Mid-Summer Day in the City

It has been too long since my last visit here. Thanks for still checking on me :)

So yesterday, several somethings unusual happened.

Item 1:
On the morning train, the world's most shriveled-up-looking little old man tapped me on the shoulder when I reading my BRS. He said, are you studying psychology? Turns out that Little Old Man's brother studied psychology in New York and then didn't finish the degree but ended up as a cop. The little old man was quite happy for me that I am in school and encouraged me to finish so that I can pay back all my student loans. True story.

Item 2:
After work, I walked to Red Line Chicago stop like always. While waiting to cross the street at the intersection of Chicago and Michigan, I noticed this guy in the front passenger seat of the car in the right lane staring at me and smiling. He was a young guy. Brown hair. Medium build. No glasses.

I didn't think anything of this at first. Maybe he was just looking at something else in my direction and not me. So I looked away into the traffic in the distance.

When I glanced back, he was STILL looking at me. And I'm thinking, maybe I have something on my face or clothes. So I look down and pull out my cell phone to check.

Then the light changed and the car could turn onto Chicago from the right lane. The guy rolled his window down and made a 'W' with his hand and said "Wash U! YEAH!!!!"

I chuckled a little and said hi back.
Turns out he was fixating on my RED ALERT t-shirt.

Go Bears.

Item 3:
Not so much of an unusual thing. But, CTA, you really need to work on your public announcement system in your train stations. Yesterday there was a very long delay during rush hour and some announcer came online to explain to all the people who were waiting. A silence fell over the large crowd of people waiting on the platform as the announcement came on. But with all the pops and crackles and the muffled voice, all I could hear was "Red Line" and "emergency." And the guy next to me did no better.

Yesterday was a good day though apart from item 3. I got all my work done on Tuesday and got some good reviews. And even got to take some photos on the train.

Speaking of that, there's another item.

Item 4:
As I was sitting on the train (window seat, next to last car) going home, a girl walked really fast and sat down in a huff next to me and whipped out a journal and started scribbling furiously. I was reading at the time, but was REALLY REALLY curious about what she was writing about. I've definitely seen my share of lunatics on the train, so I had to proceed cautiously. I pretended to look at my book's left page and then looked at what she was writing out of the left corner of my eyes. I caught only bits and pieces, including words like "f*** you?" and "she came in and sat down," and "he looked at her cleavage."

Weird.

When I had to get off at my stop, I put on my BEST smile and said excuse me. I was quite grateful that she smiled back as she moved aside.

R