During my college years when I first moved from my small town to the big city of Toronto, I had an experience on the public transit system that I will never forget. Well, there have been many, but this one stands out!As a kid, my Mom warned me repeatedly (again, I would find a stronger word than "repeatedly" but I can't think of one) to stay away from weirdos. I found it hard to do, since I am a bit of a weirdo myself and quite like my own company. But that time, the weirdo was not me. Or maybe it was...
So on that day, I boarded the bus and found myself a seat waaaay at the back. As people piled onto the bus, we all noticed a commotion at the front. There was a woman yelling at the top of her lungs "DON'T LOOK AT MEEEEE!!!!!". Uh oh. Weirdo alert.
And so I sat quietly complying and making sure not to look at her. I started to get nervous when she too found a seat waaaay at the back of the bus, and told everyone yet again, to not look at her. I made sure to heed my mother's warnings and I averted my eyes!
But then, it got even worse. She pointed me out and yelled "Look at that girl! She's NOT looking at me! Do like her!", at which point, the attention of everyone on the bus shifted over to me. What was I supposed to do? Should I look at her, now that she had acknowledged me? But then I might make her mad. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. So I kept looking at my shoes and after what seemed like the longest 3 minutes of my life, she got off the bus and random people began asking how on earth I had managed to not look at her after all of that. So it's a toss up - maybe she was the weirdo, but it could have been me. Ah. Fun times.
All of this to say, that today I'm feeling like I'm the weirdo. I might not be screaming on buses but I'm really not a morning person, and sometimes, I wish I could wear a sign that says "DON'T TALK TO MEEEEEEE!!!!" But I don't. I don't enjoy my bad mood, and I really don't want to do anything to encourage it. Weird as I may be, I see no need to escalate the matter. So instead, I just sit quietly in my little cubbie, telling the bad mood to get back on the bus to where it came from. Sometimes it's a little stubborn, but in the end, it always listens. And while I wait for it to pack its bags and go, it's been quite entertaining to tell you my bus story.Photos from top to bottom - weird stuff I've done on a bus: The Acadian and I putting the "oo" in Bloor station; Subway dancing - this was really fun - have a look at the video below!
Hi Sylvie, you have a very fun writing style - I shall be back regularly to enjoy more.
ReplyDeleteHello Mr. Firla! Thanks for visiting - I just took a stroll over to your spot too and found it quite intresting myself. So nice that in cyberspace we can be neighbours! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, just saw your thoughtful comment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not a regular participant on Edmonton's public transport system (as I work from home and also have a car), there still are opportunities to see 'interesting' people (just look at some of the cars in my neighbourhood in my blog post from May 7, 2009).
I love that video!
ReplyDeleteThe lady's expression at 0:50 makes me giggle.
The man's smile at 2:22 makes my heart smile.
HA! you're awesome.
ReplyDeletei just joined a marching band (have never played the tuba before, or anything really, in 12yrs) but we played down in the montreal subway cars last sunday! it was awesome, people were so happy, one guy got up and danced. imagine you're taking the tube home, and at one stop some flutists get in, the next stop some trumpets, a clarinet, the next a tuba and a sousaphone. all joining into rawkous tunes. (don't worry, the other musicians are actually quite talented).
i love moments that reimagine the city, where spaces and places are put to different uses, bring different communites or people together, spark dialogue about social behaviours, etc.
good for you.
c
JOIN IN PEOPLE!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool Post Sylvie! It was worth the ONE HOUR download on my dial-up! lol.
When's the next one? Is it always around the same time in Feb cause I'll be there this year around that time!
@Firla - strangely, I liked the photos of the Sudbury vehicles you had up there best! In Toronto, no one drives trucks, just SUV's, which they believe are trucks. They are not. lol!
ReplyDelete@Faiza - isn't it the best?!! When I did it, they had us wait until a few others had started dancing before we joined in. This one woman was looking at the first dancing guy like he was nuts. We looked at each other with a "Weirdo!!" look on our faces. But then when she saw me start dancing too, OMG it was priceless!
@Chantal - that is AWESOME!!! Was it just your band that organized it, or is it though a special group? It IS so much fun to do unusual stuff in ordinary places!!! Each time I'm at the Museum subway station where we all got on for the dance, it never feels like "just a subway station" anymore. :-)
@Lynda - Wow! You are a patient woman! I'm not sure when the next one is, but I had a look on their FB group, and they mention they might move it to June since dancing with winter coats is not always the best! You can join their mailing list at www.improvintoronto.com - I'm sad I missed their "No pants subway ride" a few weeks back!
it was just *my* band / the existing awesome band that let me join it.
ReplyDeleteit's why being in parades are so much fun, and street parties, and nuit blanches....
i'm kinda bad at internet stuff. i'll send you my email addy on fb and then next time i'm in toronto, i'll come visit. we can play barbies or house or make a swing in a random tree with rope.