Obuservation #5

One thing I really enjoy is overhearing a loud phone conversation on the bus - at 6:00 freakin a.m.!

The girl behind me was cooing and making sweet on her phone, all full of "honey"s and "baby"s and such...obviously talking to her sweetie. Okay, I can excuse cute, but would still prefer to not hear it at 6:00 freakin a.m.!

After about 10 minutes of this, I heard her say, "but I still love my husband." !!! Hello? !!!

Further into the conversation, it was, "well, you gave me the hickey where I didn't want it, not where I wanted it." First of all, who WANTS a hickey (besides her)? Second, I don't even want to imagine the RIGHT spot for one.

Blessed Friends

It actually should read Blessed with Friends.

MDub (and some recent events) got me thinking.....I have a great circle of friends.

• Some friends are family.
• Some family are friends.
• Some are long-time friends.
• Some are just old :o)
• Some I used to be "tight" with and, though I may no longer be as close to them, I still like to keep in touch.
• Some have fallen by the wayside.
• Some are new.
• Some are second generation friends
• Some are tall, some short, thin, fat, funny, bossy, smart, good listeners, good talkers, have good advice, need advice, good for fun stuff, good for serious stuff. All the time, part of the time, in turn.

But all are treasured.

I read something years ago about women and friends that has stuck with me. It talked about how women think that a friendship should be sustained at the same level all their lives. But, in reality, friends come and go, ebb and flow, with the circumstances in your life. Friendships can be intense and short-lived, steady and long-lasting, or anywhere in between. But they are always of value.

The Tide was Eating at her Brain, Too....

There was a recent news post about a house on the edge of the Washington coast being washed away by the tide. The short facts:

• The location is called WASHAWAY Beach.
• It's been eroding for TWENTY years.
• The news has been following the current resident's story since NOVEMBER, 2009 (so you know she's lived there at least 4 months).
• In January, the back part of the house started to go.

Finally, on Feb. 27, the whole house tipped while she was inside. "And so I sat down and the next thing you know, I think I got knocked out for a second and I ended up in the kitchen." The house had stood up on its side, with her in it. She lost all her possessions.

If you saw the Pacific Ocean approaching your door wouldn't you have packed up your most prized possessions and started looking for another place to live? Months ago?

The Red Cross turned down her request for help, saying it had been happening for 20 years. I'm glad they're saving their resources to help people in real emergencies. At least someone had some common sense.

Pet Peeve

WHY WHY WHY do people act like sirens and lights are no big deal? Is it that important that they get through the intersection or another 30 yards down the road before they're absolutely forced to pull over for emergency vehicles (and slowing the emergency people down in the process)?

Today, a fire truck came down 3rd Avenue, siren blaring, lights flashing. It had to wait for people who were trying to beat it through the intersection. It finally got across and not 10 feet behind it was some numbnuts on a recumbent bike! Of course, this is the street that is the major bus/transit route. Bikes are allowed but, for pete's sake, shouldn't he have been smart enough to wait?? A few seconds later an ambulance came up behind him and the cops had to hustle him out of the way of all the buses, the fire truck, etc. WTH?

Obuservations #3 & 4

This morning's ride was an eye opener....got on as usual, usual crowd (including freakishly cheerful lady, more about her another time), settled in my usual seat halfway to the back. Then a guy got on that I've never seen (or at least never noticed).

There was some minor commotion; sounded like he couldn't find his pass or ticket or something. He had his hands full so sat down to look for it in the inside pocket of his coat. Problem right there - he couldn't get his coat unzipped. He put all his stuff between his knees to hold onto it, kept tugging at his zipper, and kept talking the whole time he was working at it. I closed my eyes as I usually do, only to open them a few seconds later and see him pulling his coat over his head. Problem right there - his shirt came with it and we had a half-naked (and fully unattractive) man on the bus.

He did find his ticket. Eventually. And put his shirt and coat back on. None too soon. I believe, as the news always says, "alcohol may have been involved."

Coming home, I got to sit behind a lady that about as tall as me and about the same build - in other words, short and fat. That's where the resemblance ends. She has and ENORMOUS pile of hair on top of her head. Her bangs and other "front hair" is curled and looks relatively normal for an older lady, including the dark auburn color. Then you see this ENORMOUS pile of hair on top of her head, with a bright scarf wrapped around the sides of it, but not covering the top. Kind of like when you wrap a dishcloth around a hot pan to carry it. But the hair wasn't just hair - it's dread locks! It just didn't seem to fit her age, or her attire (polyester pants and jacket). Was she a middle class gypsy? A medium leaving her day job? She looked like a Rasta Lunch Lady, actually. Very interesting.

Obuservation #2

Coming home today, I got to listen to the guy behind me in a conversation that I could only decide was a phone interview (he was interviewing the other person):

"It's a commitment. You have to decide that you're either going to do it or not, no coming in whenever you feel like it. We have to be able to count on you. Things have to be on a schedule or they die. Feeding, watering, lights...all have to be done on a routine. It takes 9 weeks to grow, then harvest. The medical marijuana field isn't an easy one to be in."

Why do I never see those jobs posted?

I wonder if it comes with benefits?

Would I even care after the first week?

Obuservation #1

I ride the bus to work. I see and hear a lot of things that I usually end up making comments about, to myself, in my head. On really good ones, I tell a friend the story. I'm going to start putting them down here and calling them "Obuservations."

My favorite so far? The young woman who got on the bus, obviously/hugely pregnant, towing a toddler behind her. An older woman (I'm assuming her mother) was with her. In a not-such-an-inside voice, the mother said to her "I think you should tell him. After all, he might be the father."

Do people think a little cone of silence descends around them on the bus and others can't hear? Don't they think some conversations should be private? Don't you wonder who the father is and how many candidates there might be?