Saturday, January 23, 2010

People

Let me be the first to admit that I really don't like most "people".   Not as individuals, but groups.  Large groups.    Too many people in one place tends to distract me, I'd hate to say confuse, but that is really what it is.   They are loud, usually moving around a lot, bump into you becuase they are not paying attention to what they are doing, you get the idea.

So I knew my Friday trip to work and home would be worse than normal.   The bus ride and subway are okay, those are people who are going to and from work.   They are usually well behaved and relatively quiet.   But Friday there was a march in Washington.   I knew that.  Even thought about calling in sick just to avoid the crowds that I knew would be around the office I'm currently working in.   But my bar for calling in sick was only if it also snowed Friday morning.    Then I felt justified.   You can't really call in sick because of "people".   I forgot about the "people" until lunch time, when I had ill-advisedly forgotten my lunch so  I had to go out.   OMG.   They were everywhere.   Every eating establishment - except the really expensive ones - had lines out the door.   So I sighed, and went to the drug store and bought frozen mac n cheese.

Then I fought my way back to my office,  where children, and let me be really clear about this, they were high schoolers and younger.    I really wondered what their parents were thinking.  And did these kids really know what the entire issue is really about?     But  that subject is for another time.    Not only were they sitting everywhere, steps, planters, middle of the sidewalks,  but they were feeding the stinkin pigeons.    And do you know what pigeons do when they fly away?     I  kept praying that I could just get into the buiding without tripping over a kid or getting pooped on by a bird.    The poor security guards inside the buiding were beside themselves too.    Tenants were complaining, and "people" wanted to to come into the building . . . isn't this a public building?   don't you have bathrooms?    No, government workers are not allowed  to use the bathroom during working hours.  HA  

I left work 2 hours early.   All those "people" would be done with their rally around 5 pm and they would be needing the subway.    I had NO desire to fight for space on the train on a friday night.   It was worth loosing some money by leaving early.   

And am I glad I did!    I forgot about having to change trains half way home.  Since I couldn't take the bus from my normal train stop, my wonderful husband was coming to the end of the line to pick me up, but in order for me to get there I had to change trains.  Not a big deal, just made me miss estimate by 20 minutes my arrival time.  

So, I got on the 2nd train, practically ran to one of the few available seats and plopped my little hiney down and took out my knitting.    After a few minutes, the woman I was sharing the seat with asked what I was knitting, I looked up at her and paused.   Then said to myself no.    So I told her a scarf.   She said oh, I'm working on a sock.   And proceeded to pull it out to show me.   A beautiful sock.   with well defined design pattern and even tiny stitches.   I looked at her again and said no.  

We talked for a few minutes, and finally I looked her right in her sun glassessed eye and said.  Your Wendy.

I didn't jump up and down and proclaim her excellence to the other riders of the trail, how gauch, but she took her glasses off, held out her hand and said why yes I am.     Wendy Johnson.   Sitting right there on the metro next to me.    Then we had a wonderful conversation about knitting, LYS and the like.   I hope that I maintained my cool for the entire maybe 10 minutes conversation.   As soon as she got off at her stop, before the doors even closed I called my sister

GUESS WHO I JUST SAT NEXT TO ON THE TRAIN?!?!?!?!?!

Okay, so maybe I should still be in high school.

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