6422 - palm-email post, re:bus stop

[scottobear]

There's some sort of recognition that an older woman at the bus terminal gives me every day. I don't know if I remind her of someone she knows from elsewhere, or if I just strike her as a suspicious character, but she gives me the hairy eyeball first thing she sees me. The first time it happened, I looked to see if perhaps I'd spilled some toothpaste o my shirt or something, but no, she's just putting on a pickle-puss for some reason of her own. She's got a lot of smile-lines around her eyes...I'd like to see them put to use.

I see at least two different types of evangelism most mornings...the JW's at the bus stop daily, and sometimes a pair or trio of Mormon guys on bikes in ties. It's to the Mormons' credit that they always appear genuinely friendly, as opposed to the blank-looking Jehovah's Witnesses. Very rarely, there is a Hare Krishnan (Is that the proper term?) riding the bus, too they, like the LDS missionaries are quite friendly and willing to cheerfully talk with you, though they look for a handout at the end of the conversation. Talking with a nice person can make travel fun, even if you dont share the same theology.

Maybe its because the JW's have been told to stop the hard sell at the terminal, that they're now are silent, standing at every so many stops, holding copies of Awake! and Watchtower face outward in offering for people to take them. Not a word is said... and even more eerily, not a smile or acknowledgement. You could get the same results by dressing some manikins in fairly nice clothes...well, maybe not. There's less chance of someone defacing stuff with an actual human nearby.

I wonder how the folks that work at the terminal feel about people that aren't there to use the facilities in the way that they were intended. I imagine most don't care, though I suspect at least a couple must get annoyed at the extra people taking up space and blocking the flow of commuters. There are always at least three or four police officers at the terminal, so real social problems rarely happen they arrest the occasional drunk or angry pair of guys scuffling, but aside from that, it seems to be an easy gig.


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Comments

dang! u get hairy eyeballed too?

[phillykat.livejournal.com]

u know what i say, eyeball her back with a fair amount of hair. or just ask her "did i spill coffee on me or something?"

wow, the jw's don't speak at your bus stop? u lucky dog! i agree about the mormons.

Re: dang! u get hairy eyeballed too?

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm pretty nonconfrontational, when it comes to kooky little old ladies. She's welcome to her personal pickle-puss. If her opionion meant something to me, I'd ask her.

The JW's are stoically silent at the bus stop. I think that some sort of law or rule was passed about harassment, so they stay within some pretty stringent guidelines while on city property.

[happykitty69.livejournal.com]

hihi! I made my way here via tarpo's journal. Anywhoo . . . UR funny. Also, the proper way to refer to a Hare Krsna devotee is just to call them a Hare Krsna (one who chants Krsna). My uncle, Krsna bless his freaky soul, is a big time Hare Krsna, that's how I know. Just thought I'd share that w/u.

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Hi, welcome to the journal! Thanks for the kind words and correction. :)

Cheers!

[happykitty69.livejournal.com]

Sweet! I'm adding you as a friendy-friend.

^_^ Happy day.

Also, we did have a third angel fish, Jill. But she died. Shit happens.

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Ah, more's the pity. I guess the six-million dollar fish told her to ask for more money, eh?

[happykitty69.livejournal.com]

Good one! HA!

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

oh, and your angelfish are named after my two favorites! :)