people on the bus.

There was a guy who always sat in the front of the bus with the newspaper. He enjoyed sports. During the ride he talked about different teams and players with another dude sitting a few rows back. I think I joined in on their conversation a few times.

Another lady on the bus worked in the same area I worked. Her company helped design the Intermodal Center. The Intermodal Center is a massive transit hub within the Miami International Airport.

At the time, the city just started the construction for the hub. The project was very expensive, often shown as featured news stories and with plenty of merit.

When the Intermodal Center was completed a few years later, a Light Rail, connecting airport terminals to the Intermodal Center was added. The Intermodal Center added stops for the Metrorail and Tri-Rail trains, additional Metro Bus routes, a Greyhound Bus Terminal, and a Rental Car Center.

Hearing about the project before it was completed from a person involved with the project, was very interesting.

One of the sickest things I ever saw in my life, was when I was waiting for a bus on NW 36th street. The bus stop was across from a few car dealerships, just west of 27th ave.

That day, I saw a car slam into a dog. I don't remember for sure the type of dog, maybe a Pitbull, almost defiantly a stray. She looked like she might have just given birth. I was at least a 100 yards away and on the opposite side of the street.

The dog seemed to be in distress. She was pacing back and forth across the street in front of the dealership. There was only light traffic. A few people were standing outside the dealership as the dog paced back and forth in the street.

A couple cars drove by, saw the dog, slowed down, letting her pass. Then, another car drove down the street. The car wasn't going very fast. The dog was in the other lane walking towards the cars path. As the dog approached, the car didn't slow down. I don't know how the driver didn't see her. He just kept going. The dog kept walking.

I kept thinking the car was going to stop. The car didn’t stop. There was loud bang. The car slammed into the dogs head and shoulders, spinning her around, knocking her into the middle of the street. The seen was sickening. The car kept going. One of the people outside the dealership went out into the street to carry the dog away.

I think the dog was still alive, though she was in bad shape. Seeing the dog get hit by the car is something that stays etched in my memory. Just the thought of that day still makes me a little sick when I think about it.

Posted: 2022-01-02 At: 5:30 AM:  








Updated 2023-01-15:
Light Throughout The Night is now available for free, posted as blog posts.

Posted: 2022-01-02 At: 5:30 AM:  

Sasharoonie

Sasharoonie became part of our family. When we first purchased Sasha, Gretchen experienced allergies. I asked if she wanted me to return her kitty. However, the bear really liked Sasha and declined. Over time Gretchen's allergies got a little better.

During the next few years we called Sasha a slew of different nicknames. Gretchen thought of the first nickname. She called her Snaggle Tooth because one of her fangs stuck out the bottom of her mouth. I called her the Fierce Mountain Lion and Saber Tooth. We also called her Sasharoonie and Rooninski.

We called Sasha the Prissy Kitty. She is very particular about what she eats. She'll only eat certain foods. She likes her food fresh and only drinks water if it's at room temperature.

The bear called her the Mischievous Kitty. The Mischievous Kitty is one of my favorite nick names. She tries to be good, yet often found a way to get herself in trouble when we weren't around.

Years later, when Sasha was much older I called her Stewart Little. She's very tiny. I noticed, when she runs she sometimes folds her ears back in the same way as Stewart Little.

As a kitten she was everywhere. Sasharoonie didn’t stop moving. She wanted to see and smell everything. There wasn't an inch of our apartment she didn't explore.

We always kept a variety of different toys for her. She played with anything she could find. She'd see my basketball, run and jump on it, rolling over as the ball rolls. She climbed everywhere; the fridge; the bed; the shelves. She even found a way to get on the very top of the doors. I didn't know how she got up there. Nor did I know how she kept her balance, somehow she did.

The lady we purchased her from said, Russian Blue cats possess many of the same characteristics as dogs. She was correct. If I threw her a toy foam ball, she fetched the ball and brought it back to me. I also played hide-and-go-seek with Sasha. If I was in the bedroom, I ran into the living room to hide. A short time thereafter, Sasha went into the living room, looking everywhere until she found me. When she found me, I ran in the bedroom to hide. From there, she began looking for me in the bedroom.

As a kitten she was a bit wild. A day I'll never forget is the day she decided to climb the bear like a tree. Sasha, as all cats do, tended to climb things. When she was a kitten, she climbed everything in our apartment. I was trying to train her not to jump on the counter by the stove. I wanted to make sure she didn’t accidentally jump onto the stove while the bear was cooking and burn herself.

Sasha was behind Gretchen in the kitchen. Gretchen was cooking, facing the counter, though, she knew Sasha was behind her. The bear said something to the effect of: You better not let her jump on me! I was kneeling next to Sasha. I told the bear not to worry. I figured, if I saw Sasha move in Gretchen’s general direction, I could stop her. Plus, I was thinking, at worst she might jump on the counter.

