The strange people you run into

[Triple Zero]

I was on the green line once (of course it would be on the green line) and there was this guy sitting across from me. Suddenly he clutched his head like something terrible was happening to him and he flailed his feet around. Then back to normal. And then again. Back to normal. And then again. I was hoping that he wouldnt get off at the same stop as me. I got off to catch a connecting train and so did he. Then he came up to me and politely asked the time. I told him. He thanked me and walked away clutching his head like a man tormented by demons.

Now I understand that your situation was probably different and that you got real crazy people walking about that can be really dangerous, but if I were to see that right in front of me when on the bus or something, I'd ask him if he was okay and whether he needed any help. Cause it seems like he was just spasmodic and if I don't, maybe nobody would help the handicapped (or elderly)?

[navkat]

And the cop didnt do anything?

What do you do in that situation? I mean, hand him some toilet paper, maybe?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I was on the green line once (of course it would be on the green line) and there was this guy sitting across from me. Suddenly he clutched his head like something terrible was happening to him and he flailed his feet around. Then back to normal. And then again. Back to normal. And then again. I was hoping that he wouldnt get off at the same stop as me. I got off to catch a connecting train and so did he. Then he came up to me and politely asked the time. I told him. He thanked me and walked away clutching his head like a man tormented by demons.

Now I understand that your situation was probably different and that you got real crazy people walking about that can be really dangerous, but if I were to see that right in front of me when on the bus or something, I'd ask him if he was okay and whether he needed any help. Cause it seems like he was just spasmodic and if I don't, maybe nobody would help the handicapped (or elderly)?

It's really hard to tell with people on public transit. You get some crazy people there. Like for real crazy. For all I know he was trying to get the voices in his head to stop. It's quite possible it was something harmless but I wouldn't know that, and I don't necessarily trust New Englanders to come to my aid. Our brief conversation was polite and I didn't let on the dude was making me nervous.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

There's this guy on Centre St. in Jamaica Plain. I noticed him when I moved here and had cause to walk on Centre St on a regular basis. He's this old white guy with obvious mental issues. I do not know if he is homeless or not. He's often in the area where Blanchards, CVS, and that Dunkin Donuts/Tedeschis is. The thing about him is that he says the same thing over and over. But it's a different thing everyday, like he's got some sort of phrase of the day that he says like some mantra. And he says it with an odd inflection in between "heh." I went to pick up some beers in Blanchards, and he came in at the same time as me to recycle his cans and bottles. Today the mantra was disturbing.

Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Fifteen year old girl. Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Heh.

I wonder what parameters inspire the chant of the day. In this case, I probably don't want to know.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

There's this guy on Centre St. in Jamaica Plain. I noticed him when I moved here and had cause to walk on Centre St on a regular basis. He's this old white guy with obvious mental issues. I do not know if he is homeless or not. He's often in the area where Blanchards, CVS, and that Dunkin Donuts/Tedeschis is. The thing about him is that he says the same thing over and over. But it's a different thing everyday, like he's got some sort of phrase of the day that he says like some mantra. And he says it with an odd inflection in between "heh." I went to pick up some beers in Blanchards, and he came in at the same time as me to recycle his cans and bottles. Today the mantra was disturbing.

Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Fifteen year old girl. Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Heh.

I wonder what parameters inspire the chant of the day. In this case, I probably don't want to know.

Ask him next time. Serious. 
There was a guy in Salem who used to yell at trees. I told him one day that the tree wasn't going to answer him back. He said "I know, I just like to yell at them" and laughed like a hyena.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

There's this guy on Centre St. in Jamaica Plain. I noticed him when I moved here and had cause to walk on Centre St on a regular basis. He's this old white guy with obvious mental issues. I do not know if he is homeless or not. He's often in the area where Blanchards, CVS, and that Dunkin Donuts/Tedeschis is. The thing about him is that he says the same thing over and over. But it's a different thing everyday, like he's got some sort of phrase of the day that he says like some mantra. And he says it with an odd inflection in between "heh." I went to pick up some beers in Blanchards, and he came in at the same time as me to recycle his cans and bottles. Today the mantra was disturbing.

Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Fifteen year old girl. Fifteen year old girl. Heh. Heh.

I wonder what parameters inspire the chant of the day. In this case, I probably don't want to know.

Ask him next time. Serious. 
There was a guy in Salem who used to yell at trees. I told him one day that the tree wasn't going to answer him back. He said "I know, I just like to yell at them" and laughed like a hyena.

Oh, man...

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

A lot of them are at least marginally not as fried as we think they are. They just decided at some point not to give a fuck. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

A lot of them are at least marginally not as fried as we think they are. They just decided at some point not to give a fuck. 

