Saturday, June 5, 2004

I love people

Love 'em.  Love watching 'em do things.  Generally things that are normal to them, but just crack me up for no reason at all.

Two of those today.

Walking down the streets of New York at around 11:00 p.m., I see a middle-aged woman trying to hail a cab.  Which is totally unsuccessful, seeing as all the shows have let out, so the cabs around Broadway are all full.  And her husband comes up next to her and says, in that slightly patronizing voice, "Doris, they're not going to stop.  We should walk down another block."  I don't know why that made me smile -- I've been unable to catch a cab myself, and it's no laughing matter.  I think it's that she was named "Doris."  Just seems like a name that lends itself to patronizing husbands.

Other thing that cracked me up was at the matinee -- I saw a musical called "Assassins," which is about all the people who have taken a shot at the President.  So, near the end of the show, there's a scene with Lee Harvey Oswald, in which he is undecided about whether he should kill Kennedy.  It's a pretty intense scene.  I happen to get a glance at the little old lady sitting next to me.  She's got her hands held up to her mouth like she's on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what's going to happen.  I can't help but suppress giggles.  "Um, ma'am," I think, "You know he's going to shoot him, right?  I mean, this can't come as a surprise to you, can it?"

Should probably also point out that, given the subject matter of the play, John Hinckley is a character, and Reagan shows up briefly (when Hinckley is shooting at him).  The Reagan character actually gets a few laughs.  ("I forgot to duck.")  So here's me in the theatre, smiling at some classic Reagan one-liners ... and a few hours later I get to a news source and find out he passed away.  A little creepy, that.

 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love to watch people, also!  I could sit in a mall for hours!

Jan

Anonymous said...

Now you know that even if you have seen a movie a million times you still go "don't answer the door he'll kill you"  "see I told you so".  Too funny.  Glad you liked the play.

Kathy

Anonymous said...

It is terrible that President Reagan has passed on. But I know from watching the ex's grandma fight Alzheimers that he is out of a lot of pain and hopefully with God. I did have to laugh at the older lady on the edge of her seat with the whole Kennedy thing. Lets just say that if she didn't know the outcome she had to have been living under a rock all these years. LOL.
Missy

Anonymous said...

i was standing in the hardware store yesterday buying some paint, when i heard the news on tv telling about President Reagan's death.  I was a bit surprised to tell you the truth.  I had heard his health was detereorating, which had been on my mind.  but then to hear of his death, of course, I was saddened.  He was an incredible president, in my opinion.  

Anonymous said...

While suffering through a trip to the mall this week, I sat nearby an ATM machine.  It was greatly amusing to watch people use the machine--scanning their cards the SAME way at least half a dozen times (up, down, sloooooow, fast, up AND down, with abundant cursing) before thinking to turn them around.

Anonymous said...

I saw them do a number from that play on the Tony's last night.  I'm so jealous you got to go and see the whole thing!

Anonymous said...

does anyone know where my NZ is?  i miss her much!!!  hope she returns soon!  i need a jasmine fix!  Where, oh where is NZ???