Riding the Purple SLUT

RantWoman did it. She rode the SLUT. er the South Lake Union Streetcar both to and from her afternoon in Allentown.

RantWoman repeats her advice re terminology: if people call it the SLUT, just go with it and see where that takes you. Unfortunate acronyms notwithstanding, RantWoman could in fact like the trolley thought quite a bit and not only on phonetic grounds. True, around Seattle "trolley" mostly means workhorse electric-powered, or sometimes underpowered bus coaches on center city bus routes. The trolleys drop their wires, some of them bounce really well on bad pavement. They go out of service at the first hint of ice or snow.

In other words, "trolley" conjures associations that only a diehard transit nut would really feel warm and fuzzy about, and something pristine and modern could be a welcome conceptual upgrade.

RantWoman rode the orange train out and the purple train back. She can definitely attest that they are modern. RantWoman could not exactly figure out what was supposed to happen as far as paying her fare with her ORCA card, but who would quibble with a free ride?

RantWoman especially likes the full-throated pre-recorded electronic voice calling the stops in clear well-articulated English. If pre-recorded stops became the norm, RantWoman would miss some drivers' editorializing as they call the stops and some preacherly delivery and other entertaining variations. On the other hand, RantWoman is all for integrating newcomers well into the fabric of our society, including hiring anyone who can handle the transit driving realities. Alas, some drivers have accents that strain even RantWoman's deep familiarity with her mother tongue spoken as a second language. RantWoman would not mind in the least relieving these drivers of stop-calling duties.

Then we come to other dimensions of the phrase "riding the purple SLUT." All RantWoman can think of is a protest song she used to be around a lot about "We're shameless hussies and we don't give a damn. We're loud and we're raucous and...." RantWoman will spare the blog the rest of the song, although she does think there could be some party potential here: fill the purple SLUT with a lot of boisterous women singing the shameless hussies song at an 80's protest nostalgia party. Well, it could work...at least once.

Meanwhile, RantWoman notes the top of the hour news that NOW has elected Terry O'Neill its new president. RantWoman has no opinion one way or another about the two slates of candidates. RantWoman has historically liked that NOW is a strong active organization, but RantWoman has for a number of reasons, not just her buddies and the shameless hussies song, not really been at the center of NOW campaigns. But who knows...?