Category Archives: On the Street
Rules of the game
Image by JKönig via Flickr
As I don’t work Mondays I usually walk Jade to her school bus as I did this morning.
“Slug Bug black grandpa.”
“Ow!”
“Slug Bug red.”
“Ow again, you know Jade you need to learn the rules of slug bug.”
“Why grandpa?”
“You are meant to call out ‘Slug Bug’ and the color of the car and punch someone in the arm, gently. But you are only meant to do it when you see a VW Beetle car, it can be the old version or the modern version but it the car has to be the Beetle not just any VW car.”
“Grandpa, beetles, we’re talking about cars not beetles!”
“No, the Beetle is the VW car, oh never mind. Look slug bug blue.”
“Ow, grandpa, that was a bus!”
“I know, I am playing by your rules.”
Air drumming to his own beat
Waiting for the bus I watch a guy saunter up the road, he takes his time walking in the road before stepping onto the sidewalk; he won’t see the bus that mows him down.
Suddenly he starts air-drumming, I then notice he has ear buds in and is probably drumming along to some tune, either that or his Tourette’s was acting up.
I know they have contests for air guitar, I am sure they have air drums and other instruments, I’d be good at air drumming I think.
Costumed Super Hero spotted in Seattle
Spotted as I went past on the Streetcar last weekend, costumed super hero having his picture taken. Methinks this might be Diaper Man.
Diaper Man
He doesn’t seem to appear on the registry of Real Life Superheroes.
Where’s the rain?
I stand waiting in the afternoon sun for the streetcar to arrive to whisk me off to the light rail station, heading home after a hard day’s graft, anotha day anotha dolla. I squint as I look up into the cloudless sky, the big yellow disk is burning bright, I can feel my exposed skin broiling in the sweltering heat on my right side.
The back of my short-sleeved shirt plastered against my sweat soaked back feeling uncomfortable. I turn around and let the sun heat the other side of my body, better to be done evenly all over.
Beads of perspiration pop out of my forehead and join the rivulets of salty moisture rolling down my face, soaking into my eyebrows then bursting forth to run into my eyes. I screw my eyes tight and shake my face against the stinging, “Bugger,” I pull my glasses off and run a sweaty forearm across my eyes making it worse, I grab the hem of my shirt and wipe off my face.
I jump out of my skin as a strident bell grabs my attention, I turn around and the purple streetcar pulls up to the stop, I jump on and sit in the hard uncomfortable seat the cold air conditioning cooling my heated frame.
Welcome to Seattle, I miss the rain.
Say what
Standing waiting for the Seattle streetcar an older couple came along to buy tickets with their grown-up daughter, she appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties. As they tried to figure out how to obtain tickets from the ticket machine the daughter was letting rip into her parents.
She was talking back to them aggressively and talking to them like they were little kids. The parents just seemed to stand there and take it until they would say something that would antagonize the daughter even further and start another burst of back-talk.
I stood there shaking my head thinking; if any of our kids or grand kids talked back to us like that they would get a good bloody talking to.
If I talked back to my Mum like that woman was doing I know she would slap me around the noggin.
She be crazy
Standing in the tunnel awaiting the arrival of the next train home, several people waiting with me, well not with me, just standing around me, you know. Woman was looking furtive holding several bags, a female security officer was pacing up the platform and she passed behind the furtive woman then walked back. I don’t think the guard even paid any attention to furtive woman.
The woman suddenly looked around and walked very fast right up into the face of the guard; “I have shoes in the bag that cost $100, I paid for them!” Then she walked back to the edge of the platform glaring at the security guard. The guard stood next to me, “Did I do something wrong ? she said.
“No, crazy,” I said and noticed the woman was giving us both the evil eyes, “I’m not sitting next to her!” I told the guard.
In fact, I made sure I got into a different compartment.
Jeez!
Really responsible
Standing waiting for the bus I heard a woman comment on how tired she was lately and it seemed to never want to go away. A guy with her mentioned that it was because she was pregnant. Looking over I could see she was heavy with child as she lit a cigarette from the butt of the cigarette she had just smoked.
Brilliant! Really responsible lady!
Spitting
Standing at the bus shelter awaiting my chariot to carry me off to work, I notice the ground in front of the bus stop is littered with large globs of glistening spittle. Some dingbat was standing or sitting at the stop waiting for a bus and felt the need to gob all over the place. Disgusting and I hate standing in that crap.
I just don’t see the need to be constantly spitting all over the place, especially where other people walk, it isn’t cool and doesn’t make you look hip or anything. Even worse is when someone is standing near you and hawks up loudly and flobs the gunge on the floor, charming!
I do think I am fast becoming a cantankerous old git!
Wash your hands dude!
Today, rather than get two buses home from work I took the Light rail and got off at the airport to catch a short bus hop home. As I walked through the terminal I went into the men’s restroom. After doing my business I was washing my hands and noticed a guy at a urinal, he was in a chef’s white jacket, chef’s hat and the black and white checkered pants. He did his business, zipped up then walked straight out without washing his hands.
What?
I followed him out and noted which café he was working at, I know where I will not be eating at any time soon!
