Re-kindling a Muni love affair

When I worked at my old job, I took the 6 through my neighborhood and down to market street. This bus is a colorful route filled with fascinating people no matter what time of day you ride it. It goes from my house up the hill in the inner sunset down through UCSF and Cole Valley, Ashbury Heights, and then down the length of Haight St. to Market. Really an excellent mix of riders.
Anyway, when I started my new job, I also left the 6 and started taking the N-Judah because it loops around the bay and back down to the Caltrain station, near where I work. Which is easy. But much less fun. And also, I don't get a seat by the time the N comes near my house - it's already standing room only. And really, it takes even less time to take the 6 on all the surface streets to the same place that the N would drop me off underground.
So I switched back recently.
And good lord I am glad I did.
There is a Russian guy who rides the bus and gets on very near me. He is quite terse and abrasive, but is clearly friends with the bus driver that always seems to drive the bus I'm on, and many of the other riders are familiar with him. Today, he was regaling a fellow passenger with the tragic story of how his car was stolen.
    "12 years, I live in this neighborhood. Nobody touch it. Nobody. Then Friday night - STOLEN. Stolen."
    "Well, did you have insurance?"
    "Of course."
    "Did you call your insurance company?"
    "No. They give me what, 5,000 for it? Pff."
Dismissed.
Now, I was terrified of this guy at first. Not in a real I-think-he-might-harm-me-or-someone-else kind of way, but more like the way that I am just scared of a lot of people. He's very purposeful,  gruff, and a bit difficult for me to approach or reconcile. Or something. He's also the type of guy who leans in real close to tell you something he doesn't want other people to hear
But really, he's the kind of guy who helps the woman with the baby and the stroller off the bus. Like she says "can you hold him?" They are not friends. I know this. They are bus riding acquaintances. She wants to hand her baby to him. I love this. Instead, he takes the stroller at her stop, gets off the bus - but leaves his bag - sets up the stroller, and makes sure she and her baby get off the bus all in one piece. And then almost misses the bus because he is being helpful. We all yell for the driver to stop so he can get back on. His kindness does not go unnoticed.
Today, a woman was sitting in the front, and a man was standing in front of her, wearing an X-Files varsity-style jacket. Apparently, the back of the jacket said "the truth is out there." Big surprise, I know. Anyway, she asks, "where did you get that jacket?"
He replied, "a catalog. It's from the X-Files TV show."
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'The truth is out there' is the slogan from the TV show."
"What does that mean?" (super sincere, all philosophical like.)
"Beats me. I guess that there are aliens out there somewhere. On earth."

Oh 6 Parnassus. You're so lovely! But I'm still taking the N home because I get a seat that way.
The girl next to me and I snicker a bit. This could be a huge and fascinating can of worms.