This bus-charming man

[hirez]

Years and years ago, uk_jon and I came up with the cod-philosophical concept of 'Smoking a cigarette to make the bus come'. As might be obvious, we seemed to be spending rather too much useful drinking time hanging around near windswept Cheltenham bus-stops in the depths of winter, waiting for the sodding bus to turn up. And like as not sail past since

Comments

[jozafeen]

The little buses in Sheffield used to be branded as 'Eager Beavers' - this was amusing to those with small and smutty minds.

[miss_soap]

In London they have 'Dial-A-Ride' which rather puts me in mind of something different.

And yes, bus charming by cigarette is a heady youthful memory.

[hirez]

There was an odd homunculus called WMPTE that used to ply some foul trade on the television in the old days. Probably because we got midlands telly.

[steer]

Sorry, it's a well-known corollary of Murphy's law that it doesn't work in reverse. You cannot, for example, wash your car if you want it to rain.

[hirez]

Quite. As I point out, it doesn't work if you do it on purpose.

[tails_redux]

If the world stopped smoking, would the buses run?

[hirez]

That would be an ecumenical matter.

[reddragdiva]

I think the point is that if the bus comes, you've got a bus, and if it doesn't, you've had a fag.

[echo_echo]

Well looking at it logically:

a) Light fag and bus come immediately, so you lose the fag but gain the bus
b) Light fag and bus doesn't come, but you've had a fag
c) Light fag, and bus comes just after you stub it out.
d) You have run out of fags but the bus comes anyway
e) You have run out of fags and the bus doesn't come

The trade off of a seems fair and indication that the Gods are pleased with your sacrifice. It is when people want c that the problems start. This seems to displease the Gods so one should not be greedy and accept an either/or compromise of bus or fag, but not expect both as that can lead to situation e.

I'm sure there is a book in there somewhere about the olde Gods of the London transport system.

[echo_echo]

I am laughing out loud in the middle of the night. That the concept of bus charming exists and that it is indeed an ecumenical matter tickles my fancy no end.