One night I decided to save the environment and conserve energy by leaving my car at home and taking the bus from Waikiki to the Ward Theater complex to watch a movie. If you think the movie was an adventure, you should have taken the bus ride!

I got out of the movie at 9:10 p.m. and walked the two blocks to the bus stop on Ala Moana (why doesn't it stop in front of the theaters)? I exhibited significant bravery attempting to cross busy Ala Moana boulevard as three cars ran the red light.

It was a cool night, and I had on only a light, short-sleeve shirt. I shivered and shivered along with 10 or 12 other people as we waited and waited for a bus. "They're on a holiday schedule," someone remarked.

Finally, at 10 p.m. a bus arrived. I could almost see my breath inside the cold bus as it made its usual dog-leg into the Ala Moana Shopping Center. We all gasped as, upon arrival at the mall, the driver announced that "This is the end of the line for my bus; everybody off."

Now it was 10:10 p.m. And we waited and waited for another No. 8, 19 or 20 bus to arrive. At 10:30 p.m., one finally pulled up. It was crowded, of course, but I was happy about this since the warm bodies took the chill off the frigid air. This driver, too, had the air-conditioning cranked up to the threshold of pain.

At 10:50 p.m., I finally arrived in Waikiki, one hour and 40 minutes after the show let out.

I'll take my car from now on, thank you, even if it takes 15 minutes to find a parking space.