You know you're a bus chick if...
* You carry an all-purpose bag with you everywhere you go.
* Aside from your bus pass, your wallet contains at least two of the following items: library card; co-op membership card; car-sharing membership card; the phone number of someone who recently chatted you up at a stop.
* You consider any distance under a mile to be "a short walk."
* You've memorized Metro's rider information number and/or web address, and at least one bus schedule.
* You've memorized the locations of public (or not-so-public) restrooms on your regular routes.
* You keep a running list of items you need, so you can be ready the next time you're walking by (or waiting near) a store that carries one of them.
* You use at least one delivery service.
* You've traveled with an item (a steaming hot fried turkey, a surfboard, a backpack full of change) casual riders would consider bizarre.
* You know without looking at the sign whether the bus you're boarding is "pay as you leave" or "pay as you enter."
* You have at least one bus friend.
* You have a bus pastime (reading, knitting, drawing, eavesdropping) and carry the necessary supplies with you at all times.
* You have a favorite seat.
* You have "bus legs," which means that -- assuming you're able-bodied -- you can stand without holding on and walk while the bus is moving.
* You know exactly how long it takes a particular route to get from the time point on the schedule to your stop.
* You know exactly how often (and in what sequence) the signal lights change at crucial stops.
* You know exactly how long it takes you to walk three blocks.
* You sometimes leave a social event in a rush, before you've had the chance to say a proper goodbye.
* You've been encouraged by well-meaning family members to grow up, get over it, and buy a hybrid already.
* You have at least one device or gadget (a cell phone with a data plan, a GPS unit, a PDA with city maps) that makes riding more convenient.
* When you're at a big gathering (sporting event, festival, concert, fair) you see several people you remember from the bus.
* You pay very close attention to weather reports.
* You think of the operator of the year as a celebrity.
* You've made peace with: comfortable shoes; low-maintenance hair; weatherproof outerwear (see previous).
* You are an expert at fending off unwanted advances.
* You always know what time it is.
I realize all of these won't be true for all bus chicks -- I own no ride improving-gadgets for example -- but if you recognize yourself in half or more of these, odds are good that you've got a few (hundred?) rides under your belt.