Subway Funk

I think that recently I have some type of personal metamorphosis. Things that I wouldn't have done not a couple of months suddenly seem OK and things that should bother me on some level just don't seem to any more. It is strange but interesting.

Lately I've started to enjoy riding the subway again. For a good while now I've been in a bit of a subway funk. The thought of rushing underground again to sit with a bunch of strange people who oscillate between refusing to acknowledge my existence and being completely awestruck by that "thing" thing on my face has been making me feel sick. (What thing you ask?I don't know. Maybe the black.) Anyway the magic of the subway has come back to me. I think subway love/hate is like constantly spinning on a little lopsided wheel some where. I am currently on that tiny love side.

Anyway I have been seeing the most interesting people on the subway lately. Like today I saw this girl/boy who was absolutely disgusting. S/he looked to be about 15 and cute. Tomboyish is the word. I actually could not tell what S/he was so I'm just gonna call her/him Terri. Now when Terri sat down it was shocking. Because most Japanese people, unless they are drunk, try to be as unobtrusive in life as is humanly possible, but not Terri. that fool before even sitting down all but slammed this huge Adidas sports bag (all of the cool nonconformist kids have one) onto the ground and then immediately one up that bang with a terrible pow as s/he flopped down into a seat.

Now as I said, Terri is a cute person, but the way s/he was dressed made it difficult to tell if s/he was a boy or girl. S/he was wearing a tight pants (girl) with a camouflage design (boy) and a red hoody (unisex) with a dark blue coat over it (also unisex). S/he had him/her hat cut in a short bobbish style (girl) but had it dyed and covering part of his/her face (japan cool). This was accessorised with cute little earrings... studs I think (girl) and a second large ugly bag (boy).

But I think the one thing that will decide this ugly debate is the way that Terri was acting. S/he ate boogers. Its true. I would not have believed if s/he hadn't done it several times. The ride from Nagoya station to Fukiage station is only twelve minutes. In that amount of time you would have thought that Terri had decided to feast upon the best lunch ever. In and out, deeper and deeper SHE (I've decided that Terri is a girl. A disgusting girl. Because even though the man sitting next me blew his nose four times into a wet wipe and then folded it and started to wipe his face and hands with I'm certain that he would not eat his nasal treasure.) Terri was all but smacking with glee. I had to fight hard to suppress an urge to write out "You are a disgusting monkey baby" on a piece of paper and hand it to her.

Just disgusting.

The subway has been yielding a lot of confusion lately. On Friday I went to immigration to apply for an extension on my visa. (That is a story unto itself.) On my way there I saw the most beautiful sleeping man. Sleeping on the train is like a rite of passage here Japan. (I wonder what happens when you finally succeed.) This dude seemed to be a pro at sleeping. People got up, people sat down, the train stopped and started again and this guy just seemed oblivious the entire time. He only came to when he realized his stop was near. (Developing the ability to sense that your stop is approaching while in a deep sleep is another rite here.) When he woke up he was still beautiful. He was dressed kinda shabbily but I just assumed that was because he was a student and it was early in the morning. He wore sandals and socks (a motherfucking crime), sweat pants, a flannel button up shirt and this big darker than powder blue (somebody help me) knit jacket thing and he had the requisite bag. It looked like a bag of random loose paper, but I was too far to verify that.

Anyway he looked exquisitely thrown away. *sigh* but when he got up he looked exquisitely drunk. He swayed when he walked. Then he started to look exquisitely crazy. He was counting something out in the air and kinda rolling his head loosely on his shoulders while maintaining his little sway and when he walked he kinda jerked and weaved back and forth. Not cute. retarded....mentally challenged. Such a tragedy. So cute.

But it got me wondering, "Is it wrong to find retarded people attractive?"

I mean this guy was a bonafide cutie who just happened to not be all there. Is it wrong for me to think that. I hope not because I will just have to be wrong for while. I bet he would photograph well. The subway is always packed with really cute people who make you feel guilty for thinking that they are cute. Usually the junior high kids and the high school kids do this but I don't see any reason to deny retarded folks their moment in the sun.

I know that "retarded" is not the most politically correct term, but political correctness gets on my damn nerves. Besides I have a cousin who is retarded and I love that guy to death. I don't mean any kinda ill will towards any one.

There was another cute guy who got on the train today. And there was that cute boy on the platform. hmm then a cute older guy dozing on the way to Tsu. You know I'm starting to recognize people on the subway. "Oddly" they are all men. I can't for the life of me remember a single one of the women who I ride the train with.

Bizarre, yeah?