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Things that would never happen to me in Sweden
The other day I was walking toward the big crossing by the Denver Capital building and the Centennial building - a really busy street corner, and this skater, a white kid, high school aged, with a backward cap, baggy pants and over-sized shirt came rolling. He wasn't a good skater, at least not that day, he fumbled with his board when he stopped slightly in front of me by the street (there was a red light) and almost lost his board to the busy traffic, before he caught it desperately with his foot at the last second.
All this time he was smoking, and I, being distracted by other thoughts didn't register the smell until after a few seconds...these particular whiffs that I hadn't had in my nose for a long time, from a forgotten era almost.
Then he made an almost natural movement toward me, handing me the joint, like I was his special basement-mate in his cozy suburban home south of Denver or something, and I saw in his eyes that he was high as a kite.
Several thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously while I made a declining hand motion and said "no thanks, I'm good".
Kid, you're gonna kill yourself if you start skating right now, someone ought to confiscate your board!, and Kid, I could be your momma, if I lived in Appalachia with the right hormones. When the lights turned green he started to skate away in a dull way, in the midst of rush hour.
At the archives, when I told this story, people's most common comment was "shit, why isn't anyone offering me some light recreational drugs? ...but I always opposed such words with: Dudes, he wasn't offering me drugs, he was offering me to share his drugs, in a fucking street corner, in RUSH HOUR.
I really still don't know how to interpret that.
So, yesterday then, I got off the bus in Boulder and started walking home down Table Mesa Road, and this man on a bike stopped his bike and shouted something to me when I crossed the street. When I came closer he said in an outdoor voice "WOW what red hair, I've never seen such hair, can I TOUCH it??
I didn't mind just then, and thought he was a little hyper but that was ok. So he continued to walk beside me, talking about his two daughters and how awesome they were, and how troubled his marriage was (and I commented that I was married and also would want a kid at some point)..and blah bladi-blah, and just when I was gonna turn aside into our street he suddenly burst out: "So...I don't want to be vulgar...but ehrm...are you red-haired DOWN THERE too?"
Surprised as I was the first few seconds, I just said "well...that is kinda vulgar. But then my Swedish analytical scientific part of my brain blinked on and I said: "But quite frankly it's very rare that people are anything else than different shades of brown on their pubic hair, it's a pigmentation thing, and even most blondes, with a few exceptions are light brown down there, unless they are bleached".
Very much too late it downed on me that he was probably hitting on me, and that he was most probably on something too, if only booze. (but he had been stable and with good motor skills while biking)
So I did the look at my watch and "omigosh, is that the TIME" - maneuver, and turned the corner.
These two incidents might happen to someone in Sweden...but probably not, but then of course no one was ever hitting on me in Sweden either.
All this time he was smoking, and I, being distracted by other thoughts didn't register the smell until after a few seconds...these particular whiffs that I hadn't had in my nose for a long time, from a forgotten era almost.
Then he made an almost natural movement toward me, handing me the joint, like I was his special basement-mate in his cozy suburban home south of Denver or something, and I saw in his eyes that he was high as a kite.
Several thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously while I made a declining hand motion and said "no thanks, I'm good".
Kid, you're gonna kill yourself if you start skating right now, someone ought to confiscate your board!, and Kid, I could be your momma, if I lived in Appalachia with the right hormones. When the lights turned green he started to skate away in a dull way, in the midst of rush hour.
At the archives, when I told this story, people's most common comment was "shit, why isn't anyone offering me some light recreational drugs? ...but I always opposed such words with: Dudes, he wasn't offering me drugs, he was offering me to share his drugs, in a fucking street corner, in RUSH HOUR.
I really still don't know how to interpret that.
So, yesterday then, I got off the bus in Boulder and started walking home down Table Mesa Road, and this man on a bike stopped his bike and shouted something to me when I crossed the street. When I came closer he said in an outdoor voice "WOW what red hair, I've never seen such hair, can I TOUCH it??
