Holy Random Batman

There are some things in life that can’t just be let go of. Some things happen and, although you know that you should probably just let them go and move on, you simply cannot. Some force, whether it be supernatural, superhuman, blind curiosity, or what have you…pushes you to delve deeper into some things.

For instance, working in a high school, you get the chance to just sit around and listen to children and young adults talk and discuss things. One such occasion arose this past week when a girl was wearing a Camello Anthony jersey. (For those who may not know, Mr. Anthony is the young star of the Denver Nuggets and hence it says “Nuggets” across the front of the jersey. Now the stage is set and our students, who are to be working on 60 square root problems begin the scene.) One child, we shall call her Dee says to the other wearing the jersey (we’ll call her Jen), “who’s shirt is that?”

Jen replies, “Dan’s.” (or we will call him Dan at least).

Dee: “I didn’t know Dan was that small.”

Jen: “Well, it’s his sister’s.”

Now pause with me here and let us discuss the difference between a young boy’s shirt and his sister’s. How pissed would you be if your older brother started lending your stuff out to his friends because, as the student later put it, they “liked the colors”??? I’m sure that wouldn’t go over well. In fact my brother’s friends’ hands would be bloody masses at the end of their upper appendages. But alas I digress. Back to the conversation:

Dee then says, “So who is on the Nuggets?”

(I was expecting a, ‘I dunno, I just like the colors’)

Jen replies, “Carmello Anthony”

Dee: “Is he good?”

(Here it comes…)

Jen: “um….I don’t know…I liked the colors.”

(BULLSEYE! But there was one more line that mattered, and here’s the one that got me)

Dee finishes this question in a manner that sounded as disgusted as it looks:

“So…do you watch these…Nuggets?”

I just about died. This conversation, all paraphrased except for the final line, stayed with me all day. After the day was over, I still had it going through my head. I couldn’t imagine what was keeping me fixated on it. It was an average conversation with a strange but probably typical ending and I couldn’t drop it. I repeated it to myself to the point that I nearly went internally deaf! (A topic that I am sure I’ll discuss later since making yourself deaf to your own inner monologue would be far too hilarious to simply mention once in passing.) I can’t imagine it is a good thing to harp on such inconsequential tidbits like this. I assume my time could be much better spent than mulling over some trite instances that mean nothing to anyone. There is only one victim in this story that overall seems to have no plot never mind protagonist and antagonist. That victim is not either girl in the discussion, nor the poor child that was robbed for fashion, but rather ME, I was robbed of an entire day because of this inane question that isn’t even stated in correct grammatical structure!

“Do you watch this…Nuggets?”

Aside from a lack of subject/ verb agreement, there is nothing wrong with it, but I still, clearly, can’t drop it…

It doesn’t end there however.

Another moment that I should let go of revolves around this morning. A man, college-aged…a rather tall college-aged guy listening to head phones steps out of the elevator and walks past me as I walk toward the bathroom for my BC morning ritual (I realize it’s not needed but this here is stream of consciousness people!). Most of us would see no problem with this small thing and there should be nothing more to tell. But allow me to describe in further detail our antagonist in this story. The man walking by is dressed in untied work boots, baggy work pants that are tucked into said boots, a plaid flannel shirt with a Carhardt jacket on the outside. He is wearing a stocking cap that looked to be from the Gap or some such store and his hair was sticking out from underneath it…not a mullet but given another month or so he could pass as a budding Billy Ray Cyrus pre-“Achy, Breaky Heart.” His music is audible but not comprehendible as he passes and loudly, out of his lips as he passes are the words, “…I’ve been all around this great big world and I…”

That was it. From this as I sat, I mulled over and it occurred to me that he was listening to the Beach Boys’ “California Girls.” The facts didn’t match, it was like having a CSI when the evidence all pointed to the girlfriend and it turned out a cow from out of town did it. This was just odd on a couple levels. The appearance of our musical stranger alone begs to know why he would just belt out ONE line from the song he was listening to, let alone why that song would be from the Beach Boys! I did however manage to just be happy that he was done singing and I was out of his vicinity so I could laugh. But just as I was thinking about it and chuckling to myself, into the bathroom came our favorite vagabond breathing like he just gave a concert to 15, 000 strong in the Conte Forum out back. He stands at the urinal and although his breathing Nearly blocked out the sound, it was clearly audibly the Beach Boy classic “Fun Fun Fun.”

I can’t say I was all that surprised but now, aside from giving me endless ponderings of his personality, he got that damn song stuck in my head and for this there can be no forgiveness. God help him if I see him again. I may just have to grill him about his music choices. But for now, I’ll end this blog….

Until something MORE random arises…