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Just had the oddest experience on the way back from the pharmacy and fruit & vegetable market. I'd walked to the pharmacy and fruit and vegetable market after work - to pick up a few things. It's about 100 degrees outside, so was wearing some lavender pink sandals that I'd bought from Ryka.
On the way back, carrying three shopping bags and my purse across my chest - half way into my building, almost to the foyer - this kid pulled up beside me walking his bike. The bike was dirty, with wide tire treads, and red.
He was short - came to about my shoulder, dark-skinned, and spoke with an accent. My guess, Bengali or Pakistani. In his twenties, maybe younger.
Just as I'm opening the door of my building he pulls up next to me.
Kid: Excuse me, can you tell me where the subway is?
Me: Well it's not in this direction. It's the opposite direction, around the block and next to the Wallgreens.
I open the door and proceed into the foyer of the building - this is where all the door buzzers are.
Kid: Excuse me, I really like your shoes.
Me: Uhm, thank you.
Kid: Where'd you get them?
ME: Ryka - it's online.
Kid: Would you mind if I took a picture?
(I've begun to open the second pair of heavy glass doors and am halfway through, looking at him. He's pulled up on the opposite side of me, near the wall. I am three twice his size - in height and weight. Bengali and Pakistani men in my area are tiny. Actually most of the men in my area are tiny. To be this in perspective? I am 6 feet tall, over 200 pounds, some of that muscle, big boned, and this guy was 5'6, and maybe 100 pounds.)
Me: You want to take a picture of my shoes?
Kid: Yeah.
Me: Okay. (I stick my feet out, and he tries with his phone, which looks like a scanner.)
Kid: Would you mind maybe taking them off?
Me: You want me to take off my shoes?
Kid: Yes to get a picture of them?
Me: I'm not taking my shoes off for you. (I am carrying three bags, one is heavy with a pickle jar, and drinks in it. Plus my satchel/purse, and holding the door open.)
Kid: Oh, sorry, sorry, of course. Could I see the bottom?
Me: You know you can just google it online. Also these are women's shoes.
(I show him the bottom.)
Kid: I know, I want to buy a pair for a friend of mine. What size are they?
ME: 11.
Kid: Can I measure them? (He takes out a tape measure.)
Me: Uhm, no - this is getting a bit personal here. I'm not letting you measure my shoes - if you want them, google them on Ryka (R Y K A) and look it up yourself. Goodbye.
I go through the door, and make sure it shuts behind me. He didn't follow me through. And turn back to look at him. Others pass by him. He looks at the names on the wall with the buzzers then leaves the building while I get my mail, slightly unnerved.
I call mother and tell her the story.
( Read more... )
***
Crazy workplace felt the need to reassure us that nothing had changed since the Governor resigned. Except, it does mean that his so-called "cabal" is leaving, and he's not going to be micro-managing us any longer. The Lt. Governor is more moderate and less into micromanaging. The focus of the agency may shift from big shiny politically driven projects to maintenance and ridership. We'll see.
I was working remotely today. Which was a good thing with all the teams meetings.( Read more... )
I don't know why government agencies appear to attract indecisive egotists, but they do. Cubical mate opined the other day that he'd never seen an organization that had more people who got full of themselves just because they had a title.
**
Father is doing better, or okay. But they asked mother today if she wanted a psychiatrist to evaluate him. Mother and I agreed there's no real point. He has Alzheimers - which is a degenerative brain disease, not biochemical or a mental illness. There's no cure or anything you can really do about it or fix it. You can't throw drugs at it - if anything that makes it worse.
**
Folks are wearing masks more in the neighborhood. Most likely due to the Delta Variant, also saw a bunch of people waiting at the pharmacy for a COVID vaccine.
I checked the COVID MAP OF DOOM, which has been updated again. Now it shows the number of cases in the last 28 days. Also, oh lord, Indonesia.
Here's the top ones:
( cases and deaths for top five countries on the chart ranked by highest number of cases and deaths. )
Well, that's depressing.
**
( what we can learn from Britain )
Yet another thunderstorm. No wonder I've been irritable these last few nights. My body and thunderstorms are unmixy things. Good news? At least I don't have the headaches any longer. Also, there was a small brown garden spider in my bathroom that I'd been watching. Last night it hid behind the a scrap of paint hanging down from the ceiling. Tonight, it has disappeared.
