Saturday, June 9, 2012

Gasp!

Earlier today I did a presentation on the topic of writing creative non-fiction, personal essays and how to write a character sketch. I discovered that I enjoy teaching people of all ages. I like tripping over little kids and big words. I would like to do more writing workshops and maybe go on the $peakers circuit.

On my way to the workshop location I lost my breath for a minute and my heart raced when I caught a glance of her. I kept my eye on the petite older woman wearing a summer sun cap with a wide bill like my late mom used to wear. For a moment I thought it was her. I felt a wave of euphoria  wash over me, but in a split second I exhaled when I realized it was a little old lady walking in the park. I really miss my mom today.

Today several characters made me gasp. We were shopping at Burlington Coat Factory, a well known department store in town. I saw an old friend and her sister; we were highschool classmates. It was such a nice surprise. Gasp!

I also sucked in my breath when we got in the car and a middle-age man walked out of the store wearing what appeared to be ONLY a T-shirt and shoes. Turned out, he was also wearing a black Speedo. EWWW! If this were a beach town or resort area, I could understand...maybe. Gasp!

We stopped for ice cream, and a mother exited her car and allowed her toddler to flit around the parking lot AS CARS WERE ENTERING AND EXITING and honking. Gasp!

I spied several guys with dime-size black button earrings in their lobes.  Perhaps someone told them that pierced ears eventually close up when one quits wearing earrings. No way with these guys. They will forever have two more permanent holes in their heads. Gasp!

I saw a teen girl with piercings all across her bottom lip and in her eyebrows. She looked like Bride of Frankenstein. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I know. Gasp!

I also saw an elderly woman waiting at a bus stop. She had the sweetest grandmotherly face and more  bicep tattoos than a biker babe. Gasp! Well, maybe she WAS a biker babe.

Characters everywhere today! How about you? Care to share?

12 comments:

Val said...

A blond young ponytailed woman in gray sweatpants and flip-flops met my eye at the fountain soda dispensing bar at my new convenience store. She said, "Do you know where any garage sales are?" Ahem. Do I look like a garage-saler? I swear, if I had been in Save-A-Lot, or if she had been a man, I would have thought she was trying to pick me up. Weird vibe. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sioux Roslawski said...

I stayed in for most of the day, so the only odd-looking character I saw was that old, frumpy lady looking back at me everytime I passed a mirror.

"Are you lookin' at me?
"Are you lookin' at me?" I kept asking her, but she was so rude, she never replied.

Joanne Noragon said...

Oh, those plate sized earrings. Yukk. And that's my final word on that subject.

Kim Lehnhoff said...

Linda,
Thank you for coming to our group today. Daniel is sorry he missed you - he suggested that you do a return visit to the group someday.

The ear plates are called gauges - my granddaughter (15) knows all the fashion trends...one I hope fades away quickly.

Bookie said...

We had a road trip today with friends and ate at a nifty new place. The waitress had a ring in her nose, the shortest jean shorts possible, and she had many tatoos. On the back side of her legs, above the knees on fleshy parts of thighs...she had two big bows tatooed...now what did that meant.
Someday, they will look like broken sock garters down below the knees...what then????

Susan said...

Hi Linda...There are lots of characters in the world, aren't there? Whenever I see a bizarre hairstyle or those facial rings, I think "Different strokes for different folks." Take care and have a good Sunday! Susan

Anonymous said...

I like you blogs.I will come back later to have a read.I see you have many. I have you saved. Dropped in to say. I love to blog as well. Sometimes I get tongue tided with words and gramar. My doc did say to my Mom. This child will be the talk of the town. She should be a writer. I guess it was my loud scream when I came into this world. Aye that is me.

I write from the heart. Sometimes my blog can be over due reading to some that drop in. I am whom I am. A chatty doll with alot of imagination at what ever I do in heart or poems or in my Mini books. Like your pages of blogs and good for you in writing to be published. My young son has written two books been blessed to sell them word of mouth. So that is a rewarding. The first one was his life. He was only under 40 first book. Lots of humor and he wrote about me. Being the Mom who did housework to know end. Hmmm. Out of babes's mouths. They say.

Karen Lange said...

Wow, sounds like you had a day and then some. Maybe some of these characters will find their way into a story.

I gasped not long ago while grocery shopping; I saw a woman who could have been my late grandmother. She passed away in 2003, but it shook me so I texted my sisters immediately to share the incident. My youngest sister joked about Grandma joining the witness protection plan...

Happy Monday!

Lynn said...

I haven't seen anything gaspy lately.

JD said...

Linda:

Reminds me of my days of living in Manhattan. ;-)

I can't say I saw any characters myself today but did enjoy reading about your day among them! Sounds like you got some good fodder for future stories.

Have a beautiful week!

Pat Wahler said...

Wish I could have made your presentation. Perhaps you can do an encore for Saturday Writers???

Pat
Critter Alley

Janet Smart said...

I saw a character at our writer's conference. She wasn't a bad character, though, but a neat one. She went to all the workshops on her roller skates! She was having a grand time.