People watching.....

Today I offered to take a friend to the courthouse because they needed a ride. I figured I would be there for a couple hours so I prepared a gigantic thermos of coffee and took a good book. In reality I was there for over 4 hours because a high profile case went before hers and she had to wait longer than usual.

I decided to wait in my car, figuring it would be more comfortable and also offer a greater variety of people to watch. I used my handicapped placard and found a great parking spot close to the main entrance of the building offering a wonderful view of the variety of people coming and going. I would say that I spent equal time people watching as I did reading my book while I waited. Its been a long time since I've people watched and I think its good for your soul. Some people may make you envious but then others make you grateful to be in your own skin. Most of the time, the gratefulness outshines the envy. The first essential item you need is a good pair of dark sunglasses so you can check out things without being caught doing it. I watched all colors, all sizes and all ages....not to mention social skills ranging from restrained and respectable to slovenly and ignorant. The only thing these people had in common other than being mammals, was that everyone was in a hurry! Your imagination can go wild on such watching excursions as you picture what sort of lifestyle each person may lead. After devoting much time to this delightful pass-time, I have ascertained the following:

~ Old, untanned men should never wear shorts
~ Old, untanned men should never wear sandals with socks
~ Old, untanned men should never wear sandals with brown socks
~ Heavy women should not wear crop tops
~ Heavy women should not wear shorts
~ Pregnant women should not wear skin tight clothing
~ Bright red lipstick and blue eyeshadow on an 80 yr old is not recommended
~ Long dread locks just don't do a thing for old gray-haired men
~ If you have a huge beer belly, buy shirts big enough to cover it
~ Pants worn so the crotch is knee level is just plain wrong
~ Why do some women think that ankle length skirts and over blouses look good together.
~ I was impressed that so many women dressed so professionally. They looked good!!!
~ I was dismayed that so many women dressed so horribly to go to work (had work badges on)
~ Brown dress shoes with a navy suit.....ummmm not so good
~ Some professional men were a wrinkled mess
~ Some professional men were picture perfect without a wrinkle in sight
~ I get bonus points for spying one person who forgot to take the size tag off their pantleg
~ One woman saw me watch her throw her chewing gum in the flowers (boy, did she look guilty)

We are a nation of opposites for sure and that's what makes people watching so much fun. But I'll tell ya, the ones who were dressed weird and acted weird were the ones that caught your attention and held it more than the others. One women hacked up and spit on the sidewalk.....I'd never seen a woman do that before. I was embarrassed for her.

One women came out and went back in several times and she was absolutely striking. With every hair in place and a neat black suit with heels, she was a head-turner. She had to be someone's executive secretary.....or at least she looked the part.

I could not believe how tired I was from just sitting there waiting......and watching. I had to come home and take a nap.

Is that ink red?.....

I never heard him enter my office. I just looked up and he was......there. He had a presence about him, no getting around that. He was dressed entirely in black except for a dress shirt that was blindingly white, buttoned up to his neck tightly with no tie. His complexion was swarthy and his hair, black. In his accent that had a familiar ring to it, he asked if I was a notary and I said I was. He asked if I would notarize two pieces of paper for him. I said yes, of course and asked him for picture identification. He said he would show me his passport.

He slowly set his black briefcase on the counter in front of my desk and opened it. He removed two pieces of paper and handed them to me. The contents were typewritten but not in English. It looked close to Russian but I knew it was not....maybe Croation, I was thinking.

I asked him the question that I always ask and am required to ask....."do you understand what you are signing?". I do not need to know the content, only that the person understands it. He looked at me and nodded yes. He reached into his briefcase and withdrew his passport and handed it to me. It was new. I glanced at his picture....his head was slightly down and his eyes were looking up. It was chilling. He signed his name and I compared the signatures.....they matched. Suppressing the eerie feeling I had, I notarized the documents and curiosity made me quickly scan the passport for his vitals before handing it back to him. Place of birth.....Romania.

Holy crap! Carpathian Mountains!....Transylvania!.... garlic, holy water, somebody gimme a mirror! So many thoughts were buzzing in my head, its a miracle I could sign anything.

Hmmmm.....no driver's license? He inquired what the charge would be and I advised it was free as a service to our residents. He left without a smile and only a solemn "thank you", as quietly and quickly as he had entered. I was afraid to look out the window for fear of seeing a black hearse. Man, I have just GOT to quit looking at scary movies!! Imagination in overdrive over here!

I wonder what those documents SAID?

People watching at Wacky-mart.....

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and my daughter, granddaughter and I decided to go out for some breakfast and then hit Wacky-mart....my nickname for you-know-who.

A booster seat law passed yesterday and my daughter found out that the one she's been using is now obsolete and has to be replaced. The ticket for not having the right seat is $165. So that was the impetus for shopping yesterday.

Our breakfast was great. I'm an avid people-watcher and there wasn't much to offer at the restaurant. They were not crowded at all. So I figured my trip to Wacky-mart would prove to be much more abundant....it did not disappoint.

She dropped me off at the door and went out to park. I find it very painful to walk very far, unless I can rest here and there and get off of that pesky knee of mine. So I went inside in hopes of getting a rider cart but they were all in use. That's the first time that's happened to me. I told my daughter to go ahead and start shopping and I'd catch up with her. I sat on the bench to wait for one and people-watched while I was at it.

So many interesting people, so many interesting outfits! I can't believe people go out in public like some of them do. I was rewarded by the mother-lode when a family who looked like extras from the Deliverence set came in. I was in people watcher heaven! You have to be cool when you're doing this....you have to pretend you're reading a circular or better yet, a book. If you get caught looking at them, you immediately blank out your face and smile a sweeeet smile...nothing judgemental or threatening. I could not believe these people. They were fascinating and scary to boot. I sure would hate living next door to them.....but had to stop and think...that somebody probably does. Unless they live in the woods and they just may.

I finally got my rider cart and came across these people several times in the store. The only one who seemed to notice me.....or should I say notice my purse...was the male teenager of the group. I could almost read his mind.......If I grab that purse and take off running, that old bag would never catch me. After he eyed it enough it dawned on him that THIS old bag has been around the block. I always loop my purse handle around my wrist and then grab hold of the cart handles. No way anyone can grab and run. The last time he looked at my purse he looked up from it to me and we had eye contact.....I did not look away first.

Its a scary world out there, Peeps.

Anyway, I spent more than I intended ..... Cha Ching .... but most of what I bought I really did need. Replenishing supplies, so to speak. The only extravagance were some DVD's. They are on sale for $5. and I came across some good ones. Ack (hitting my head with hand) It dawned on me later, after we were home, that I should have additionally gotten the cheaper booster seat for MY car, since the car seat I have is now obsolete as well. The seat I got for my daughter's every day use was $50 and the cheaper one, which just consists of a seat (no back) is $19.00. I'll have to send her back to get that one for me today or tomorrow. I'm expecting them to be sold out, if things go as usual. From what I understand, the idea behind these new seats and the new law is that a child over 40 lbs needs to be constrained by the VEHICLE'S chest seat belts and not the car seat's. So these are designed to do that. I guess they have to sit in these until they weigh 100 lbs. Sigh.....money money. $$$ But if it saves the life of just one child, its worth it.