Observations

coffee shop interactions

The kind of guy who starts a deep conversation with complete strangers in a coffee shop.

That's what he's doing now. The young woman sitting on the couch next to him is laughing but trying to hide it. She is writing. Is she a journalist? A student? Just ignoring him? She's not ignoring him. She asks a question. The man answers. The man is dark skinned. He's wearing dirty clothes, stained with paint. His baseball cap is crumpled on his head, as if it doesn't fit quite right. He is talking enthusiastically, with his hands. He enjoys talking. The young women is a good listener, but more reserved.

Three old, white men.

On the opposite side of the room are two old, white men with news papers. They know each other, that much is obvious, they carry on a conversation about everything and nothing. Politics and a crossword puzzle. One last oldman, another acquaintance, sits at the table near them, reading a book of poetry, a green coat thrown across the seat next to him. He has the lightest hair of all the men, and he's wearing casual clothing. He occasionally tears his attention away from his book, and, not moving his eyes, makes a comment on the conversation of the other two men.

The conversation of the two men wanes, and the man with the book puts his book down. It's finished. He turns to the four women at the other end of the large table.

Comparing the pass of a tax bill to sausage.

"You don't watch legislature made, just like you don't watch sausage made, you just get the result." Says the old, white man with the book.

"But if the sausage is poisoned," says one of the woman at the other end of the large table, "you have to fix it, and thats what were trying to do." She makes a gesture to the three other women at the table. She is also old, but not quite as old as the three men, she has short hair and small oval glasses.

"But like that sausage, you won't know it's poisoned until you get it."

"We saw the poison being added," said the woman. "We know it's poisoned." The man with the book put on his green coat and left.

little boys and girls

The dark skinned man and the young woman taking notes are still chatting away. The young women is smiling, but trying to hide it, she is amused. The man turns to the two old men with new papers and says, "what are litter girl made of?"

The two men reply, "sugar and spice and everything nice."

"What a little boys made of?"

"Piss and vinegar."