Mötley Crüe Big In The Rut?

Isn't it weird the things people do when they're waiting for The Bus?

We took the Bus on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) to Hannaford's and while waiting for our return bus retreated to the bus shelter rather than roast in the sun.

It's not the first time we've sat there but it is the first time we noticed a bunch of stickers on the shelter wall.

Randomly, the stickers appear to be from CDs, predominantly the works of Mötley Crüe.

Not that we have anything against Mötley Crüe in particular but why would you have a bunch of Mötley Crüe stickers with you? Alternatively why would you take your Mötley Crüe CD labels and decorate the bus shelter with them?

Just strikes us as a little weird and random. Not as random as the Bus being free each Saturday or as random as a freak tornado warning interrupting our American Idol party though. We might randomly place some Lee DeWyze stickers around The Rut tomorrow, just for fun.

Grand Union's Grand Pickle

After a month away, our shelves were seriously bare so we hit Rutland's Grand Union for a quick restock.

With our tummies rumbling, we were easily distracted but one particular item caught our attention. A giant jar of Herr's Blossoming Onion crisps. It wasn't because we're particularly fond of crisps but rather because there was a glaring inconsistency between Herr's packaging and the sales pitch from Grand Union.

To be fair to Grand Union, Herr's crisps are apparently inspired by Outback Steakhouse's famous fried appetizer, the Bloomin' Onion (note they didn't even get the spelling right. Damn Aussies, always doing everything differently!). But at $4.99 for a giant jar, how can you go wrong?!

Secret Life of The Bus Drivers Part 2

We already know that when bus driver Ross Vumbaco isn't behind the wheel he can be found behind the drum kit giving his band Bogo Guppy the beat.

On Saturday we saw another of The Bus' drivers out and about. We think his name is Garry (we heard a passenger call him that once, probably not the greatest source but it will do for now).

Anyway, Garry and his wife are dog lovers, in fact they own some inordinate number of dogs.

We spied him outside Petco on Saturday, clearly stocking up on supplies and we were greatly amused when we caught sight of his personalized license plate.

Any guesses what it says?

Corgi 9! We LOVE it!

There's No Place Like The Rut

We've just arrived back in Rutland after four weeks away. Some things have changed (Connick's has a stall at the Rutland Farmers' Market, hooray) and some things have remained the same (the mall is still devoid of any character whatsoever).

The one thing that remains refreshingly the same is the Rut's ability to make us laugh via the random things that we see on one given day. We kid you not, our first day back in The Rut, we snapped the following:

1. A bra strewn on the sidewalk on Woodstock Avenue

Out for an afternoon stroll, the four members of our walking party had a laugh out loud moment when we walked past a bra on the sidewalk (hey, we'll readily admit small things amuse small minds). We were a little way away from the closest laundromat so we don't think this fell out of someone's laundry bag. We hope it was a little spring fling and nothing nefarious.

2. A fire next door to Applebee's

After a few drinks at the Downtown Tavern we headed to Applebee's for a very late dinner and were somewhat shocked to see what appeared to be a raging fire next door. No one was panicking so we quizzed our server who just shrugged his shoulders and said 'oh, that's our neighbors, they light fires all the time'. Fair enough, it was a pretty cold night for May.

3. A woman carrying an open laptop while crossing South Main Street with her family

Not sure why you would need to have your laptop open while out on a walk (she's behind the girl with the giant purple ball). Random GPS application? Hell, we have no idea, we just love the entire photo - from the giant ball to the laptop to the dog straining to get off its leash.

It's great to be home! There really is no place like the Rut.