I didn't mind just then, and thought he was a little hyper but that was ok. So he continued to walk beside me, talking about his two daughters and how awesome they were, and how troubled his marriage was (and I commented that I was married and also would want a kid at some point)..and blah bladi-blah, and just when I was gonna turn aside into our street he suddenly burst out: "So...I don't want to be vulgar...but ehrm...are you red-haired DOWN THERE too?"
Surprised as I was the first few seconds, I just said "well...that is kinda vulgar. But then my Swedish analytical scientific part of my brain blinked on and I said: "But quite frankly it's very rare that people are anything else than different shades of brown on their pubic hair, it's a pigmentation thing, and even most blondes, with a few exceptions are light brown down there, unless they are bleached".
Very much too late it downed on me that he was probably hitting on me, and that he was most probably on something too, if only booze. (but he had been stable and with good motor skills while biking)
So I did the look at my watch and "omigosh, is that the TIME" - maneuver, and turned the corner.
These two incidents might happen to someone in Sweden...but probably not, but then of course no one was ever hitting on me in Sweden either.
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Ahahaha. awesome.
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FUN-NEE!
xx
Re: FUN-NEE!
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Is that true? How do you know that?
I remember there was some quasi-news story about the quasi-scandal when some guy (I don't know who) spoke in an interview about Lindsey (sp?) Lohan's red pubic hair.
====
People always used to ask to touch my hair, or, perhaps even more commonly, just touch my hair without asking.
from wikipedia:
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It's true!
I've seen more naked women than most Casanovas have, due to the frivolous Swedish sauna-tradition, and also where I grew up, down in the South of Sweden, there was a bath house by the sea, only for women, where you went skinny dipping as a custom.
There are people with fair pubic hair, and even with some red pigmentation, but they are rare.
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(gimme gimme gimme!)
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you DO look Swedish actually
It's the Swedish way.
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yr totally right
Dude nr 2 was asswipe - I was just too naive and distracted to catch on until way late in the process.
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This actually touches on two of my hair rants (no, not my pubic hair). (1) I often have really long, voluminous hair. A foolproof way for me to decide when to cut my hair was when some random person walked up to me on the street, started yakking, and then finally got around to "So, do you have anything to smoke?" As it happens, I neither smoke nor smoke, don't care who does smoke, and will never have any smoking materials. So I tell them no, at which time they become extremely paranoid and leave, and I get my hair cut a few days later. With the political climate like it is in the US these days, it doesn't happen like that much any more. (2) I used to work in a big-ass shopping mall with my big-ass head of hair. Sometimes women would remark on it, and say things like "That's no fair!" A few would ask to touch it. And a couple would start touching it while talking to me, without asking. What bothered me was the fact that if I walked up to some random woman and started feeling her hair, I'd get the cops called on me, a kick in the balls, or both. This seems kind of sexist and unfair to me. But don't get me started. :)
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haha, that actually makes it sound classy, who would have guessed...
Strangers touching yo' parts without asking, be they ladies or gents, have no class!
Aw man...you suffer from the HIPPIE-YOKE, but nice hair is always a bit of a blessing too!
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Maybe there's a repellant we could order from somewhere...
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It's hilarious, but it's such a Swedish thing to reply, I think. :)))
Also, people are strange in Sweden too...but the drug thing has never happened to me yet. Neither the pubic hair thing either, I have to add. ;)
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I KNOW! and it was so totally the wrong topic to expand on with him.
yeah, we have weirdos too...but the sex-compliments and the drug offerings are not as many!
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-L-
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(seriously though, I would love to get an update on your life soon, through LJ, email or phonecall, we'll be in Uppsala for New Years, there's a party you're welcome to if you're there too, stay in touch!)
I...
-L-
Re: I...
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On my birthday we're going up into a nice mountain town (Estes Park) and have a birthday dinner there, weee!
It's very pretty this time of year, the aspen is turning red and golden over the rolling foothills.
I'm going to post some Colorado mountain pictures soon for people to see, I love the fall most of all seasons over here.
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thanks!
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Dzienkuie! (sorry, I don't have Polish letters, so I have to improvise)
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