I caught a later bus leaving work which meant I had to race my next bus in the tunnel. I usually get off in the Pioneer Square station of the tunnel which is right next to the first stop for the 70, but when I'm cutting it close I stay on for another stop or two, since tunnel buses can cover distance faster, and beat my bus to a later stop. I got off at University Station though I should have stayed on until Westlake with it being so close. I like to get on the bus early in the route though, before the bus has gotten full.

I ran out of the tunnel to find the 70 and the 25, two buses that can get me home already there and leaving. After a bit I noticed the 25 was still stopped in front so I ran up to it, but the driver didn't notice me and took off.

So, I took off running. I thought with traffic as it is I had a chance of running two blocks (actually three, but I was thinking two) and catching up with it. Halfway there I hear someone yelling, "Hey, you dropped something! You dropped something!" When I realized he was talking to me I stopped and started looking back frantically. "Look up, look down. Look up, look down," he said. I looked down. I wasn't going to look up because that was absurd. I looked at him for another clue. "I was just trying to get your attention," he said. I looked at him again and when I realized I hadn't actually lost anything, I took off running toward my bus again.

"Don't run away from me!" he called after me.
"I've gotta catch a bus!" I yelled back with more exasperation in my voice than I was even expecting. When you see someone running down a street, wouldn't you think they might have a need to be somewhere in a hurry? Why would you try to trick them into stopping!!??

I ran right into a red light at the next intersection, a light that would have been green if I didn't get stopped, with the bus stopped on the other side.

Since I had time to kill before the next round of buses came, I stopped at Starbucks and walked back to my bus stop along Fourth so I wouldn't run into the same guy again. Approaching the bus stop I saw the 70 already there, turned around and started heading to the next stop. I got to the very same intersection as the light turned red, my bus stopped at the other side and long gone by the time it turned green.

So this guy caused me to miss two buses (I'm holding him responsible for both) on a day that I was short on time to begin with, with having to get ready for the Grind and eat and rant about stupid people making me miss my bus!