o_O

[yuuago]

So, I was reading on the transit, minding my own business, when some guy asks me about my book. Sometimes, this is annoying as hell, but he seemed genuinely interested, so that was all right. Turns out he'd heard about this book on the radio or something. (It was Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt. I suppose it's the kind of title one would remember.)

Anyway, that was all well and good, and we talked about library books for a while. And then he started going on about his fancy radio, because he's one of those enthusiasts who like to pick up stations from all over the world. So, that was all right.

And then he started talking about how there is a volcano in Yellowstone that is going to explode some day soon and how of course THEN everyone is going to wish that they'd stuck to using short-wave radio.

...Okay, I thought, this guy is a little weird, but whatever.

And THEN he started talking about UFOs and Sasquatch and how there are a ton of cryptids in Pennsylvania because there were a lot of deaths there during the civil war and you gotta watch out for skinwalkers if you go down there, okay. And apparently they discovered aliens in Antarctica. (Dude, are you sure you haven't watched The Thing one too many times?)

Uh.

I'm rather glad that we hit my stop shortly after that, because I don't know if I would've been able to keep a straight face for much longer.

On the upside, he brought up the subject of some AM radio station that has a show on from 1 in the morning to 5 or so, and they talk about UFOs and alien abduction and all kinds of loony things like that. And the reason it's an upside is because it brought back memories of my gran, who used to listen to that radio show, or one very similar to it, when she couldn't sleep. :') Ah, gran. As far as I know she didn't believe in that stuff, but she liked listening to those weirdos talking about whatever it is they saw when they'd had too much moonshine.

Anyway. That was, um. An interesting experience. AND THIS, my dear friends, is why I never talk to strangers on public transit. They're either drunk, trying to bum a smoke and/or cash off you, or totally bonkers.

Comments

[ichipinky]

ah the wonders of pretending you're listening to music, or actually listening to music while you're reading! at least he wasn't dangerous ^^;

[yuuago]

Yyyyep, I should probably start doing that whole "pretending to listen to music" thing. -_-; Oyy, people.

[monksandbones]

Oh wow. The book sounds awesome, though, at least!

... I guess I can think of worse places for an unwanted public transit conversation to go, but that one has to win some kind of medal for weirdness!

[yuuago]

It IS a pretty good book, on the upside! But I suppose it's also the kind of subject that basically invites weirdness if you read it in public.

[idleleaves]

rofl, oh dear. Sounds like a nutjob.

I used to wear earbuds on the bus even when I wasn't listening to music, because there were a lot of wackos on the line I rode.

[yuuago]

Nutjob is right.

Normally I don't have that much of a problem with weirdos, but sometimes... stuff happens. xD But at least this one was sober.

[idleleaves]

I was stuck on a train once for 27 hours (it was supposed to be a seven-hour trip) because of a 'white hurricane' blizzard, and there was this dude who kept wandering up and down the aisles spouting absolute bullshit like that (aliens, volcanoes, conspiracy theories) to anyone who would listen. It would have been funny in any other circumstance, I think.