.jpg "TEAM: Probot")
Work is So Strange by anna one
August 26th, 2006 2:59 PM / Location: 37.786869,-122.4014My favorite non-alley living partron came in this last week. He's a middle aged deaf man, and he was wearing a red mesh t-shirt with a fishing vest over it, covered in pins. I didn't realize he was deaf at first, but he already had 'not-normal' written all over him, and then he began to speak. There were no words, just a wild, gargally barking sound. We started a brilliant game of charades, with him barking all the while. Miraculously, we finally figured out that he wanted photographs of the 1915 pan-pacific world's fair/expo... which we have.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled me into the bookstore and jumped up and down with excitement at the books and postcards he found. My co-workers tell me that he comes in about once ever six months, but no body'd ever seen him in the mesh, with the nipple-age all pert and air conditioned. I keep telling myself that I'm going to learn sign-language.
------------
Incidentally, I was relating this same story to my mother the other day, and she wanted to know why I didn't think of writing back and forth with the man. Brilliant solution, but honestly- not as good of a story.
6 vote(s)
Terms
(none yet)9 comment(s)
The 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco is one of my most favorite of world expos; 9 months of fun, fun, fun! I sound like perhaps I am using the sarcasm here, but I am in earnest. A damn fine expo. Though too bad about filling in the marsh and all.
Do people poop in your alley?
Yes. Lots of people poop in our alley. The toy dogs that live in the high-rise penhouse condos next door poop right in front of our entry way too. There's a lot of poop involved in general.
I used to live near such an alley on Mission st.
I even got a picture of someone using the bottom part of their shopping cart as a grill.
of course the alley is a restroom to dogs, drunks, and crackheads alike.
lowteck: I'd love to see a picture of a shopping cart grill- that's good grillin'
Caroliney: Speaking of 1915 expos, my old work (I quit this week) is having an exhibition having to do with the expo- paintings by Theodore Wores, who painted southwestern scenes, but without travelling any further than to the expo. Just some trivia I thought you might enjoy.
-
And, on a side-note, everytime I read 'pan-pacific' I correct myself, saying in my head, 'Panama-Pacific' because it always makes me think of the pan-pacific grand prix in Strictly Ballroom...
The guy had what looked like a chunk of meat and then a pot of some sort.
Whew, I just had a seriously dyslexic momemnt, I read that as, "The guy had what looked like a chunk of meat and a bot of port of some sort." And I was all like, 'Wow a homeless dude, grillin' with the vino? That's kicking it up a notch!' And then I stopped being so crazy, but I thought I'd share anyhow.
Goodness. This was one of the first tasks I remember reading, way back when... in order to understand this place, what people were trying to do, I came up with three categories of inspirational. (once again, how did I never vote 'til now? ...I don't have the im.ex. excuse)
so, there were: a) the arty types that catch you off guard with their originality, skillfulness, outright beauty b) the bordering nonsense types that make you wonder how these people met in the first place, but keep you slightly jealous, wanting to be there, and c) the true 'situational' wonder moments that make me stop and think how valuable our everyday interactions can be, if and when we are thoroughly aware and responsive.
you've been highly capable of all three, but, as this one is, the third is the type that... matters more.
Why thank you, Hugo.
a) the arty types that catch you off guard with their originality, skillfulness, outright beauty b) the bordering nonsense types that make you wonder how these people met in the first place, but keep you slightly jealous, wanting to be there, and c) the true 'situational' wonder moments that make me stop and think how valuable our everyday interactions can be, if and when we are thoroughly aware and responsive.
I think you may have clearly defined the qualities that needs be mentioned in the good ol' history annals. These indeed were the qualities that dear old Piratey Monkey displayed to me in that initial stage, which was directly responsible for bringing me crashing into this curious world we inhabit here.
Ah, if only this game of charades were recorded. Call me what you like, but I really want to see a old eccentric in a mesh shirt miming "pan-pacific".