Haven't blogged for a while

Not because I have nothing to say... not because I don't like blogging... Not because I'm not doing anything... Not because I'm busy doing other things... I just haven't felt like it. That's all.
A few times in the past couple of weeks I've seen stuff or done stuff and thought "ooh I should blog that" and then, when sitting here in front of the computer, just haven't. Oh well. Life goes on :o)
I will try and recall some of those things right now...

I walk slower than everyone else I know. Peoplñe take my slow pace as reluctance to go wherever we are going. Nope. I just walk slower. I often tell people to go ahead and I'll catch up later. I usually get where we are going about 20 seconds later. What's the point of walking fast so you can get somewhere 20 seconds sooner, and still have to stand there for 20 seconds longer. If the bus comes at 1:20 and we are 5 minutes away from the bus stop, and it's 1:05, I much prefer to walk even slower than my normal pace, look in store windows, watch people go by, than to rush and get there at 1:10 and stand at a cold bus stop on a busy street. If I'm ate I'll hurry, but if I'm not, I'm going to take my time and enjoy the journey. So there.

People stare at me a lot. It doesn't bother me. It often bothers people who are with me. I often think "hey, if you don't have a life, and have nothing better to do than stare at me and wonder about mine, then so be it." I have been accused of pretending to ignore people staring at me. Apparently, sometimes it's so obvious that I couldn't really be ignoring it for real. I am. I am immune to starers. I am also becoming immune to people around me complaining about people staring. It happens, so what? On the odd occasion when I notice someone staring at me, and happen to meet their eyes, I usually smile at them. Often I get a smile back and that's nice.

Growing up in Bermuda has made me a weird person. I grew up doing some things that we do in Bermuda and I always thought were normal. NOw a lot of these things are "weird". I say good morning or good afternoon to the bus driver and the shopkeeper and the ticket guy at the Funicular, and the other people who are at the bus stop when I get there, and pretty much everyone who I deal with. Even if I have never seen them before. I also thank you. Apparently this is weird according to some sources. So I started observing. It's true... most people don't. Hmmm... I decided I wouldn't stop doing it. The other day, I was shopping with some people from my cooking class. There was a lady (whose name I never forget, because it's Violetta), and a guy (whose name I always forget, it's either Juan, Ramon, or Jose... something typically spanish). We went to the butcher to get some morcilla (which I had no idea what it was, however I later found out it was blood sausage made with rice... but that's another story). When the butcher-lady asked who was next, Violetta asked for 1 and a half kilos of morcilla. Juan-Ramon-Jose interrupted and said very pointedly, "Buenos dias". The butcher was like "huh?" so he said "Primero, buenos dias. Despues, queremos un kilo y media de eso morcilla." She smiled, said buenos dias to all of us and got the sausage. I thought it was nice. It reminded me of a couple of things:
Flashback #1: It's winter 2000. Caroline is meeting me for lunch at Rock Island. She comes running in with Trimmingham's bags, she's been shopping. We sit with our soup or whatever it is and she tells me that the woman in Trimmingham's is a bitch. I was like what happened? She said that got the stuff she wanted and went to the cashier to pay for it, she had stopped in on the way to work, and so was already late. She put the stuff on the counter and the woman just looked at her. Caroline looked back and after a few seconds said, can you hurry, I'm late for work. The woman kept looking at her and finally said "Good morning" very pointedly, and obviously not meaning it in the literal sense. Caroline was like "what?" so the woman said it again "Good. Morning." Caroline got the point, said good morning and the woman rang up her sale, wished her a nice day and Caroline took her stuff and left. In the retelling, she explained how offended she was that this woman wouldn't ring her up unless she said good morning, even if she didn't mean it, and she felt like this woman was very nervy, trying to put her in her place. I don't agree with the attitude of the woman in question, but I did feel that it was kind of rude of Caroline to walk into a store at 8:30 in the morning, come into contact with someone in order to do business, and not say good morning, or any kind of greeting. I think this is definitely something culrtural, so if you do go to Bermuda, try and remember to acknowledge people.
Flashback #2: It's somewhere around 1988, it's a school day. I wake up, brush my teeth and go downstairs to get breakfast. The radio is on, my parents are in the kitchen. In my head, I said good morning, but apparently I didn't open my mouth and say the words (you know how it is sometimes early in the morning). I walk into the kitchn to get breakfast. My father is standing there blocking my way, looking at me with a funny look on his face.
me: "What?"
him: ...same look...
me: "What?"
him: "You don't walk into a room and meet people there and not say good morning!"
me: "I said good morning"
him: "Marcille, did you hear her say good morning?"
mom: "No"
dad e: "Go back upstairs and start again"
me (inside my head): I said good morning didn't I? Why do I have to go all the way back upstairs? This is stupid.
me (returning downstairs): "Morning mommy and dad e."
them (with way too much enthusiasm): "Good morning sunshine" (or something to that effect)....
And so continued what was the last morning I ever didn't greet my parents when I saw them
I used to think my parents were strict and weird. Okay so they're weird - they have to be. All parents are. But they're people. And they're wonderful people. And we lived in a place where people were supposed to teach children to treat people like people, just like they were taught by their parents, in Barbados, and in Bermuda. You see people, you greet them. You see people, you acknowledge their presence. What took place that morning stuck in my mind... (what also stuck in my mind was the second time I came downstairs, there was an announcement on the radio that all Government schools (including mine) would be closed that day because of the threat of an oncoming tropicl storm... it was a false alarm as usual, but we had a day off from school, and I also remember thinking that if I had had my radio on in my room that morning I would never even have come downstairs and had the good morning incident. The fact that 16 years later I remember the whole thing with extreme clarity indicates that I was meant to learn that lesson that morning.). Caroline lived in a place that was different. People generally only come into contact with other people for a reason, and don't talk to each other unless it's necessary.
I like saying good morning to people. I like greeting and being greeted with a smile and a nod or a good morning, whether it's by strangers at the bus stop or the family in the house. I've also noticed that a few weeks ago when I used to get to the bus stop and everyone was staring down the street in the direction of the bus that was not yet in sight, and said "buenos dias" I used to get a few confused looks and mumbled replies. Yesterday morning, I got there and the 2 ladies there who were having a conversation looked at me and smiled and said "buenos dias" when I arrived. How cool is that?!!! And I didn't even have to be rude about it like the lady in Trimmingham's!