Fair point.

Many years ago, I used to talk to my girlfriend about the strange people you run into. I referred to them as characters, since you didn't know them personally and added a weird sense that your life is a story and these are background characters.

One day I realized I was someone else's character. Having an unnatural amount of Iron Maiden T-Shirts made me realize that. I was essentially a cartoon character.

ETA: That someone else was no one in particular. Just realizing that I was also a background character.

Though I did realize that I was one of those characters for my boss. He walked by my desk one day in the summer and did a double take because I was wearing a white shirt. He told me as much. I responded "it's hot outside. I'm not wearing black today."

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

A lot of them are at least marginally not as fried as we think they are. They just decided at some point not to give a fuck. 

Fair point.

Many years ago, I used to talk to my girlfriend about the strange people you run into. I referred to them as characters, since you didn't know them personally and added a weird sense that your life is a story and these are background characters.

One day I realized I was someone else's character. Having an unnatural amount of Iron Maiden T-Shirts made me realize that. I was essentially a cartoon character.

ETA: That someone else was no one in particular. Just realizing that I was also a background character.

Though I did realize that I was one of those characters for my boss. He walked by my desk one day in the summer and did a double take because I was wearing a white shirt. He told me as much. I responded "it's hot outside. I'm not wearing black today."

Iron Maiden are some smart fuckers and the singer is a pilot. He flies the whole band, crew, stage and amps all in one. They travel to places other bands can't go because its almost impossible with overhead.

And yeah, we're all somebody's character. I get people asking me if I still work at the place I used to work at three years ago.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

A lot of them are at least marginally not as fried as we think they are. They just decided at some point not to give a fuck. 

Fair point.

Many years ago, I used to talk to my girlfriend about the strange people you run into. I referred to them as characters, since you didn't know them personally and added a weird sense that your life is a story and these are background characters.

One day I realized I was someone else's character. Having an unnatural amount of Iron Maiden T-Shirts made me realize that. I was essentially a cartoon character.

ETA: That someone else was no one in particular. Just realizing that I was also a background character.

Though I did realize that I was one of those characters for my boss. He walked by my desk one day in the summer and did a double take because I was wearing a white shirt. He told me as much. I responded "it's hot outside. I'm not wearing black today."

Iron Maiden are some smart fuckers and the singer is a pilot. He flies the whole band, crew, stage and amps all in one. They travel to places other bands can't go because its almost impossible with overhead.

And yeah, we're all somebody's character. I get people asking me if I still work at the place I used to work at three years ago.

I think that's one of the things that signals that you can start thinking objectively- when you're someone else's strange person you run into. And not just go, "dur, yep, I'm a weirdo!" which is still subjective thought. It's the thought that, "yes, this person is a complex set of things, and they only see the superficial me." It's like wearing the uniform. Something about you sticks out enough that it's noticed as your primary identity. Even if the person knows you well.

There was once this bus acquaintance I had that I called Brian the Pagan. He was a weird guy.

Several years later, one of my friends told me that when talking about me to his family he calls me Kevin the Pagan.

The humor is not lost on me. Especially because when I went to visit him and his family in the Midwest, the sermon (he's a preacher's kid) set for the denomination was on a passage in the Bible about worshiping false gods. Reverend S. was very tactful about it and used it as a lesson in not pursuing money at the expense of your soul.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

That's what I always thought it was supposed to mean, don't sell your soul for a fucking paycheck. Cool that he saw it that way.

Hey, nobody's here now but me and Coyote...and FOURTEEN guests, wtf?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Internet cut out while i was writing a post in okm.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

And another idea for a rant. Good thing i have paper to write down the gist.

[Triple Zero]

Iron Maiden are some smart fuckers and the singer is a pilot. He flies the whole band, crew, stage and amps all in one. They travel to places other bands can't go because its almost impossible with overhead.

And yeah, we're all somebody's character. I get people asking me if I still work at the place I used to work at three years ago.

I spotted their plane on our stop-over in Reykjavik, it had a big ass Iron Maiden logo over the entire length, or something like that. Later at the CT Meetup Twid confirmed that indeed they fly their own plane (like you said).

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

It's true, about being someone's character. I occasionally get comments on my Facebook page from people who really only know me from some sliver of my life ten years ago, that reveal that they think of me in a sort of snapshot snapshot of the Nigel-of-2002,  or whenever they met me. Sometimes it confuses me... I've long forgotten whatever it was I was into at the time... until I remember the phase of life I was in when I knew them. Then I'm all, oh yeah! Patchwork dresses! That was a thing.