Yes, people watching. You see a Latin quote and you think I'm going to have this in-depth profound post? Not so much. Sorry to disappoint. Next time I'll do a lecture on why Iago is the true protagonist of Othello, and how his lack of anything approaching morals makes him one of the most dynamic characters in the Bard's folio.
Bygones, on to the meat of the matter.
When I say people watching I'm not talking creepy surveillance methods, like a stakeout, or what-not, but the act of going to a very public place like a park, and just observing the people around you doing people-like things.
I remember one particular instance of such activity, in college, that was one of those days you remember for a long long time. Perfect weather, just warm enough to be outside and laying on the lawn, and throngs of people walking by, stopping to talk, and interacting all in plain view. My girlfriend at the time and I skipped our morning class to get breakfast in town, and came back to the lawn next to the campus center of school (20,000+ undergrads = lots of people to watch), and we proceeded to sit there for the full day. We talked, ate, and had friends stop and join us for different lengths of time throughout, and we all had an ongoing discussion about the people strolling by.
A great deal of it was just silent appraisal of how people walk, fashion trends, backpacks, etc. Another chunk dealt with making fun of acquaintances and friends as they passed us, unaware that we were there. The majority was just straight observation, noticing faces, expressions, and the distinct differences between people.
Faces are one of the most fascinating things on earth. You know your own well enough, yet your mental image of what you look like is slightly skewed, which is made apparent anytime you pass a mirror and that first second is slightly odd. Seeing people walk by you without them knowing that you're there, (in public remember, I'm not talking creepy shit.), a lot of time they have their guard down, and you can see them for who they really are.
The reason I'm mentioning all this is because I've had a full people watching weekend. I went to two Sox games, on Saturday and on Sunday, and passing through the crowds on the T and at Kenmore gives one plenty of ammo.
A few key moments stand out.
The homeless man who always says:
DO YOU HAPPPEN TO HAAAAAVE ANNNNNY SPARRRRRRRRE CHANNNNNNNNNNGE?
silently sitting on the subway reading the Weekly Dig Crossword puzzle.
Another homeless man with a sign that stated, "All I need is money for a case of beer and a hooker."
The tiny Asian woman who was stuck in front of me for the rush for the Kenmore train who thanked me in broken English for not running her over.
The woman on the redline who used a fabric marker to draw an intricate symbol from her wrist to the inside of her elbow for nearly 10 minutes as we were stuck between stations.
The little beanhead (translation, tiny kid.) who played peek-a-boo with a very patient dog.
And the kid who might have been 13, who was covered with Guns N Roses stuff. THAT was awesome.
and so many more.
We're one of the only species on the earth that can watch each other for not other reason than to just take a look, to empathise, to try to feel what it's like to be someone else, if just for a moment.
It's well worth the time.