Before I could react, Sasha decided to launch herself onto Gretchen. She stuck her pointy little claws into in the bear's back, climbing her like a tree. I pulled Sasharoonie off the bear quickly, nevertheless, the damage was done. The bear ended up with a few deep claw marks. I didn't hear the end of that for many months.

(In a previous chapter, I talked about the studio and fighting fish.) When we purchased Sasha we still owned the same fighting fish we kept in the studio. He was alive and doing good. We kept him on the kitchen counter of the apartment where we were now living, Montery Gardens. From there, it didn't take long before Sasharoonie decided our little fish might make a good meal. I walked in the kitchen, there was Sasharoonie, on the counter with her paw in the vase trying to scoop out our fish. Needless to say, we moved our fighting fish to a safer location.

Sasharoonies next adventure was when Gretchen's parents asked us to watch their dog Jerry for a few days. Jerry is a small dog, about Sasha's size. A little while after they were introduced to each other, he became Sasharoonies friend. Though, she had to warm up to Jerry. When we first let Jerry in the apartment Sasha was weary of him.

Nevertheless, sometime thereafter, Sasha realized she was much quicker. She also realized Jerry couldn't jump on the bed. She had a safe zone. From there, she enjoyed playing with Jerry. She did her best to try and get him to chase her. When Sasha was on the bed she launched herself over Jerry, jolting into the living room. If Jerry didn't chase her, she ran back into the bedroom launching herself over Jerry onto the bed. Eventually, Jerry began chasing her, thought the kitty was too fast.

While Jerry was visiting, Sasha slept on the bed with us. She normally slept in a crate we turned into her bedding area.

As Sasha grew older, we discovered she had a problem with her teeth. She became very sick. Her gums swelled, turned red, before developing cuts and soars. We took her to a veterinary clinic a few blocks away.

The lady we saw at the clinic told us she thought Sasha was allergic to her own teeth. For some reason, her body was rejecting them. She thought the only way her gums would heal was if we removed all her teeth.

However, having her teeth removed was a drastic step. The lady at the veterinary clinic wanted to give Sasha steroids first. She was hoping they would improve, strengthen her immune system, preventing her body from rejecting her teeth. She subscribed steroids. At the same time, the vet told us about the dangers of steroids. She told us steroids could shorten her life if given for extended periods of time. We gave them to her every day as instructed. Sasha showed improvements, though, she was far from healthy.

When we took her for a follow up visit, a different veterinarian was working. He didn't agree with the original diagnoses. He didn't want to have her teeth pulled. He wanted us to try giving her a different type of steroid. By this time Sasha's mouth was much worse. In addition to the redness and cuts on her gums, pus was coming out of them as a result of infections. She wasn’t eating very much and was sleeping almost all day and night.

The second type of steroids didn't work either. We took her back to the clinic for another follow up visit. We saw yet another different veterinarian. He was reluctant to have her teeth pulled as well. He subscribed another type of steroid. We gave her the steroids as instructed. Sasharoonie didn’t show any improvement. By now we were both very worried about our kitty.

We decided to bring her to a different veterinary clinic quite a bit further from our area. They didn't know what was wrong with her either. They didn't want to pull her teeth. More steroids were prescribed. We didn't know what else to do except take their advice. We continued to give her steroids for a few more months. The steroids weren't working at all anymore. By this time, Sasha had been very sick for about a year. We took her back to the second veterinary clinic, only to find out they wanted to keep trying different types of steroids.

The vet bills were piling up. Sasha wasn't getting better. She was much worse. We couldn't stand to see her in constant pain. I remembered what the first veterinarian said. She thought if we removed Sasha's teeth, her gums would heal. Plus, she said, extended use of steroids would shorten the length of her life.

Sasha had been on steroids for about a year. Gretchen and myself talked over our options. We decided we were going to have her teeth pulled. We made an appointment for surgery at the veterinary clinic near our condo. They were still very hesitant at the idea. Nevertheless, we insisted. I don’t think they understood the pain her teeth were causing. They didn’t see her in pain the entire day, every day.

After some convincing, they decided to go ahead with the surgery. They pulled all her teeth, except for her upper and lower fangs, and a couple of her smaller teeth in the front of her mouth.

After Sasharoonie healed from the surgery, her gums did as well. The redness went away. She wasn't in nearly as much pain. From then forward, we needed to feed her wet canned cat food. She could eat wet cat food without much of a problem. Her energy level increased. Sasharoonie began acting like the mischievous kitty we knew and loved.

Sasharoonie was usually a very happy cat. She enjoyed playing, running, climbing and the occasional cat nap. However, there was one thing she hated. Baths! As soon as we put her in the tub, her claws came out. She cried bloody murder.

Before giving her a bath, we always cut her nails. If not, we wouldn't fare to well. Her bath required both the bear and myself working as a team. I held her in the tub, while Gretchen washed her. As we did, Sasha let out loud screaming meows in a tone I didn't know existed. By the time we finished, even with my best efforts holding her down, she usually gave me a few scratch marks. We let her out; we dried her off, then, within minutes, she was fine. Almost like nothing happened, except she was now clean.

