bus tix 001

Life works in mysterious ways, but buses are still my life.

a messy intro

If you’re reading this, it means one thing: I have finally decided to publish this substack, which is basically me emulating Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, but my god, if I dreamed of Manolo Blahnik heels and a messy love life I can vomit onto my friends, I’d want that exact same life.

Two out of the three ain’t that bad: oversharing for journalism and a messy love life.

So, I guess, you’re probably wondering why we’re doing this now. Well, there have been some life changes. I received a grant to write about buses which became the catalyst to a necessary metamorphosis. Let’s say we’re returning to the basics but with a more responsible twist.

ok…but it doesn’t answer our question?

The initial reason for this substack was, first and foremost, to work on the behind-the-scenes look at the work I’m doing for Bus Tickets, a chapbook sized project about San Diego’s public transportation.

Life got in the middle of it. Unlike 21yo Alissa, I will not be telling all on a newsletter platform so here’s a speed run of what I’ve done. I joined a Shabby Dollhouse’s Writing Zine Club in spring, continued working on my Digital Design Certificate at the San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE), cried in too many bathrooms, flew with my teddy bear to San Francisco for a film festival and found my cosmic soulmate, and assisted in the most anticipated San Diego’s Poet Laureate x Pac Arts Reel Voices’ collaboration: Trolley Poetry.

honestly, I took all the transportation in SF, and my god, was it the best time of my life in a really long time. The public transportation in SF is sickening.

why now?

I’m finally at a point in my Carrie Bradshaw-esque life turmoil to start seriously hunkering down on this chapbook project. With my courses finished at SDCCE a.k.a a certificate of completion for the bootcamp training I have in Adobe Suites for the DESIGNS I want to do for this chapbook. I have goals and desires, and while I’ve been inching towards doing this work, I feel like I must do it now. There’s no turning back. There’s no astronomical procrastination in the back of my head. It’s time to jot and do it now.

In other words, I want this substack to be my accountability partner.

So, this substack is about my project only. Maybe you’ll get some more scandalous inside look on the project. Maybe there are reasons to be reading this long short-form content in your email. OR I’m just writing this to the anonymous sea of people who love the schadenfreude, gossip, and juicy details to talk about behind my back. That’s okay too. When I was younger, I was terrified of what other people said about me, and I was betrayed by people who I thought were friends. It’s been six years since then, and I spent too many years being scared of being seen. It’s time to fix that.

So, yes, this is all about my silly little bus adventures and the writing process. Yes, you will read a lot about the morning bus folks who MAKE MY DAY, but you will also learn why public transit means so much to me. And whether you come for the buses and stay for the gossip or you come for the gossip but stay for the buses, I hope this bus tickets substack entertains you for a minute.

see you on the next ride, and don’t forget your ticket!

Yes, I took my teddy bear on the cable car and thought omg, I was in Princess Diaries.