The thunderstorm has become intense, with intense down pours, I can almost smell the warm rain blasting the windows, and see the tree branches whipping about outside, with flashes of lightening. It's pattering on the A/C, and on the window panes. Half expect it to find its way inside.
On the way back, carrying three shopping bags and my purse across my chest - half way into my building, almost to the foyer - this kid pulled up beside me walking his bike. The bike was dirty, with wide tire treads, and red.
He was short - came to about my shoulder, dark-skinned, and spoke with an accent. My guess, Bengali or Pakistani. In his twenties, maybe younger.
Just as I'm opening the door of my building he pulls up next to me.
Kid: Excuse me, can you tell me where the subway is?
Me: Well it's not in this direction. It's the opposite direction, around the block and next to the Wallgreens.
I open the door and proceed into the foyer of the building - this is where all the door buzzers are.
Kid: Excuse me, I really like your shoes.
Me: Uhm, thank you.
Kid: Where'd you get them?
ME: Ryka - it's online.
Kid: Would you mind if I took a picture?
(I've begun to open the second pair of heavy glass doors and am halfway through, looking at him. He's pulled up on the opposite side of me, near the wall. I am three twice his size - in height and weight. Bengali and Pakistani men in my area are tiny. Actually most of the men in my area are tiny. To be this in perspective? I am 6 feet tall, over 200 pounds, some of that muscle, big boned, and this guy was 5'6, and maybe 100 pounds.)
Me: You want to take a picture of my shoes?
Kid: Yeah.
Me: Okay. (I stick my feet out, and he tries with his phone, which looks like a scanner.)
Kid: Would you mind maybe taking them off?
Me: You want me to take off my shoes?
Kid: Yes to get a picture of them?
Me: I'm not taking my shoes off for you. (I am carrying three bags, one is heavy with a pickle jar, and drinks in it. Plus my satchel/purse, and holding the door open.)
Kid: Oh, sorry, sorry, of course. Could I see the bottom?
Me: You know you can just google it online. Also these are women's shoes.
(I show him the bottom.)
Kid: I know, I want to buy a pair for a friend of mine. What size are they?
ME: 11.
Kid: Can I measure them? (He takes out a tape measure.)
Me: Uhm, no - this is getting a bit personal here. I'm not letting you measure my shoes - if you want them, google them on Ryka (R Y K A) and look it up yourself. Goodbye.
I go through the door, and make sure it shuts behind me. He didn't follow me through. And turn back to look at him. Others pass by him. He looks at the names on the wall with the buzzers then leaves the building while I get my mail, slightly unnerved.
I call mother and tell her the story.
( Read more... )
***
Crazy workplace felt the need to reassure us that nothing had changed since the Governor resigned. Except, it does mean that his so-called "cabal" is leaving, and he's not going to be micro-managing us any longer. The Lt. Governor is more moderate and less into micromanaging. The focus of the agency may shift from big shiny politically driven projects to maintenance and ridership. We'll see.
I was working remotely today. Which was a good thing with all the teams meetings.( Read more... )
I don't know why government agencies appear to attract indecisive egotists, but they do. Cubical mate opined the other day that he'd never seen an organization that had more people who got full of themselves just because they had a title.
**
Father is doing better, or okay. But they asked mother today if she wanted a psychiatrist to evaluate him. Mother and I agreed there's no real point. He has Alzheimers - which is a degenerative brain disease, not biochemical or a mental illness. There's no cure or anything you can really do about it or fix it. You can't throw drugs at it - if anything that makes it worse.
**
Folks are wearing masks more in the neighborhood. Most likely due to the Delta Variant, also saw a bunch of people waiting at the pharmacy for a COVID vaccine.
I checked the COVID MAP OF DOOM, which has been updated again. Now it shows the number of cases in the last 28 days. Also, oh lord, Indonesia.
Here's the top ones:
( cases and deaths for top five countries on the chart ranked by highest number of cases and deaths. )
Well, that's depressing.
**
( what we can learn from Britain )
Yet another thunderstorm. No wonder I've been irritable these last few nights. My body and thunderstorms are unmixy things. Good news? At least I don't have the headaches any longer. Also, there was a small brown garden spider in my bathroom that I'd been watching. Last night it hid behind the a scrap of paint hanging down from the ceiling. Tonight, it has disappeared.
The thunderstorm has become intense, with intense down pours, I can almost smell the warm rain blasting the windows, and see the tree branches whipping about outside, with flashes of lightening. It's pattering on the A/C, and on the window panes. Half expect it to find its way inside.