Misc Weirdness

Last week I went to go see She Wants Revenge, which was a very cool show. I went with one of my cool new friends, who had an extra ticket to unload. Given that she was sick and I'm just an all around nice guy, I volunteered to sell the ticket while she went in to either snag a place to sit or grab a beer (she did the latter, but that can help you forget that you're sick). Anyway, while I was outside trying to unload the ticket, I met a business savvy bum (yeah there likely is some PC term for him, but I'm old school and I like to use the term bum, and it's my blog anyway). He had tickets for sale himself, and he knew how to work the system. Fortunately for me, I kinda looked the part of someone who actually is going to the show, and he looked like, well a bum. Through the course of trying to find a buyer, I ran into this guy who looked like he'd gone way too long without a shower. He had a ghetto blaster, which he was blaring Skid Row (the irony is classic) on it. I can't think of the last time I saw a ghetto blaster in use. He stopped to talk to me, but had no interest in buying the ticket (my hunch is that he blew whatever cash he had on batteries so he can hear Sebastian Back do his thing). He kept talking to me, and well his weirdness was cramping my style. Before long he was singing along, falling over, and interacting with people who just weren't there. Oh and he was convinced that he knew me and the other people who were there (I dunno which is scarier). I managed to distance myself enough to sell the ticket, and that was that for my interaction with him. I'm no drug expert, but he seemed way more fucked up that the usual druggie types I encounter, and I really thought he may have been schizophrenic.

Speaking of schizophrenic, a few Friday's ago I was at Victorians Midnight Caf/O Bar for drinks and chillin' with my peeps. Most of my friends smoke (not the kind of stuff that might explain what happens below), so we were out on the back patio area. We were just talking amongst ourselves, and this dude comes out and stands right next to us. He was relatively well dressed, clean, and displayed no signs of drug use. The patio is nearly empty, and there are plenty of places to stand, but he stands right next to me and my friend. If that wasn't odd enough, he was silent and striking a pose. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, he departed to do the same thing with another group at the opposite end of the patio. We exchange exasperated glances and comments, and we assume that was all behind us. Later on the dude comes back out with a roll of paper towels. He proceeds to use them to dry the damp tables (including the table we're at) and chairs with unusual ferocity. Then he does the same thing all over again. He uses up a whole role of paper towels, and when he's done he disappears again. While he's drying things he tells my friend to quit talking dirty, which is kinda odd considering that my friend hardly was saying anything, and nothing of the sort he was claiming. I seriously thought the dude was hearing voices, and he obviously has a multitude of other issues. At this point we're all rather uncomfortable. Upon returning to the patio for another smoking session, we stand at the opposite end of the patio. Things seem fine, until homeboy comes back out and just starts to creep closer, so much so he nearly knocks over a one a wood burning stove trying to get closer to us. While he's creeping in, he talks about how he knows us. I had other plans, so it was soon time for me to depart, so I head out. A friend of a friend needed a ride back to her car, which was on my way, so she left with me. On our way out, our buddy was there to almost corner us. He tried to tell us that he needed to talk to us, and then he says that the friend of a friend was there a few days back talking about being sexually assaulted and stuff. I manage to run interference, so she can escape. I follow and the madness was over.

More than anything, it's all just sad. I'm kinda sure the first dude had schizophrenia or similar form of psychosis and I'm convinced the second guy had it. There's not a whole lot medicine can do to bring sufferers to normalcy, and there's always a chance that folks might snap. I wish these guys were just some messed up druggies, as then I could just look down upon them and their actions, but the sad reality is that life is unfair, and some people have serious problems.