(no subject)
Jon asked me to write an entry regarding our train ride on Saturday night. I said I couldn't remember enough, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. So, here goes.
It started on Marta with the train being so full that we were left standing. Being so full probably accounted for the heat inside the train, as it was really insufferably hot. It wasn't long though that my mind was distracted from the heat with the impromptu entertainment provided.
A funny, gregarious black female, who we'll call "Silly", who apparently doesn't have a shy bone in her body, started a funny repertoire with another passenger. The first passenger was a twentiesh year old white guy, who the lady apparently offered a dollar to do some particular thing, to which I am not aware of what it was specifically, as this is when I started noticing the conversation. Another youngish white guy, passenger number two, responded that he'd give the lady a dollar if she wouldn't pay the other guy. Silly said "let me see the money", to which passenger number two replied "do you accept credit?" Silly said "hell no", with a laugh. This was followed by some innuendos that had people chuckling and interested. At the next stop, these guys all got off the train.
Fun over? No, it had just begun. At this stop, a group of four friends got onto the train. Oh, and one who didn't appear to be with the four men, who looked "high as a kite": drooping eyelids, red eyes, a goofy smile, and a "far out" look. Silly looked at "pot head" and said "Man, I'll have some of what you're having, it looks gooood." Pot Head just smiled a look that implied, "yeah man, it's groovy sh**."
Anyhow, back to the four friends. One of these friends (passenger number three) took the seat vacated by the previous number two passenger. He said "man this seat is hot, must've been some fat dude sitting here or something." Everyone on the train kind of just laughed, to which he started looking around, wondering what the personal joke was. This started a lady behind him to imply that "the something" caused the heat in the train, fogged the windows up, and .... yeah, maybe the smell. Passenger number three said, nah, that smell, you think it is just rubber burning, but that is the smell of condoms burning rubber", ya know....... as if he did it, in all the pertinent ways people use condoms, but him being all that.... This went on for a while, but never in a way that was inappropriate, if that makes sense: no use of profanity, no gestures, no personal intent to anyone specifically, just go with the flow humor.
Then, the guys friends, started "chickening" passenger number three to convince him that he could indeed jump far enough to get to over the train rails to the other side of the concrete slab. Passenger number three said, "Man, I'll bet you this five dollar bill that is torn in half if you'll jump it. I'll even give you the bigger half." For some reason, I thought the idea of giving someone the bigger half of a torn bill as hilarious.
I think probably it was the adrenaline of a great game, the crowds energy, and the uncomfortableness of the heat that caused this whole exchange to actually be as funny as it was. Looking back at it, it feels like a bunch of people just being silly. Or maybe, it was the fun at losing ourselves in someone elses jest for a moment, crazy as it seemed to be. Who knows? But, I'll take it, as one of my favorite things is to hear exchanges between other people.
I forgot to mention though, as Silly got off the train, she said, "Well, time to get to work." Everyone looked astonished and someone said, "Man, you going to work?" Silly acknowledged that we had heard right, to which everyone laughed at as we got off the train.
To end this, I just want to say that I was glad to have been on that train and not one that was air conditioned and "normal". Makes it clear that even in an uncomfortable environment, one can benefit from another in some way.
It started on Marta with the train being so full that we were left standing. Being so full probably accounted for the heat inside the train, as it was really insufferably hot. It wasn't long though that my mind was distracted from the heat with the impromptu entertainment provided.
A funny, gregarious black female, who we'll call "Silly", who apparently doesn't have a shy bone in her body, started a funny repertoire with another passenger. The first passenger was a twentiesh year old white guy, who the lady apparently offered a dollar to do some particular thing, to which I am not aware of what it was specifically, as this is when I started noticing the conversation. Another youngish white guy, passenger number two, responded that he'd give the lady a dollar if she wouldn't pay the other guy. Silly said "let me see the money", to which passenger number two replied "do you accept credit?" Silly said "hell no", with a laugh. This was followed by some innuendos that had people chuckling and interested. At the next stop, these guys all got off the train.
Fun over? No, it had just begun. At this stop, a group of four friends got onto the train. Oh, and one who didn't appear to be with the four men, who looked "high as a kite": drooping eyelids, red eyes, a goofy smile, and a "far out" look. Silly looked at "pot head" and said "Man, I'll have some of what you're having, it looks gooood." Pot Head just smiled a look that implied, "yeah man, it's groovy sh**."
Anyhow, back to the four friends. One of these friends (passenger number three) took the seat vacated by the previous number two passenger. He said "man this seat is hot, must've been some fat dude sitting here or something." Everyone on the train kind of just laughed, to which he started looking around, wondering what the personal joke was. This started a lady behind him to imply that "the something" caused the heat in the train, fogged the windows up, and .... yeah, maybe the smell. Passenger number three said, nah, that smell, you think it is just rubber burning, but that is the smell of condoms burning rubber", ya know....... as if he did it, in all the pertinent ways people use condoms, but him being all that.... This went on for a while, but never in a way that was inappropriate, if that makes sense: no use of profanity, no gestures, no personal intent to anyone specifically, just go with the flow humor.
Then, the guys friends, started "chickening" passenger number three to convince him that he could indeed jump far enough to get to over the train rails to the other side of the concrete slab. Passenger number three said, "Man, I'll bet you this five dollar bill that is torn in half if you'll jump it. I'll even give you the bigger half." For some reason, I thought the idea of giving someone the bigger half of a torn bill as hilarious.
I think probably it was the adrenaline of a great game, the crowds energy, and the uncomfortableness of the heat that caused this whole exchange to actually be as funny as it was. Looking back at it, it feels like a bunch of people just being silly. Or maybe, it was the fun at losing ourselves in someone elses jest for a moment, crazy as it seemed to be. Who knows? But, I'll take it, as one of my favorite things is to hear exchanges between other people.
I forgot to mention though, as Silly got off the train, she said, "Well, time to get to work." Everyone looked astonished and someone said, "Man, you going to work?" Silly acknowledged that we had heard right, to which everyone laughed at as we got off the train.
To end this, I just want to say that I was glad to have been on that train and not one that was air conditioned and "normal". Makes it clear that even in an uncomfortable environment, one can benefit from another in some way.