Scenes from a mall

OK, so, at the advice of a friend who said Dillard's was having an awesome sale on clothes and shoes, I took a jaunt over to the mall. Alas they had nothing in my size in the BnT section, where Frank DeCaro once said, "Extended sizes come in 2x, 3x and 'Oh my God, it's coming at me.", and from the looks of it, there wasn't a whole lot to be had. It was lunch time (post lunch time for me, actually, so I decided I would try the food court.

Five minutes in, I remembered WHY I don't eat in a food court.

First of all, is it malls all over the world, or just malls in the Tampa Bay area, but are ALL food court stores owned by asian people? No matter what the cuisine (and I use that word lightly), from Sbarro to Tokyo Gardens or whatever the fuck it's called, they are all asian. It's one of those things I have noticed for years and never thought much of to mention.

While at the mall, I saw one of my old adolescent clients from my case management days. I used to work with HIV+ individuals, in particular, teens. He was there with his friends. I figure he must be about mid 20s now. He looked good. That made me a little happy.

So I get my cajun bourbon chicken (provided by asian folks), and sit down at one of the tables next to a family of soccer moms and dads. Moms are in their little pastel cardigans and trying to get away with wearing skinny jeans, with just a little of the muffin tops out the tops of the jeans, dads wearing Gap hoodies and track pants. All the kids, save one, were under the age of two, but walking. I know this because at least twice two of them fell by me and/or picked up french fries off the ground under my table and ate them. So, I was just tryin to finish the burbon chicken when out of my peripheral hearing I hear the word "episiotomy."

Like a train wreck, all other sound disappear, and all I can focus on, despite my trying not to, are these soccer moms comparing episiotomies to caesarian and what was worse vs better, pros vs. cons. Then one of the moms in a lower cut jeans leans back in her chair, says, "Oh my scar isn't bad at all(I hope you can see where this is going, because I didn't until it was almost too late) and says, "Oh my c-sections wasn't that bad...and starts to lift her shirt while pulling down the side of her pants.

In the food court.

On a Sturday afternoon.

at lunchtime.

That's when our eyes met. And by eyes, I mean her eyes and my look of horror. She quickly sat back up and said to the other mom, "Oh, I'll show you later on."

I ate as quick as I could and got the hell out of there, which brings me to my next rant - Why is it that people, whether they are by themselves or on the phone or talking to friends, say, "Thank you." when someone holds a door open for them. And the worst part is, it's teenagers that seem to be the worst culprits of this. Now before you say I am sounding like an old lady, because I know that in many ways, I am, let me say that I have always made an effort, even when I was a child, to say thank you hen a strangers would open a door for me. The reason why I would do that is because back then, I was with my mom most of the time, and SHE would say thank you. It was a learned behavior on my part, and one I am glad to have. A "thank you" and a smile often makes other people smile, and that is something we see less and less of these days. I actually think that these people who don't say thank you do not do so because they were not told to say thank you as a child, and as such, the art of acts of random kindness takes another hit. The current people won't tell their children, and so on. It's just another example I like to use when I say, "Its the end of the world." And yes, I got all that from some little shit and his girlfriends not saying thank you to me after I held a door open for them because their 14 and too cool for that. That and....well, shit like this....

We're just monkeys.....