These are the people in your Neighbourhood, in your Neighbourhood...

So, I'm walking home from work in the Exchange, up Portage Ave, and I run into three interesting people.

Person #1: I'm walking, enjoying the weather, dodging pigeon shit on the sidewalk, the occaisional horked spitball. I look up, see this woman, and my brain goes "hey! you know her!" but the other part of my brain freezes up, the part that holds all the names (the rolodexy part of the brain), and it's apparently gone home for the day. The woman says "hi" and at the last minute before I have to save myself with a "hey YOU!" I remember - Victoria! Ian's girlfriend! We chat, her bus comes and I continue walking. A pleasant encounter.

Person #2: A short while later, just before Portage Place, the sidewalk clears for just a few minutes, and I'm alone. Well, almost alone. There's a homeless dude ambling up the sidewalk towards me. I try to sidestep left, right, left again, then make eye contact. Ugh. "Hey, buddy!" he says, and grabs my hand and shakes it, laughs, pats me on the shoulder. I laugh, waiting for the inevitable, "Can you help me out?" I take out a couple of quarters (all I got) and he seems happy. Not something I usually do. There are much better ways to help the unfortunate, really good programs and missions out there for food, outreach, shelter. I don't believe in giving money. Too easy to misuse. In any case, he seemed happy.

Person #3: A short while later, like a block away, I cross the street. Some dude is leaning against the corner of Portage Place mall. Jeans, jean jacket, shoulder length dirty blonde greasy hair. Not homeless greasy. Trendy greasy. I happen to look his way and he says, "Hey, wanna buy some drugs?" I give him my patented "I'm acknowledging you" hand wave, and the patented "No, sorry man," as in "sorry I have no change to give you."
I walk a few more feet and then what he asked me suddenly hits home.
Drugs? WTF?!?
Do I look like a druggie? A crack ho? A strung out University Student??? Did I forget to put my crack pipe away? Forget to wipe the powder off my nostrils?? Holy crap!
And the guy didn't even try to disguise it, which really made me laugh. No "code words" or anything. Just, drugs.
Weird.
That hasn't happened in a long time.

In any case, it was a pleasant walk home. Drug free.