Tuesday 10 April 2012

A blue-haired girl


I'm at the bus stop, waiting for my bus to arrive, curiously observing my surroundings. There are people whooshing by on their bicycles, occasionally dinging their bell when some negligent pedestrian, most often an inconsiderate teenager, occupies the bicycle path. 

I watch them, the bicyclists not the teenagers, feeling a bit guilty because I always take the bus instead of cycling. I check the time on my new iPod, considering borrowing a bike and actually doing it for once rather than thinking about it and having a guilty conscience. It seems that faith doesn’t want me to lose some weight because I’m already a bit late which is not typical for me. Also, it’s still too cold to ride a bike so I quickly abandon the idea, trying to ignore the fact that there are lots of people cycling so it probably isn’t that cold. I try to occupy my guilty mind with one of the most inspiring things in the world – watching random people. 

Bicyclists pass by too fast for me to take a good look at them, unlike my fellow bus-goers; most of them hang around long enough for me to think up their life stories. Not everyone is interesting enough though, after years of watching people my standards are pretty high. A blue-haired girl dressed like a hippie, for instance, doesn’t meet the criteria. She’s probably frustrated because she’s always been just a bit too chubby to fit in so she’s trying to make friends by being different. I seriously doubt that her vivid blue hair helps her in any way.

Before I manage to find someone worth my time, the bus I’m waiting for arrives. I take one last look at the people whooshing by, promising myself that I’ll get up early enough to cycle to the university tomorrow, looking forward to watching bus passengers for the next fifteen minutes. 

21 comments:

  1. Wondering who would be The ONE to be catched by your trained and experienced eye :-)) Any special categories?
    Mojca

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    1. I don't have categories, it just happens. Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)

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  2. Ive thought about biking to work but 6 miles with these crazy foks, just sounds horrid to me!!! I'd be one of those hit by a car, lol. I hope you can bike tomorrow though!!!

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    1. I didn't. :/ But I'm planning to go to the gym tomorrow.

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  3. Haha, I like the "She’s probably frustrated because she’s always been just a bit too chubby..."

    Anyway, you don't look like you need to lose weight - a bit like me - and cycling is way too dangerous in town :)

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  4. People who bicycle around here are usually looked upon as crazy or unfortunate. Those are the people I watch...

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    1. I didn't bicycle after all. But am still thinking about it...

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  5. lovely scene. I like how you not only told us the surroundings (too cold to..) and the people but also your thoughts and wishes (feeling a bit guilty...).

    I missed reading scenes like this.

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    1. Thank you Tianyu, your that means a lot to me. Another similar post is coming up in an hour or so, don't miss it.

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  6. You should totally look into getting a folding bike if you're a little wishy-washy about commuting. It really helped me get into it, at least, especially when I first started, it was nice to know that I could ride in the morning and take my bike home on the bus if I was tired or the weather got bad or something. It made the transition to bike commuting a lot easier for me to know I had the fall back if I needed it.

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  7. Lovely piece of writing, and about one of my favourite things in the world: people watching! I ride to work, but only in the summer (I'm a fair weather cyclist) when it's nice and dry and light.

    Your descriptions of the other folk, and your surroundings as you waited for the bus are excellent.

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    1. Thanks Dicky, it means a lot to me that you liked this post.

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  8. I am sort of a bike should be ridden for fun type person. If you really need to get somewhere I would stick to the bus. Then if you are late you can blame it on the bus! LOL
    Enjoyed this story as I am a big time people watcher person. Grandson and I took a long walk the other day, we sat on a bench to rest and people watched for about an hour. His favs to watch were the ones that think no one will see them adjust their clothing out in the middle of a parking lot.
    You did an excellent job of making us feel we were there with you. The descriptions were just enough, not too much.

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    1. Thanks Barbara, I'm glad you liked this post and also happy that you shared your experience. You should write a story about it ;)

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  9. wow...that's so tipical... let's judge other people, because we're perfect... what do you know about that girl to judge her in that way?? nothing, exactly... If she want's blue hair...well, bravo for courage miss! if she want's to dress as a hippie it's her choice. Don't judge others if you don't know them... that's a nasty thing to do...

    Kimora

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    1. Kimora, thank you for your comment. I didn't mean to be rude or wicked, I just wrote a story. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.

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  10. Uppmärksamma watt används i ditt hem. Använd prylar som Kill-A-watt eller watt Minder och räkna ut vad play bazaar satta king din konsumtion är och var den kommer ifrån.

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