And the Chicken Lady strikes again

This morning the chicken lady was sitting on my bus at the very front. I didn't notice she was there at first until someone across from her starting speaking loudly to her. She was talking back almost equally as loudly. Then I realized what was going on: The chicken lady had placed all of her bags holding her newspapers (and fried chicken legs) and she wasn't moving them. Many people walked past her seat after asking to sit there and she ignored them. Finally, the person across the aisle had had enough and asked her politely then angrily (when she didn't move her bags) to free up the seat for someone to sit. Seriously, we all pay the same $109 for our monthly passes and should be polite to our fellow commuters. She chooses not to be polite. Apparently, and I didn't know this, she does this every morning: she gets on the bus, plops herself and her baggage onto a double seat and doesn't budge for anyone. We in the front of the bus found this all out when she got off the bus at Port Imperial. Everyone around her and bacj four aisles started recounting their experiences with her and responses about her attitude and rudeness. A lady across from me looked at me and said (with a great northern NJ Italian accent and inflection), "Eh, what are ya gonna do? The bus drivah doesn't say anything, she's a miserable person, best that she gets off with all her bags. Such a shame."

Who knew others noticed her? I wonder if she knows that other people around her see her.

The Ice Bucket Incident

This afternoon just before a meeting, I was outside taking a break from the hecticity of the day. Across the way a man was being called off a planter in front of the building having tried to gaze into the Ground Zero chasm. This is standard practice since it's not only a possible security issue, but more importantly a safety concern.

The gentleman complied and looked at me for "confirmation" that he had been treated fairly. I showed him the "Please Stay Off The Planter" sign and we started up a conversation about Ground Zero. His wife joined us as I was telling how to get to the PATH station to look into the construction site, if they still have it open.

At that moment it hit me that this man was wearing a baseball cap with "ECU - East Carolina University" on it. My father taught and practiced clinical psychology at that university, all my siblings attended that university, and I had piano, art, language, voice, violin, and some science classes there when I was in elementary school. When I mentioned this to them, he extended his hand and asked me my name, and we chatted about their graduation dates. It was quite exhilerating to talk to someone from my hometown in NC.

Well, one thing led to another and we discovered that I grew up with his son, Eric. He got so excited that he called Eric and we said, "Howdy" for a minute or so. His mom once I got off the phone said, "So, were you with Eric on the DC trip with the ice bucket incident?".

I said, "Yes, ma'am, I was, but I don't remember who it was that actually did it.".

The "incident" transpired on Thomas Circle in DC at the then Holiday Inn in the red light district of DC. The boys in the room next to mine dumped a bucket of ice onto an unsuspecting prostitute down on the street. I couldn't believe that that was such a big deal that PARENTS would remember it. I remember us boys talking about doing it in the hallway, but then when I was watching out the window, I couldn't tell who actually threw out the ice. It was her son, Eric.

Well, didn't we have a good laugh! That certainly brightened my day for sure and put a smile on my face that hasn't disappeared since. The "ice bucket incident". Who knew?