Why Do I Love Buses?... JUST LISTEN!

Ever since I can remember setting foot on a transit vehicle - I can remember as far back as two-years-old, so 1995 - it was a Flxible Metro operating the then Route 22 via South Baltimore. I can still go back and remember that sound, to what I now know, was a Cummins M-11 engine. It's not until 2005, I am twelve-years-old and moving for the first time from my neighborhood of Lakeland - hence the alias, "MJofLakeland1" - into my grandfather's (actually uncle but he raised my mother) three-story apartment on Auchentoroly Terrace, across from Druid Hill Park. Only three-blocks away resides the absolute, complete mecca of transit centers in the Baltimore region, "Mondawmin Station" in Northwest Baltimore. Getting use to the setting and environment of the west-side bad-lands; which is like crossing the border into a new country, from the redneck-ish south-side, trying to find friends and a hobby to do quickly after the transition. I transferred to then, William H. Lemmel Middle School, from Lakeland Elementary/Middle School. Riding a bus by myself for the first time, the Route 51 school-tripper ending at Monroe Street Loop (Bush Street Division) utilized the 10+ year-old Flxible Metros ranging from series 8500s to 9500s. After a year of riding them after-school everyday, I became accustom to riding buses even more and wanting to experience other lines. Since Mondawmin connects to 10+ bus lines and Metro Subway, it gave me the liberty to use-up "five hours" worth of student paper bus tickets with the availability of a computer-strip ticket that expire it's use after 8:30pm (if not issued before that time-stamp). It's 2012, going into my senior year of high school, how can I take this hobby to another level... recording. My sister lend me her Samsung TL105 5x Zoom camera. No place to upload and post my videos other than YouTube. Alias that can be generally recognized as I get better at amateur photography but as unique whereas even today how was I able to think-of it - well it was as simple as using my nickname or initials from Marlon Hall, Jr. into "MJ" and my home neighborhood "of" "Lakeland", leading to the alias, "MJofLakeland1". Today, with the time and money to enjoy myself and venture to different places across the country; experience the virtues of transportation in different cities; get as much recording to those cities' transit character, this hobby went from simply 'just' to a learning and business experience. Along with working and structuring with a team staff members of the MTA Maryland, Transit Planning Group and others involvement, we are very close to implementing MTA's five-year 'Bus Network Improvement Project' that will indefinitely change Baltimore's public transit infrastructure to the better... and alongside with well-renown transit enthusiast and recorder himself, with great respect and envy, "Nabinut". Let's look-forward to the future of giving our transit infrastructure as my attention and respect while enjoying how much better I can be at this, so-called, "hobby" which no one else could understand and strongly believe is weird or terrorist-plot... seriously, people think that; drug trafficking is okay and allowed but recording buses is enough to think someone is an anti-American terrorist suspect?!... well that, along with the positive of recording, will only become a learning experience as far as I may do so continue this "job" lifestyle.