(no subject)
The details are hazy now, but in my dream last night, the Titanic was a very weighty and important metaphor. Each time I "woke up" it was later in the day (10:37, 11:43, 12:13), and each time I fell asleep again the situation was different, but someone always ended up bringing up something about the Titanic, or something titanic, and it was with great urgency and importance, even though most of the time they couldn't show it, I knew they were trying to communicate something essential to me. When I finally woke up for real, I discovered that it was actually not even 8:00 yet. I still have the vague feeling that "titanic" is very important, but I can't sort out whether it was being used as an adjective or a proper noun.
To whoever is trying to plant ideas in my brain... you're not very good at it yet?
Or I'm just too clever for them. I was sitting behind the courthouse Thursday afternoon, people-watching (the courthouse is fantastic for this. People sometimes show up for court in the most ridiculous things. Snuggies, pants that say "Hello, I am: Wasted"... I recently saw a woman who seemed to have one of those styrofoam-ball and wire solar systems stuck under her shirt, bobbing around her waist, and she was being followed at a respectable distance, but still quite obviously, by a uniformed officer. I was really curious about that one.) But anyway, there's always been a fairly significant contingent of people who are wearing various sports jerseys, and they've always perplexed me, partly because they're standing in a sea of suits and other formal-wear (the same reason the snuggies and awkward pajama pants stand out), but also because they're clearly employees at the courthouse, and it's weird to imagine some part of the courthouse where people just hang around in sports jerseys, especially at a rate so much higher than you see normally. They all carried themselves similarly, they walked out with some obvious purpose, and they all wore the same sort of pants. And then it hit me. The jerseys weren't worn inside the courthouse. They were worn on break so people wouldn't see their police badges. It's so obvious now! Jerseys are innocuous, but easy to put on over a uniform and take off quickly. I wonder if police/security do this outside of Chicago, or even away from the courthouse. It's no wonder, though... around the courthouse in the rabble of lost tourists, people with court dates, and nosy people like me eating their lunch... you don't want to go flashing your badge if you're not on duty. Anyway, I felt rather clever after that. Not too long after I pieced it together, as if to confirm my theory, a squat-ish rounded man with a mustache came out with his jersey still unbuttoned and I could see the glint of his badge. Until he noticed me staring (and probably grinning proudly) and gave me a weird look and hurried away. The amount of time it took me to figure this out is probably downright shameful, but I still feel proud that I figured this out.
To whoever is trying to plant ideas in my brain... you're not very good at it yet?
Or I'm just too clever for them. I was sitting behind the courthouse Thursday afternoon, people-watching (the courthouse is fantastic for this. People sometimes show up for court in the most ridiculous things. Snuggies, pants that say "Hello, I am: Wasted"... I recently saw a woman who seemed to have one of those styrofoam-ball and wire solar systems stuck under her shirt, bobbing around her waist, and she was being followed at a respectable distance, but still quite obviously, by a uniformed officer. I was really curious about that one.) But anyway, there's always been a fairly significant contingent of people who are wearing various sports jerseys, and they've always perplexed me, partly because they're standing in a sea of suits and other formal-wear (the same reason the snuggies and awkward pajama pants stand out), but also because they're clearly employees at the courthouse, and it's weird to imagine some part of the courthouse where people just hang around in sports jerseys, especially at a rate so much higher than you see normally. They all carried themselves similarly, they walked out with some obvious purpose, and they all wore the same sort of pants. And then it hit me. The jerseys weren't worn inside the courthouse. They were worn on break so people wouldn't see their police badges. It's so obvious now! Jerseys are innocuous, but easy to put on over a uniform and take off quickly. I wonder if police/security do this outside of Chicago, or even away from the courthouse. It's no wonder, though... around the courthouse in the rabble of lost tourists, people with court dates, and nosy people like me eating their lunch... you don't want to go flashing your badge if you're not on duty. Anyway, I felt rather clever after that. Not too long after I pieced it together, as if to confirm my theory, a squat-ish rounded man with a mustache came out with his jersey still unbuttoned and I could see the glint of his badge. Until he noticed me staring (and probably grinning proudly) and gave me a weird look and hurried away. The amount of time it took me to figure this out is probably downright shameful, but I still feel proud that I figured this out.