Got my hair cut today ✨ Yay! ✨ I went to the hair dressing school where students under the watchful eye of the teacher offer hair cuts, coloring etc. for a minimal price. I’ve had my hair colored once and cut twice or three times and the results have always been good! It’s good alternative when the regular prices are too much, but it does take a lot more time so can’t be in a hurry.

Answers to today’s questions at thefridayfive.

1. What is your current main mode of transportation? e.g. car, bike, subway, walking, etc.

Busses are my main way to get where I need to go.

It’s actually been public transport, namely local busses, for most of my life starting with school. I also walk some, but now with the chronic illnesses, less than I used to and not willingly.

When I was a student in library school and lived in the Helsiki metropolitan area, I also used local metropolitan area busses along with metro train (underground train) and commuter train (overground train servicing Helsinki metropolitan area cities), but also long distance trains to my home city of Turku.

2. Are you satisfied with your current main mode of transportation (answer to question 1)? Why?

I am, for the most part! My home city has a good public transport (busses) system and you don’t necessarily need a car, depending on your circumstances and where exactly you live. I can get by bus everywher I need to go, including friends’ and family’s places. I do wish the ticket price were lower, and they wouldn’t increase every year but that because I’m poor so everything feels expensive to me.

I’m also kind of nervous about the upcoming, planned changes for the bus system they’re planning for I think, 2025. What it looks like is that the bus routes designated “central lines” stay good and mine is one of these, but the secondary routes, designated “feed lines” seem to get worse both in run times and accessibility such as routes, locations and number of stops. A lot of reviews say the same, so we’ll see what happens with the plans.

I did have my Mom’s car for something like 17 years, but even then I always judged where and when I was going and whether the car or a bus was the most handy way that time. But now I haven’t had a car for about 7 years and although it was very handy for getting around to random libraries or big shops inconveniently located by bus or picking up packages, I actually only rarely miss having a car – usually when I need to transport something awkward sized home. There is also the fact that due to being so tired all the time, the last few years I had the car I didn’t always dare to drive – I feared I’d get into an accident and kill someone because I was too tired and my reaction time was too slow or I wouldn’t notice something. So in my case, not driving is also a safety concern even though I haven’t been forbidden to drive by the docters.

3. Do you think you’ll change your means of transit soon? e.g. buy a car, get rid of your car, walk more etc.? If so, why?

Busses will continue to be main main mode of transport, but I’d like to walk more. I’ve occasionally thought about bying a bike – I used to bike everywhere when I was a kid and like an idiot, stopped that when I went to library school and never restarted again. I always liked biking more than walking.

4. If time, distance and money were not factors, how do you prefer to get from point A to point B?

I’m good with busses. But I admit, if truly money wasn’t an issue at all, I’d also have a car just for the convenience.

5. What was your worst transit experience?

I can’t think of a truly bad transit experience… mostly just if I’m on the move during a rush hour, the busses can be so full lugging shopping bags can be inconvenient, or waiting for the bus in a hard rain etc. Mostly personally for me, it’s the rush hour smells and noise because they can trigger a migraine attack or if I’m already in the middle of one, make it worse. But this is a me problem.