Lefthanded-Rightminded

Thursday, June 15, 2006

I just went out for a cup of coffee...

Yesterday, I went to Starbucks to get some work done. The only problem with trying to work at Starbucks is that there is usually at least one really distracting person, such as the large Southern man who sat next to me and asked me questions about Internet access even though I was obviously listening to music and writing. In hindsight, the large Southern man was nothing compared to the distraction who was about to walk into the front door- a blind man.

Most blind people that I have seen are extraordinary at maneuvering themselves around public areas. This man was not. He sat outside for awhile, but then came inside to find a chair. He walked up to a table where a young woman was sitting, and began touching the table and chair to see if they were occupied. As soon as he began feeling around, the woman told him that the table was occupied. While he should have moved on at that point, he kept feeling around because he couldn't hear her. He had headphones on. Now, as far as I know, most blind people develop a heightened sense of hearing in order to compensate for their lack of sight. Then, they can hear echoes and approaching cars and, most importantly, people telling them that the seat they are about to sit is already taken. I would think that most people would capitalize on this gift of improved hearing, instead of making things ten times harder for themselves by putting on headphones.

Anyway, since he could not hear the woman telling him that she was sitting at the table, he found out when he groped her waist. He then made his way over to my side of Starbucks, where I was packing up my stuff. As he went to sit down in my chair, I told him that he could have the seat as soon as I picked up the rest of my things. But no, he couldn't hear me because he had headphones on, and he sat on my computer.

So yes, I am a terrible person.

3 Comments:

Blogger Leighton said...

My brother called today and questioned whether the blind man actually sat on my computer. Michael, except for the time I told you that you were adopted, I would not lie to you. He sat on my computer and it was a terrible thing to go through. As for telling you that you were adopted, I knew you would never believe me since we look the same.

12:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am watching soccer today and pretending that espanol really holds no communicative purpose. As if it were just jibberish or something. I'll then pray to God that he will tell President Bush to make everybody in America be able to communicate with me via written English. Me want people talk better me. A lot of us have been overseas, or at least in a room full of people who don't speak English, like at the DMV. I am relatively sure that people who don't speak English still communicate meaningfully. Although, it could be scam. Goal!!
There goes that plan. Go England!!!

12:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is going to sound even worse, but there's no way the guy was actually blind, is there? He was just trying to grope people. Though I guess if you slap a blind man, that's something people are going to talk about. Tough call.

Anyway, Bec and I were hanging out with Jon, Carrie, Paul, Deb, Don, and Sharon last night and I was stealing all your stories as my own. Only Carrie didn't buy that I went to a dude ranch as a quasi-lesbian. Whatever.

10:02 AM  

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