Crazy and Crazy

I was on a bus from the Dulles airport to downtown D.C. this past week. There was a homeless woman on the bus as well. She had been working some of the tourists for bus fare prior to getting on the bus. Talking to herself and spouting comments to appear more outrageous than she was, in my opinion.
She boarded the bus, without enough fare, and proceeded to yell at the driver that she was looking for the fare and/or she would do whatever it was she had done last week to get on the bus. I did not really catch the entire conversation at this point because I realized she was simply a hustler and I don't bite.
But, as her luck would have it, a good looking Indian businessman boarded the bus (after her rant) and she appealed to his upperclass guilt, with doe eyes and a quiet, sad story (which I couldn't hear at this point, not because I wasn't trying, but because she had lowered her tone to evoke sympathy) and he gave her the couple dollars she was missing.
As we crossed into the city, the driver pointed out the Arlington cemetery, and the Pentagon, and  as he was giving directions to the Memorial and the White House, this "crazy" woman burst into song. The Nigerian national anthem. Void of any respect for those of us, he was speaking to on the bus, and void of any respect for the historical information he was volunteering about this, OUR, great nation's capital. This woman simply interrupted to redirect attention to herself and basically cockblock the impromptu tour he was giving the tourist (me) on the bus.
See, I spoke to the driver before I boarded. I told him I was traveling. He knew where I was going and that I needed direction, not only to my destination, but back to the bus to get back to the airport as well. So, his information was important to me personally, but she didn't know how many people on that bus wanted to hear what he had to say, she was simply being rude.
She assumed everyone would assume she was crazy. That is the conclusion people jump to when people do not follow the rules of society. Crazy. But, I know better. Hustler. Indignant, rude hustler. Pissed because she assumes she knows something about the Americans on this bus with her. The Americans that have money to dispense on frivolities, money to spend on this great life, money to throw away...so why shouldn't we give it to her? I'll tell you why. I have a big heart, and have no problem giving. What I have a problem with is those who take advantage.  She saw that businessman coming a mile away. She also saw me, and knew better. I don't play those games. Hustlers know what a mark looks like - this is why I knew she was a hustler. She chose whom to beg from. Hungry will ask everyone on the bus; everyone in the terminal for even just a quarter to get a bite to eat. Hustler's choose a mark to get as much as they can, and avoid those that will call them out.
So, I was already agitated by her presence. I hate people that take advantage of others. Get a fucking job...just like I did. Just like everyone else on that bus did.
On with the story...
As the bus driver was giving information on our nations capital, she began to sing. She intentionally sang over the words of the driver, and her loud rendition of the Nigerian national anthem was a vocal protest of this country. She could have been rude and chanted anything she wanted, but she wanted to prove a point and sing her country's national anthem. Again, fine, but if one is so inclined to overtalk someone to prove a point, ie "I have no respect for what you are saying, or your country", why don't you take your ass back to Nigeria? Sing it loud and sing it proud, but those of us who love this country and are not begging money off of other nationals would appreciate if you shut your mouth when you're talking at me.
Hustlers aren't crazy, they are leeches. Plain and simple.
And I'm not crazy enough to give you a red cent. Rude.

Crazy

I overheard a conversation the other day between a young guy and a young girl.

Girl: "Don't you like Susie?"

Guy: "She's a little crazy."

Girl: "Guy's like crazy."

Guy: "True"

I had a guy friend in college who always dated girls who were a little crazy. Crazy-fun in the beginning, then crazy-wacko in the end. We had a conversation about this fascination he had with women who were just plain nuts, and he said flat out, "the sex is better".

And to men it's that simple, the sex with a crazy woman is so good, it warrants the risk of personal safety.

The phrase, "lady in the street and whore in the bedroom" rings a bell here, as I wonder, how many men follow this train of thought. Everyone likes a little excitement in their life, sure. Most people want to find a mate they can take out in public, to business functions, to meet their families, etc. But does the craving for something outrageous outrank the societal standard for something normal?

And what is normal?

I wanted to jump into this conversation and tell this guy - "the sex will not be worth it, don't do it - it won't be worth the slashed tires and the spray-painted profanities at your job, or having your mom pissed off that someone keeps calling your house and hanging up, and these are the best case scenarios. "
But, instead I just walked away and shook my head, thinking about my friend from college who found the windows of his Range Rover smashed after he publicly dumped this crazy girl over a radio broadcast.

Running Naked in the Street

This morning as I drove my daughter to school, I saw a man running butt-ass naked down Alameda in front of Country Club about 3 blocks from the neighborhood elementary school. I drive this route everyday and as I saw him coming towards me, in the center of the road, I noticed he seemed frazzled. This is not a normal activity in my neighborhood. I usually see the same police officer waiting for speeders to blow through the school zone. I see my Starbucks lovers waiting to get a parking space in the lot. I see parents walking their children to school. I generally do not see naked men trotting down the center of the street.

As he got closer, I noticed a bizarre look in his eye. He was also slowing down his pace. I don't know if it was the weather or the hill, but he was coming to the end of his run. Even if he had worn shoes and socks, the 32 degree weather would have eventually slowed his pace. I remembered briefly a naked Halloween run in Boulder where the participants wear pumpkins on their heads and thought maybe this was a college or youthful shoot-off of this activity. But, I saw this "look" in his eye that convinced me otherwise.

This wasn't a college prank. This guy was off.

I continued on to my house - I have 30 minutes to get the 2nd kid off to school.

As I drove the same route, in reverse, to take my son to school, I had a conversation with him about crazy and the people who wear it well. I told him about the guy running and talked to him about a little girl who was snatched yesterday and how her body was found last night and why I warn him not to talk to strangers. I noticed a few police cars in the neighborhood so I slowed and asked one of the officers if they were responding to the "naked guy running down the street" and they said yes. I then asked if it was a prank, or if there was something wrong with him and they responded "bi-polar." I talked to my son about people that are having a hard time functioning right now, not only because of any pre-determined illness, or psychosis, but also because of the state of affairs the world is in right now. People can't afford their medications. People are homeless and jobless. The world is in crisis and people are acting out.

Then I got home and read this:


Taurus (4/20-5/20)
When you're driving in your car, you realize that you are not the only driver on the road -- after all, you must be aware of what other people are doing to be as safe as you can be. This awareness should apply to all areas of your life right now. Take note of who is around you and how they are behaving. Be careful of how others may affect day's scheduled route. Plan a detour, just in case.

I have never had such a literal synopsis of my day (or my morning), but I appreciated the heads up...if only I had read it before I left the house this morning. As usual, I believe the universe is speaking to me and I will detour this afternoon, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to warn my kids to be aware.