All posts for my This 'n' That category

When I was going to the University of Texas, I used to hitch rides all over town in Austin. That’s because I could never afford a car that lasted more than a few months. It would have been illegal to hitch on the highway, and anyway that was dangerous, as a friend of mine found out, nearly to her permanent cost. It was probably dangerous in town too, but somehow I never really thought about that.

There was a University-run shuttle bus to campus, but it didn’t come to East Austin, which was where I lived. There’s a whole ‘nother story behind why it didn’t, but suffice it to say that East Austin was where the ethnic minorities lived. And the students who were putting themselves through school, rather than depending on mom and dad to pay for everything, including a room in the dorm or an apartment. I shared a house with 4 other people — mixed genders, which caused some stir amongst the faculty in the Music School, I found out. One of my music theory teachers took me aside and told me they were talking about me in the faculty lounge.

“What in the world are they finding to say?” I asked. I was an undergrad. How did I rate this attention?

“Because you live with two men”

“And two women!” I countered. “And we’re all in Fine Arts.”

“All the more reason,” he replied.

I should mention that gossip was an ongoing entertainment in the Music School, faculty and students alike. I should have expected this. Still, I was pretty surprised.

Anyway, it turned out that there was a man leaving work at the warehouse a block away at the same time as I had to leave to be at an afternoon class. He picked me up several times. One day, I needed a ride to the other end of town, and he agreed to take me there. We got to talking on the way.

He’d been in the military, he told me. I expressed my sympathy. But no, he’d enlisted. I wondered aloud why he would do that. He answered me by saying, “I wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone.”

All sound in the car stopped, including breathing.

“I’ve scared you,” he said.

“Or shocked you,” he went on when I didn’t answer.

I finally got my heart started again.

“No. If you were going to hurt me, you’d have done it by now. But I just realized I was a fool to believe I would get through my whole life without meeting someone who felt like you do,” And every other way too, I thought to myself.

After that, I took the city bus.

Just for fun (stole this from my friend, Cary Cooper of the Dreamsicles)

Pick the month you were born:

January——-I kicked

February——I loved

March——–I karate chopped

April———-I licked

May———-I jumped on

June———-I smelled

July———–I did the Macarena With

August——–I had lunch with

September—-I danced with

October——-I sang to

November—–I yelled at

December—–I ran over

 

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1——-a birdbath

2——-a monster

3——-a phone

4——-a fork

5——-a snowman

6——-a gangster

7——-my mobile phone

8——-my dog

9——-my best friends’ boyfriend

10——-my neighbour

11——-my science teacher

12——-a banana

13——-a fireman

14——-a stuffed animal

15——-a goat

16——-a pickle

17——-your mom

18——-a spoon

19—— – a smurf

20——-a baseball bat

21——-a ninja

22——-Chuck Norris

23——-a noodle

24——-a squirrel

25——-a football player

26——-my sister

27——-my brother

28——-an iPod

29——-a surfer

30——-a homeless guy

31——-a llama

 

What is the last number of the year you were born:

1——— In my car

2 ——— On your car

3 ———– In a hole

4 ———– Under your bed

5 ———– Riding a Motorcycle

6 ——— sliding down a hill

7 ——— in an elevator

8———- at the dinner table

9 ——– In line at the bank

0 ——– in your bathroom

 

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White———because I’m cool like that

Black———because that’s how I roll.

Pink———–because I’m NOT crazy.

Red———–because the voices told me to.

Blue———–because I’m sexy and I do what I want

Green———because I think I need some serious help.

Purple———because I’m AWESOME!

Gray———-because Big Bird said to and he’s my leader.

Yellow——–because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars

Orange——–because my family thinks I’m stupid anyway.

Brown———because I can.

Other———-because I’m a Ninja!

None———-because I can’t control myself!

 Now type out the sentence you made for a title, and put it wherever you like. Enjoy!