urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:my_prettypretty Let's find its hidden treasures, you and me. Don't let the world win. [-hope] [+romantic] 2038-01-19T03:14:07Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:my_prettypretty:2223 2038-01-19T03:14:07Z 2038-01-19T03:14:07Z This afternoon I went to a coffee shop and did a little reading and a lot of people watching. It's amazing how much the clientele varies from one corner cafe to the next here in California, where hippies and yuppies co-exist. Oddly, I variously identify with the hippies at times, and the yuppies at other times, and with neither group at all at yet other times. These times of disidentification are when I can truly detach myself and observe the strange behaviour of this fascinating creature.<br /><br />Stories from my coffee house people-watching deserve a blog unto themselves, so I postpone them for another day. Instead, I share with you my observations of one particularly sad individual I stumbled upon after leaving the coffee house.<br /><br />I ran into Trader Joe's quickly to pick up some salad fixins to have with dinner. Trader Joe's is all organic-y and attracts yet another strange mix of clientele, but it also attracts activists with petitions at the edge of its property. Today's activist was older than most, probably in her late 50s or early 60s. And she was louder than most, announcing her cause over and over again (as well as advertising with a huge sign: 'PROTECT THE ANIMALS') instead of approaching Trader Joe's customers individually and calmly and politely explaining the petition and asking for a signature, which is what most of these people do.<br /><br />I was a little annoyed by her brazen behaviour and apparent lack of respect for the Trader Joe's lurking activists who preceded her. But I was also touched that a woman her age and apparent social status was willing to give her time to such a thankless cause as animal rights. On my way out of the store I intended to stop and hear about her issue and appologize for not being able to sign her petition (since I'm not yet a registered citizen of California).<br /><br />Just before I approached her, however, a father and his 4- or 5-year-old son walked past her on the sidewalk. The little boy had a helium balloon tied to his wrist. The woman began berating the little boy for carrying the balloon! She told him that all of the gas in the balloon would leak out and pollute our air, and that after he threw them away. the rubber balloon and the ribbon it was tied to would end up in a stream somewhere where bunnies and ducks would choke and strangle themselves on the garbage.<br /><br />When the father told his son not to listen and to keep walking, the woman persisted and started to follow them across the parking lot. Finally the father confronted the woman, saying that perhaps she should learn to get along with people before she tried to help the animals.<br /><br />What a crazy bitch! What else can I say? Crazy friggin nuts-and-berries psycho bitch.