Old familiar
Dec. 1st, 2007 04:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
randy_byersWell, I've been kind of a busy boy today. The main thing is that I went downtown (in the pouring snow!) to the Nordstrom Rack and bought a charcoal grey knee-length wool and cashmere coat. After lunch at the Westlake Mall, where the huge windows in the food court made me feel like I was in a snow globe, I decided it was perfect weather for a snifter of Old Woolly barleywine, so I hopped on a bus to the U District. The Big Time was packed with happy barleywine drinkers.
Earlier in the day was an expedition to the post office to mail a copy of Way to someone in Singapore who inquired because of a review in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
profgeek's Askance. Think that's the first time a complete stranger has asked for a copy of one of my zines because of a review in another zine. Pretty cool!
Walking home from the post office and other errands, I headed down Wallingford and then down the hill on 36th, which is not only the street I live on but a section of it I walk everyday to and from work. Very familiar ground. I was lost in thought, as usual, but I said howdy to a guy I vaguely recognized as living in that block somewhere. As he passed behind me, I heard him say, "How did you quit smoking?"
Was he talking to me? That seemed pretty weird, since I didn't know him, so he couldn't know that I used to smoke. I looked back, and he was clearly talking to me.
"How did you know I was an ex-smoker?" I asked, puzzled. I couldn't imagine how he'd read that just by looking at me.
"Oh, I've been watching you for years," he said. "Used to be that I thought you were in pretty good shape for a smoker."
I laughed, suddenly getting it. "Able to climb a hill while smoking!"
It was a little unnerving to realize that I've been observed so closely over the years. After all, I stopped smoking six years ago, so he certainly has been keeping an eye on me for a while, but I don't know him from Harry. Ah well, he seemed friendly enough.
"I just quit cold turkey," I told him. "But I did some mental preparation first."
"Yeah, that's the tough part for me: getting my mind set on it."
"They say it's one of the most addictive substances out there," I said, shrugging.
"I'd hate to think there's anything worse," he said ruefully.
And I continued on my way home. I guess the whole damn street is my home!
Earlier in the day was an expedition to the post office to mail a copy of Way to someone in Singapore who inquired because of a review in
profgeek's Askance. Think that's the first time a complete stranger has asked for a copy of one of my zines because of a review in another zine. Pretty cool!Walking home from the post office and other errands, I headed down Wallingford and then down the hill on 36th, which is not only the street I live on but a section of it I walk everyday to and from work. Very familiar ground. I was lost in thought, as usual, but I said howdy to a guy I vaguely recognized as living in that block somewhere. As he passed behind me, I heard him say, "How did you quit smoking?"
Was he talking to me? That seemed pretty weird, since I didn't know him, so he couldn't know that I used to smoke. I looked back, and he was clearly talking to me.
"How did you know I was an ex-smoker?" I asked, puzzled. I couldn't imagine how he'd read that just by looking at me.
"Oh, I've been watching you for years," he said. "Used to be that I thought you were in pretty good shape for a smoker."
I laughed, suddenly getting it. "Able to climb a hill while smoking!"
It was a little unnerving to realize that I've been observed so closely over the years. After all, I stopped smoking six years ago, so he certainly has been keeping an eye on me for a while, but I don't know him from Harry. Ah well, he seemed friendly enough.
"I just quit cold turkey," I told him. "But I did some mental preparation first."
"Yeah, that's the tough part for me: getting my mind set on it."
"They say it's one of the most addictive substances out there," I said, shrugging.
"I'd hate to think there's anything worse," he said ruefully.
And I continued on my way home. I guess the whole damn street is my home!
