SwimFinsSF

Eliptical Observations

Ever take the time to observe random people as they live their lives? People you don’t know? Ever wonder what the rest of their story is? what you can’t know just by looking?……. Or can you?

Picture this: Its early on a tuesday morning. From the window at the gym I can see a guy standing at the Muni stop waiting for the F-Market to show up. He’s probably in his early 30’s. Standing there, with a slight ponch to his stomach, wearing a montley outfit. His hat that looks like like a cross between a cowboy hat and an austrialian outback hat (the kind with the big floppy brim – pinned up on one side – though his was down). His shirt is powder blue with that little piping above the snap pockets that look like they belong in a rodeo. His pants aren’t quite jeans… they aren’t quite cords… they aren’t quite slacks. they’re something somewhere in that odd place where all three would intersect… His shoes are tennis shoes that have seen a lot of wear… brown… floppy… with three darker brown stripes on the outsides and frayed laces that seem to refuse to stay tied.

In one arm he carries a a small boom box… you know – the kind that you find at target for $30 or so – rounded corners – about the size of a couple of boxes of kleenex – cassette tape player… And its in a plastic bag… like a vegetable bag with a twist-tie keeping it shut.

In the other hand he has a vinyl bag that almost resembles a bowling ball bag.. almost but not quite… with stripes down the side and plastic handles. And the zipper on the top is open because it is too full to close without ripping the zipper away from the vinyl. And through the top you can see what looks to be a Whitman’s Sampler peeking through the gap.

While waiting for the street car he leans over the rail to catch the attention of someone he knows. The person stands facing him and away from me. He (or she) is wearing all black including a black cowboy hat – a real one – like the bad guy on bonanza would wear.. A black leather jacket, black jeans, and black boots.. And out from under the hat you can see shoulder length wavy light blonde hair flowing out.. Slightly unkempt but not ratty… They talk briefly before the street car shows up and he scurrys off, bags in hand to head off for the day.

Now take it from there: What is this guy’s story? Where is he off to? Where has he come from? What is his story?

Here’s my guess… what is yours?
› Continue reading

Childhood Story #1

This might be total random sillyness but I thought it might be fun to post some random stories of mine from when I was a kid… Dunno why… Maybe to spark conversation.. Maybe just so I can squirrel them away for when I start loosing my mind (or when I finish rather! ;))… anyway… here is the first one that comes to mind..

I was born in Chicago and we lived there for the first couple of years of my life… Evanston actually.. A suburb of Chicago where Northwestern University is (where my dad went to school)…

When I was really little my mom tells me I used to LOVE to sit on the porch in the afternoon and watch the kids come home from school… Kind of true to form actually – I’m still a HUGE people watcher… Sitting in an airport and watching the weird people is one of my FAVORITE things…

Anyway… she’d plop me on the front stoop round 1 or 2 in the afternoon with a little red box of raisins and I’d be entertained watching the kids go by while she did work round the house.

Apparently one of these days she came out to check on me and found me sitting there with a box of grasshoppers instead of my usual raisins and i had one in my hand bout to munch on it… Best we can figure either one of the kids passing decided to be clever and replace my raisins with grasshoppers or I had collected them myself… Probably the former..

Does raise the question of where my mom was at the time but thats really just paranoia of todays world – when I was a kid it wouldn’t have even occurred to folks that it might not be a good idea to leave me alone on the porch… Think the mindset was that I wasn’t likely to get hurt myself and if I did probably wouldn’t what ever I did to hurt myself again.. And why would anyone else mess with a little kid…

Why would anyone mess with a little kid anyway? Kids are the most precious thing in the world!

Though the grasshoppers don’t bother me… kinda funny really! :):)

And now… for something completely different

World needs a little whimsy and a giggle right now.. I sure do… This was the first poem I ever memorized in school… Class thought I was insane… Maybe I am! ;)…

Night Kids! :)…

JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought —
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

“And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.