Lunch

Today I went to grab a quick lunch in the middle of my workday. I only work 5 hours a day so I technically only have the right to a 15 minute break. This allows me enough time to get lunch but not to eat it, I have to eat it in quick bites while I'm working. (Stupid I know but in order to get a full hour lunch break I'd have to work 8 hours and um, well, no thank you).

So I was standing in line to order when I hear the door of the restaurant open and a man and a woman stepped in. I couldn't see them but I could hear them talking and instantly I told myself, wait isn't that the guy I knew...I turned around and yep, I had recognized the voice of this guy I used to have a class with THREE YEARS AGO.

I hadn't seen him or spoken to him since, isn't that amazing? I wonder how long our minds retain what certain people's voices sound like...and why?

Something that made me smile: When I was getting my coffee this morning two men walked into the Starbucks talking and standing there looking important and professional. For some reason it just tickled me because even though they were both older gentlemen, sharply dressed, with folders under one arm and coffee in the other they suddenly seemed to me like two cute little boys trying to act serious but failing miserably.

Something that made me say WTF: Passing by the basketball court at the public park I saw a boy riding round and round on his bicycle singing at the top of his lungs "Hey, sexy Mamaa, hey sexy Mamaa" over and over again while his father chatted on his phone nearby. Ahhh, kids.

This week I started a new job. Its perfect for me really, nobody bothers me, I have my own desk, my co-workers are young and casual, and all I do is sit there and transcribe sound recordings. The downside is the office is located deep inside a dark, maze-like building on campus which is currently undergoing construction. This place is a serial killer's wet dream; its vast, dimly lit, leaky, the entire front is masked by huge curtains to hide ongoing construction from curious onlookers, and the hallway is outfitted with giant, floor to ceiling, iron poles for god knows what purpose. You couldn't run away from danger if you tried. I shudder to think.

Bus Stop Hobos

The library near my house is shut down for a month (waaah!) because they're moving across the street so the old building can be demolished and rebuilt. Although this is badly needed (the building is so small and cramped for all the books and people using it) I ended up having to catch the bus today to another library which is a little further off.

This other library was much bigger and MUCH better stocked than the one that I'm used to. For a book lover like me it was heaven! I felt like a kid let run in a candy store, after about half an hour I tottered over to get my stack of books checked out. I even had to buy a library bag from them so I could easily take my load home. XD

While I was waiting for the bus to go home, a grungy bearded surfer type guy sitting on the bench beside me struck up a conversation. Here we go I thought...

Dude: Hey, don't you want to sit down?
Me: Um, no thanks.
Dude: Well what if I got up would you sit down then?
Me: No...I prefer standing.
Dude: So are you from India?
Me: No I'm not.
*he makes a gesture to indicate my scarf*
Me: Thats because of my religion, not where I come from.
Dude: What religion is that?
Me: Islam.
Dude: What?
Me: IS-LAM
Dude: Yeah...well...I'm Christian Science...
Me: Good to know.
Dude: But I'm sort of a hypocrite because I haven't been practicing you know...I'm just sort of messed up from my childhood you know

At this point his bus comes (thank the lord) and he staggers up to wait in line but before getting on he reveals this tidbit:

Dude: Yeah you know those Jehovah Witnesses try to talk to me and all but you know when I was a kid I was molested by the television for a couple of years [Uhhh...WTF!?!] yeah...Gods a female anyways.

Oh dear me. Welcome to public transportation! I'm just relieved he was a harmless hobo, albeit crazy and disturbing...harmless all the less. I've been through worse but I haven't heard something that messed up in a while.

What the heck did he mean? On second thought..I don't wanna know! Let me just go back to enjoying my stash of books. :D

Disposable Camera

Yesterday I did a very random thing; I bought a disposable camera. You know, one of those 27 exposures yellow Kodak cameras that people usually buy when they go on trips and have forgotten their camera or well...I don't know what else people use them for honestly since everyone has gone digital.

Its been in my mind to buy one ever since the beginning of summer. I had cleaned out my room completely and as I was going through some old photos of mine I realized all of a sudden that I didn't have a photo of myself or my family (an actual physical photo) since 7 years ago!

We have plenty of digital photos, in fact hundreds, but because we can always easily see them on the computer and because we would have to pay money to get them printed, we've never bothered to do anything about them.

So on a whim I bought this camera yesterday. I immediately started taking photos of my brothers in the most casual and random poses. Looking back now on the pictures that I have, these are the types I like the best, when everyone is just being normal. And that's what I want to remember.