We’re all creatures of habit. Particularly when it comes to our morning routines.

My morning routine is simple. A cup of mild coffee (no major java jolt for me…I have one cup for the whole day.)

I listen/watch “Good Morning, Indiana” while I skim the morning paper (and really, is the Indianapolis Star really good for anything other than just a skim anymore?) then shower and dress for work.

It used to be I would then drive downtown to work at RTV 6. But that changed in March.

That’s when I joined hundreds of other Fishers residents in riding the IndyGo bus to work.

For years, I’ve hated that 30 to 45 minute drive (depending on the time of day.) So I took the leap trying the  bus. And I’m glad I did. Now instead of driving, I’m writing (many of my blog postings are written in transit on the AM or PM route) or reading (I now have time to actually read novels or finish magazines before the next issue arrives! It’s great!) Or listening (an IPod is a wonderful thing.)

The bus service is part of a three year federal grant program. Buses leave about every 20 minutes or so beginning at 6am from Fishers. There are also available buses from Carmel and later this year a line from Greenwood will be installed. You can click here for more on the service.

The bus has several drop-off points in downtown. I have a little bit of a walk getting from the bus to work (a little over a mile.) So I’m getting daily exercise, too! 

And with rising gas prices, the $2 a ride service is a real bargain. Reading, writing, riding…even exercise! That’s a great deal!

*****

If you are a fan of the old “Andy Griffith Show,” a major contributor to the show passed away this week.

You may not know his name, but you can surely whistle his work. Earl Hagen, the composer of the “Andy Griffith Show” theme died at age 88. (Com’on, you’re hearing that music right now as you are reading this, aren’t you.)

Hagen not only composed the music, he is the one doing the whistling, too!

The composer also wrote the theme songs for “The Dick Van Dyke Show,”"That Girl,” and “Gomer Pyle, USMC.”

In 2002, he wrote an autobiography that he titled “Memoirs of a Famous Composer-Nobody Every Heard Of.”

Gotta love that title.