Judgment Day

Human behavior is just amazing, isn't it?

This weekend, continuing right on through today at lunch, proved to me what I've always known...people are strange. Weird. Curious. Interesting. Annoying. Fascinating. So Very Different.

With a summer weekend fully in swing, we had a large group go down to Taste of Chicago, the annual event that brings people of all shapes and sizes into the city. They literally SWARM in from the 'burbs. Which makes it interesting, and all of those other adjectives. Plus a few I can't type here.

Walking through the throngs along Jackson, in the shadow of the Sears Tower and with the lake breeze cooling you off, you saw small people, tall people, fat people, skinny people, people of all races, people of all ages, people who haven't showered since before Bush was in office, people who will dance to anything, people who clearly don't own a mirror, people who's self-confidence far outweighs their ability to judge fashion choices, people who will pick fights for no reason, people who can't handle the heat, people who can't handle their alcohol and people who just plain can't dance.




And, people who should have just stayed home. (Not the above pair, mind you). Of course, with Stevie Wonder playing, who's judging?

Then, yesterday was the annual Pride Parade in Chicago. I heard on the news that there were approximately 300 floats/groups in the parade, and more than 450,000 spectators lining the streets. There were similar observations about people than the day before, but this time the extremes were out.

Watching the masses from a third floor balcony, you saw straight people, gay people, he/she transvestite people, she/he transvestite people, naked people, small people, tall people, skinny people, fat people, trans-gendered people, drag queen people, pasties-on-boobs people, thongs-on-men people, leather fanatic people, cowboy people, cheerleader people, S+M people, motorcycle people, questionable gendered people and people who clearly started boozing far earlier in the day than we had.




And, most of the people who were naked, well, just shouldn't have been. Of course, it is the Pride Parade, so who's judging?

Today, however, was back to the grind. Back to the office, despite the glorious weather and the insatiable urge to be outside reading a book in the grassy park.

I treated myself to a salad from the cafe across the street, and while I did, I had the chance to observe even more of Chicago's people.

One couple in particular.

She was leading him (a leash may have been present, though subtle) through the salad bar line as she narrated every last move she made, and dictated every last item he should/could/would and shouldn't/couldn't/wouldn't eat. Seriously.

EVERY ITEM she put on her plate she discussed. You know, "I love green peppers. You don't love green peppers?" and "Don't you dare eat the tomatoes. They still haven't figured them out yet." and "Don't even think about getting blue cheese. It's fattening." and "Oooh. Cous cous. I love this stuff. Not sure what it is made of, but I love it."

He just moseyed through the line, listening to (or more likely ignoring) her every word. He had a wooden expression and dead eyes, but I'm just saying.

It took everything in my power not to tell her to grab a huge green pepper and bite it. Isn't a salad bar the culinary equivalent of freedom of choice? Shouldn't the poor guy have been entitled, by the sheer nature of the course of a salad bar, to choose whatever damn vegetable he liked, without her running narrative?

That's just my two cents.

Of course, it is Monday in a holiday week, so who's judging?