Friday, January 16, 2009

On Being Special


It was cold this morning. (Well okay, it was cold for Texas. For Minnesota it was balmy.) Anyway, it got all the way down to 23 degrees Fahrenheit so Joyce insisted I dress warmly. I put on an extra layer of underwear, a long-sleeved dress shirt, my company-issued-safety-award jacket, a stocking cap with "Aggies" embroidered on it, my black cowboy boots, and a green left glove. At some time there was a corresponding green right glove, but that mitt has long since wandered off. Still, if you think about it, one glove is really all one needs. It insulates the left hand that grips the cold steering wheel, it covers the left hand that holds the computer case while the right hand slips neatly into the right jacket pocket... Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would actually need the extravagance of a right glove.

So anyway, I went to the train station this morning, looking all dapper in my safety award jacket, blue jeans (dress-down day, you know), scuffed cowboy boots, stocking cap and left glove. I felt a little like Michael Jackson -- owing to my single glove (not my crotch-grabbing) -- so I gave some thought to moon-walking my way from the parking lot to the train. (There are lots of things I "think about" in my own way.) I boarded the coach, popped open my laptop and was immediately lost in study. Suddenly American Airlines Center was rolling past the window. So I hastily shut down, stuffed the laptop back into its bag and prepared to disembark -- which means getting ready to silently recite the train's automated words of advice: "Now arriving Union Station -- this is the end of the line -- please exit the train."

The mantra began as usual: "Now arriving Union Station ..." But then there was a pause, and instead of the train counseling me to exit, it began looping words of affirmation: "This ... is a special train. {long pause} This ... is a special train. {long pause} This ... is a special train". As I stepped onto the platform, I remarked to the guy next to me, "The train seems to have some sort of adequacy issues."

He laughed, "Yeah, 'I ... am a special train -- and doggone it, people like me.'"

9 comments:

JAMIE'S CREW said...

Sounds like a freaky Friday to me!

LeeAnn said...

Perhaps it's like short-bus special.

K-Dubyah said...

What??? No "I think I can, I think I can"?

oh, those images of the green left glove and moonwalking had me roflmao...

joyce said...

I think we have a left blue glove for a change of bling the next time it is cold...

but, maybe out there in the blogosphere there is a person with two right gloves who is ready for a trade??

Bob said...

Joyceee--
The blog-o-sphere is a big place, but what are the odds of finding an exact match for that green glove?

Ky Woman--
Dang! Where were you when I could have used that line? That would have been the perfect come-back to my fellow traveler.

Leeann--
But the short bus carries special little people; the long special train carries typical big people.

Jamie--
Everyday is "special" around our house.

Missy said...

Thanks for stopping by! I agree "just blue", but the youngest just keeps asking when Blue Balls is coming home...
My DH is like, "You've got to handle this one!"

Willow said...

*wondering where his helmet went*

JAMIE'S CREW said...

Thanks for stopping by the post on our dog Sox!

Bag Blog said...

It is hard to envision a grown man wearing green gloves, much less moon walking.