S'afternoon

How many times in any given day do I utter the phrase, "What the hell just happened?"

So I went into Dunkin' Donuts this morning and I'm struck again by how ridiculously cute the one counter girl is. It's funny, but I've been talking to a friend lately about this girl he likes, I keep saying things like "go for it" and "don't worry, of course she'll like you" and other reassuring bullshit. It's easy for me to say because I've never even really considered making a pass at a random stranger, but here I am in Dunkin' Donuts and I can't even order my hot chocolate because, for a moment, I'm dumbstruck by this cute little counter girl who I have no intentions towards and who I see every god damn day. Other guys must have it real tough, wanting shit from life. I can only imagine.

So I'm on my way to the bank this afternoon and as I get two cars away from the railroad tracks the gates begin to come down. I notice this scrap bum pushing his cart around the gate. Let me pause to explain for a second. If you're from an affluent neighborhood or a rural area you probably haven't encountered the urban phenomena of the scrap bum. These guys wander around town with their shopping carts picking up random scrap metal wherever they can. Construction sites, abandoned buildings, old wrecks. Less scrupulous scrap bums will snag any metal that's not tied down, whether it's scrap or not. They'll collect scrap metal till they can carry no more and then sell it by the pound at the local junkyard. I've often wondered why if they can so easily steal shopping carts they don't just scrap them for cash. Some things we'll never know. So anyway...this scrap bum has just gotten his cart around the gate when he loses control of this piled high cart and the whole thing tips over. He rights his cart and gets it off the track, but he doesn't want to give up on the metal he has spilled. I can't see the train coming from where I am, but with the gates down and the lights going off I know one is coming. He's scrambling back and forth, and I can see him looking up at this train that I can't see coming. He's almost got everything, and now I can see what's coming down the tracks. It's not a train, but a slow moving Track Geometry Inspection Vehicle. They don't move as fast as trains, but they move fast enough to fuck you up. This guy starts to go back for his last load, then stops right in the middle of the track and starts jumping up and down yelling at the TGIV bearing down on him. At the last second he scrambles out of the way. As the TGIV passes I can see the crew laughing. The scrap bum piles things back into this cart and goes on his way.

When I get to the bank I hand the girl a pile of checks for deposit, and my check to be cashed. She starts to ask for ID, before noticing how much I'm depositing and the pittance that I'm cashing. She looks at me and shakes her head, "Nevermind." I get my cash without ever showing ID.

So it looks like I'm working late again tonight. I'm tired, but not too tired. I've got to get some rec time in though. Maybe the guys will be around this weekend, or I'll stop for a drink on my own. Sunday night is the Antioch follow up meeting. It will be good to see everyone, it seems like it's been longer than it has.