Pretty sure I didn't ask
Heading up north to visit S&T, I decided to shake things up a little and opted for the bus today.
It was a little crowded, so I plopped myself down next to a man in his late 50s or so.
Through the musical stylings of Jamiroquai playing in my head phones I was able to decipher him checking to see if I had enough room. I made an effort not to speak too loudly over the music and assured him that I did through one of those tightlipped smiles that are supposed to be polite.
Fiddled with my bag, then pulled out my book and cracked it open.
Not three lines in came the inevitable question: "Good book?"
"..."
I gave it a moment, then pointed to the page, the word "Prologue" dominating the top half.
"Well, it's the first page. Don't actually know yet."
"I see. Are you reading it for school, or...?"
Dude. We're in July. No.
"My mom recommended I read The Closed Book. Of course, now I have to open it." Hardy-har. Another tight-lipped smile.
I was then allowed to read for another few minutes. I did so with a serene smile on my face, obviously enjoying myself and my book.
"See, 'cos I'm writing a book, y'see."
Yes, of course you are.
I made a show of putting my book down and turning off my music.
"Yeah, it's about ancient math, see. The pyramids, all that. I figured out how they found pi."
Oh, you too?
He continued to illustrate something along the lines of how, if you put your card in an ATM, you need to put in the right code to get your money out. It was the same with the pyramids, you just had to put in the right number and you'd get the whole world out of them. I immediately pictured a giant pyramid with a tiny globe growing out of it, floating in space.
That sounded like it was a little out of my intellectual grasp, I commented, but that didn't deter him. He'd been calculating these things for years.
In fact, he was taking it so far that he was including other pyramids, in Cambodia and Mexico, calculating ....something or other. Y'know, 'cuz they have them there too!
And what's more, the old stone age burial monuments scattered all over the Danish countryside - they weren't placed as randomly as you'd think. Nay, there was method in it, and he'd uncover it!
Oooo-kay.
I submitted that that would probably have taken a certain level of organization and some kind of master plan, and since Denmark wasn't even a country at that time...
But oh no! They were more organized than we think! There was a plan, alright! It was all connected, and he'd find the pattern!
Well, that left me feeling very assured about the mathematics of the ancient times, so when I another seat opened up, I politely offered to get out of his space. "No need to be crowding each other, eh?"
He stopped by my new seat as he was getting off to wish me a nice day, and I wished him luck with his book. While trying to read mine.