Disclaimer: All names in this post have been changed, with the exception of one. This person's name just adds far too much to his/her profile to be sacrificed.
Questionable characters from my day:
- Old man with a briefcase in a bowler hat swiftly walking/almost running past me down the infamous stretch of stairs on campus. I have no idea to where he was in such a hurry, but he looked important.
- Extremely happy young man riding on his moped--complete with long blond hair flapping in the wind and what could quite possibly be the biggest, goofiest grin I've ever seen. I have no idea what was making him so happy, but it made me smile.
- 3 boys dressed in pristine, white lab coats holding clipboards gathered around innocent ducks at a pond. I have no idea what they were studying, but it was weird.
Epic characters from my life:
- Dick - Dick and I crossed paths my first semester of college where I was friends with some of his roommates. He was a short, fiery young man who bicked his head and wore a doo rag. He was an ex cop, and somehow decided it gave him the liberty to carry around a gun on person everywhere he went. Although it was not usually loaded, He felt no inhibitions in pulling it out once in a while for show.
- Mr. Bee, the high school band teacher - Mr Bee is a loud, rather energetic teacher who was not necessarily a favorite among students. Not only did he frequently spit while he talked, but would have won the award for longest distance in spit track. The clarinets and flutes were among those unfortunate souls sitting in the front row. I played the clarinet. I'd like to think he had a slight anger problem in addition to his inability to confine his saliva to his own mouth. He would get really frustrated with us sometimes. There's a hole in the wall that fits his head perfectly to prove it.
- Renee - Renee was one of my many piano teachers. She is from Hong Kong, and is the sweetest girl who just loves music, and loves it played right. So as to follow along to make sure it was being played right, she would sit extremely close to the piano, and in effect, extremely close to me. When I played to loud, I would find her hands right next to mine in the "stop" gesture, accompanied with a shoosh. The usual "shhhhhh," however, was adapted to her accented "sssss." On the other hand, when I played not quite loud enough, I would hear a lofty "louder!" as she tried to be heard over my piano banging. I always knew, however, when I played at a satisfactory level due to the slight swaying I would feel coming from her direction.
- Dr. Spall - I have never met somebody with a more dry sense of humor. Dr. Spall is one of my professors here at school, and is every classic stereotype of a college professor. He can be found through the vast majority of the class teaching in a monotonous tone, with his back to the students, scribbling madly on the board. To top it all off, he looks like Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter minus the revolting rat look.
- Unknown mystery man - This treasure was found in a different country, and was equipped with a leather jacket, extremely reflective aviator sunglasses, and a motorcycle helmet tucked in the crook of his arm. He walked with a definite purpose in a slight saunter with the tiniest upward tilt of his chin, never lowering his gaze past the horizon, not even in a glance to descend the staircase (try it, it's hard.). Without saying a word, He demanded attention from all eyes as he walked by, yet his demeanor screamed he could not have cared less, let alone even notice.
- Last, but not least, let's discuss one more person, one I have known for as long as I can remember/is me. She refuses to be titled OCD, yet she gets her underwear in a bunch if she finds the toothpaste has been squeezed from the middle, or finds crumbs in her butter. She walks around failing miserably whilst attempting to be the female version of previous said mystery man, only to find herself in a collapsed bundle at the bottom of the stairs. She tries to pull off a British accent once in a while, but is never successful, yet still manages to think it's cool.
Moral of the story: I don't care how normal we think we are, we cannot escape our own idiosyncrasies. Might as well just let 'em show. It's what makes life fun, and maybe somebody else will even be slightly entertained by them.
