Every so often I make my way out of town(Somebody else is in charge as soon as I cross the village limits, just so everything does not “go to hell in a handbasket”. So far, so good.)and I frequently take the opportunity to “people watch” –especially when I go to one of the “BIG” stores, where there are a ton of people–duh.
This leads to random musings, which I am about to inflict upon you.
Idle thought # 1 : What’s with all of the skulls? Every other tat that I see out there–and I see more and more of them–features a skull of some sort. Big ones, little ones, ones with snakes coming out the eye sockets, ones with roses growing out of the nasal opening, or ear holes, skulls in color, skulls that are deeply shadowed, laughing skulls (What does a skull have to laugh about anyway?), skulls that seem to be menacing, skulls that look like your ex (Exanything, that you’re glad to be rid of.). They’re everywhere. Whatever happened to “Mom” or “Semper Fi” or “Anchors Aweigh” (Often acquired on first shore leave with “the big guys”)? And they’re not just displayed on epidermis either. Even I have a rock-n-roll T-shirt from somebody’s World Tour–the somebody was giving them away and I did not look very closely at the shirt; the skull would not have been my first choice, that’s for sure.
Anyway, the variety of “tattoo art” out there is simply amazing also–kids’ names, names of “significant others”, scripture verses, other forms of poetry, insects (Once in my misspent youth I knew a dude who had a fly tattooed on his big toe; girls noticed him on the beach; quite the unusual pick-up approach.), animals of various sorts, commitment to any number of athletic teams (They’re still the ”Indians” to the unconverted.),sayings of some sort in languages–and scripts–not familiar to the general public. I often wonder if the people who get these have complete trust in their tattoo artist; they could be flaunting some language which they would not want a native speaker to actually understand. But I guess that, as far as they are concerned, it really doesn’t matter, it’s the thought that counts.
Idle thought # 2 : Why do people take animals…or children, for that matter…to places where they should not be and are not welcomed? Fourth of July is one of those places, and I have mentioned this before. This year, I was up at Hiram watching the flashes and bangs from the lower parking lot, when I heard a woman speaking to her dog, a good-sized , long-haired ,white mix of some sort; the dog was distinctly unhappy, and the woman was saying, “ Oh, I know you don’t like fireworks, Chummy ( or some such doggie name), let’s go sit over there.” So, if she knows the dog does not like this noise and/or flashing lights and/or crowds, why did she bring it there? Why are there dogs walking around fairs/festivals/events in the heats and humidity, with their tongues lolling out and wishing for nothing more than a drink of water and a cool place to lie down and not have to worry about all of the strange people that they do not know walking around, perhaps with another dog that’s a stranger too? Similarly, people who try to pass off their pets as service or support animals, when they have no training whatsoever and behave badly, give the whole concept a bad vibe. Just saying to all and sundry “Oh, he/she loves people,” doesn’t cut it, especially when the dog/pony/iguana/ peacock/whatever starts barking/ defecating/ screeching in the aisles. People do not love them back then.
Idle thought # 3 : It really gives the impression that the product is something one might want to take home if the demonstrator actually knows something about it. In one humungous store, the other day, a lady tried to convince me that if I just put one envelope of this product into a bottle of water, I would be drinking three bottles of hydrating liquid. I said that one would be getting the hydrating effect, perhaps, but there was still only one bottle of water. She rolled her eyes and muttered–probably something uncomplimentary– and looked around for a less argumentative customer. The lady demoing the blackberry ice had no trouble with me at all; bought her last eight-pack. I did NOT purchase the KETO layered brownie bar with chocolate and peanut butter. Not a bad texture, came in a nice, single-serve pkg listing all of the protein, carbs, and all that, but it really didn’t taste much like either chocolate or peanut butter. What would be the point? The mac-n-cheese sample was Okay, if a little runny. Skipped that one. Anything labeled “spicy” is a non-starter, no matter what the shpiel is, as far as I am concerned. Those will sneak up on ya and you’ll have to purchase a beverage just to survive. Munching your way around the store/warehouse has pitfalls in the grocery section every time.
