curling (it's a game!)

I was riding the LRT this week, and I sat down across from an old man. I'm guessing that he was around 85+ --> he had the clear skin and yellow nails of the elderly, and he was wearing old plastic glasses with the lenses that made his eyes look as big as (something big and round, but I can't think of a word that adequately describes it). He had a folded up walker, and was wearing old dress pants and velcro shoes.

And I sat down across from him. (he smelled like toast)

I guess he decided that I was approachable (what with my headphones in, looking out the window, how could I be anything BUT approachable??), so he leans towards me and yells, " ARE YOU TAKING PHARMACY????"

uh... what do you say to that? NO. I'm not.

I'm not sure he heard me.

Maybe I wasn't YELLING loud enough for the whole train to hear.

Anyway. He proceeded to go on this long diatribe about how university was so much cheaper when he was young ($20 for a class, which made me quite envious!!), and how pharmacists are going to have a whole lot more work to do. It was really quite charming. He meant well, and wanted to have someone to talk to. I guess if you're not used to the silence and hum of the LRT, it's a little strange.

Then he was quiet for a while. And I smiled to myself, and put my earphones back in, and resumed staring at my reflection in the window.

Then we got to Rexall, and he leans over towards me again, and goes "ARE YOU GOING CURLING??"

I smiled again, took out my headphones (although I probably didn't need to), and told him no.

Then he asks, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? IT'S NOT FOR YOUR HAIR! SOME GIRLS THINK IT'S FOR THEIR HAIR, BUT IT'S A GAME!"

Oh boy... uh... Yes, sir, I DO know what curling is.

And now the rest of the train knows, too.

"IT'S NOT THAT HARD. ALL YA GOTTA DO IS GET THE ROCKS OUTTA THE WAY"

wow.

"JUST GETTEM OUTTA THE WAY. RIGHT OUTTA THERE! WE ONCE..."

And he was off again.

The whole thing was really quite amusing. The most amusing part, however, was that he NEVER GOT OFF THE TRAIN.

We got to Clareview, and I got off, and he just sat there.

He just sat.

He had got ON the train at Health Sciences, and we were at Clareview, and he stayed on.

I looked back towards him as I was heading down the stairs, and he was STILL just sitting there. Maybe he was just riding the train for company, I don't know. But, man, was that ever funny!!!

As a side note, I DID end up going to the World's Men's Curling at Rexall. I'll post some pictures of it later.