Friday, August 29, 2008

Getting R.E.M. Sleep

It's hard to believe that up until now, I haven't encountered someone who snores. There have been plenty of sleepers, in fact, once I was tempted to shake an elderly man for whom I feared the worst. His head was tilted back, and his mouth wide open. He did not make a peep or a move as the bus jostled him around for 15 minutes. He was pale and old, what was I supposed to think? But as soon as the bus came to his stop, he snapped awake like he had an alarm clock in his head and walked off like nuthin' of it. I breathed a sigh of relief at that one, and then thought to myself: He's a true pro; I have so much to learn still.... Today, the snorer is already on the bus and muffling when I sit down. His head is leaned against the window (something I would never allow to happen) but he constantly shifts his body to find that comfortable position. Every half minute or so when he inhales the peak snore to grasp more oxygen, he lifts his hand to wipe the dribble of slobber from his mouth -- while asleep. He also continues to grip his grocery bag pretty good. In fact, his body movements contradict his head. It's like everything from the chin down is awake and moving but the head is knocked out cold! Just as I'm getting used to that weird scene, three teens walk on the bus, two guys and a girl that look to be high school age. They are sporting some '80s/'90s combo confused style. I'm not even sure what's trying to happen in those outfits. One guy has a mop of curly hair on his head with rolled up jeans and neon orange glasses. The other guy's got on a throwback-to-REM hat (see photo below), and the girl...oh the girl. Poor, poor girl. I just want to help her. She's got some tangled rat's nest ponytail going on, and I think it's on purpse. She's wearing denim overall shorts, rolled up, over a paper-thin white cap-sleeve tee that looks like it could use a shot of stain stick. Underneath the shirt is a black bra, reminiscent of Madonna's cone bra look. And I can see the bra because her shirt is see-thru, of course. The best part is she went for the shit-kicker boot look to go with those overall shorts, but instead of black boots you find at the army surplus store or old skool Doc Martens, she's wearing some trail trecker hiking boots...that just don't quite make the cut. I'm thinking she got Madonna and Courtney Love confused at one point, I dunno. I try to withhold my disgustedly disappointed facial expression when I glance her way -- it's hard enough being a teen.















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