Over the years she developed an incredible personality. Sasharoonie loved boxes. She could jump inside and out of boxes for hours. If the box was closed, she found a way inside to hide.

When she slept, she curled up in a ball, covering her eyes with her paws.

In the morning, when she wanted to get fed, she walked to Gretchen's side of the bed, gently nudging the bear. Gretchen enjoyed the good morning jesters. She always got out of bed to feed her kitty.

Sometimes, I'd grab a towel, dragging it along the floor. Sasha jumped on the towel to go for a ride.

We owned a computer chair with wheels. She liked riding on the computer chair as well. She jumped on the chair. I pushed it around the room, spinning it in circles at the same time. Sasha did her best to stay on the chair without falling off. I always spun the chair just slow enough to let her keep her balance.

The Two Of Us And Sasharoonie

Sasharoonie was becoming more like a family member than a pet. The bear referred to her as our daughter. We treated her as good as we possibly could.

We got her a very large cat tree. We put the cat tree in the corner of the living room and always kept it stocked with toys. We also built Sasha a bed next to our bed.

She liked the layout of the condo. She'd run full speed from the bedroom into the living room, getting sideways as she made the turn into the living room. Then run the length of the living room before launching herself onto the cat tree, climbing to the top. In addition to her toys, I purchased a laser pointer. The laser pointer reflected brightly when pointed at the dark floors. Sasha use to go nuts trying to catch the lasers light.

When Christmas arrived, we purchased a full-size Christmas tree and shatter proof ornaments. We always set aside plenty of time to decorate the tree together.

I put trains around the tree. Gretchen’s mom gave us a set of model buildings. We put the buildings under the tree with the trains. The buildings came with people figurines as well. Gretchen’s mom also gave a nativity set we displayed on a shelf during Christmas.

Sasha celebrated her first Christmas with a full-size tree. To her, the tree was an enormous toy. In the middle of the night she’d go in the living room to knock as many ornaments off of the tree as possible. She cranked her paw back, whacking the ornaments as hard as she could. Sometimes they flew across the room.

By morning, ornaments were scattered all over the living room floor. We began listening carefully at night for any noises we heard from the living room.

When we heard something, either myself or Gretchen got out of bed to tell the mischievous kitty to stop knocking down ornaments. A few nights we needed to get out of bed multiple times. As our kitty grew older she learnt the tree wasn't a toy.

Posted: 2022-01-02 At: 5:30 AM:  

I spent most of 2021 writing and updating my personal website.

Almost immediately after I finished writing Light Throughout The Night, I began writing two fiction books early in 2021. Both books have a longways to go before they're finished. Though, both books have a complete plot. I'm about 20,000 words into each.

One week I focused on writing one of the books. Then, the next week I focused on the other. Sometimes if I got into a rhythm, I spent many weeks writing the book I was feeling the most creative towards. However, within the first few months of 2021, my focus shifted away from the two books.

When I finished Light Throughout The Night, the publishing company I wanted to publish the book wasn't accepting manuscripts. In the past, they offered open submissions every few months. I decided to wait for their next open submission.

During the time I was waiting I dedicated time towards the two fiction books I'm currently writing. However, after many months, open submissions didn't open.

I began researching other possible publication options. As much as I wanted to publish the book through a publishing company, I drew the conclusion, self-publishing was the best option.

After deciding to self-publish Light Throughout The Night, I designed the cover. I also thought about how and when to release the book for publication.

When I wasn't writing, I was programing, mostly working on a new design for my personal website, the version you're currently viewing. The new web design became much more involved than I imagined. I'm sure repeat visitors noticed, georgefarina.net is now very different from the previous version.

I added a web guide. I've been storing url's in a personal database for years. I thought others might find some of them useful.

Sometimes, while I'm writing a book or programing, I write blog posts in between, without publishing them, thinking, I'll publish them at a later date. The blog posts accumulated. I wrote about 20 blog posts for the Dusty Loft Blog and 4 for GeorgeFarina.net.

Knowing I didn't just have a book to release, I have a website and many blog posts to release, I decided to release the website, blog posts and book together.

Every so often, I stumble onto different ideas or thoughts as a result of other ideas or thoughts. I wrote two somewhat simple programs, both programs evolved from ideas I was thinking about regarding the new design for gerogefarina.net.

The programs are both web based, database driven programs I'm planning to either sell in the webstore or give away sometime towards the end of 2022.

I've re-released a new version of Far From Perfect. The 2022 version of Far From Perfect is slightly different than previous version. I revised some sections, while doing a better job editing the book. An eBook version is also available. Both the paperback version and eBook are available for sale in the webstore along with Light Throughout The Night.

The two books I began writing after Light Throughout The Night are still unfinished. I'm hoping to dedicate more time towards finishing them in 2022 and 2023.