{"id":416,"date":"2006-01-28T01:33:00","date_gmt":"2006-01-28T01:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mercurystate.wordpress.com\/2006\/01\/28\/city-funhouse\/"},"modified":"2008-09-09T22:41:39","modified_gmt":"2008-09-10T02:41:39","slug":"city-funhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seekingsol.com\/city-funhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"city funhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Oh. He\u2019s looking at me funny. Yep. He\u2019s cocking his head and scrunching up his nose. It\u2019s definitely coming. Uh huh\u2026here he goes!<\/p>\n

\u201cDid that hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

I play dumb. I know exactly what he\u2019s referencing because it\u2019s the same question I\u2019ve encountered five times in two days. I\u2019m baffled by my new citizenship of a freak-dom that I\u2019ve never known to exist on the coasts. And I\u2019m not exactly sure why this is my response, but I play dumb.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid what hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat nose ring,\u201d he says and points at my face.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something about having a finger pointed at my face that makes me feel subconscious and so I full-stop the conversation with, \u201cNope. Hey, this portabella mushroom is excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n

A bit of a strange response, I note, to get from the waiter that has just served me the dish I\u2019m complimenting. This time I cock my head at him, to which he responds\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have vegatitis?\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay; that\u2019s not a direct quote. He actually asks me if I\u2019m a vegetarian. But there\u2019s something in the curve of his question mark that insinuates that vegetarianism is something one picks up from an infested mattress. And by the amount of time it took for me to find the single meat-less option on a 6-page menu, I hypothesize that not many of \u201cmy type\u201d are found in these parts. But I recognize his innocent curiosity because I\u2019ve gotten the same line of questions from my niece and so I decide to drop my, \u201cI\u2019m-entitled-to-oddness\u201d act and answer affirmatively and with sincerity.<\/p>\n

Having rarely wandered so far from the West Coast (where nose rings and rabbit-food habits are but hardly noticed), I\u2019m still surprised when he shakes his head in incredibility and asks, \u201cBut why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, because I try to live a life free of both direct and indirect violence,\u201d I answer honestly. Recognizing that this statement is a deep well to simply dip into without commitment and consent, I give the comment a minute to settle. He peers over the edge, squints his eyes, does a quick estimation of depth, and instead shrugs and turns to tend to his other tables.<\/p>\n

I return to my book and copy from it a quote into my journal, \u201cThere are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn\u2019t count.\u201d \u2013 Rabbit<\/p>\n

I glance at my watch and wonder briefly again when I became I watch-watching person. \u201cWhen I started needing to catch flights on time,\u201d I answer myself. I pull out my company credit card and put it on the table.<\/p>\n

The waiter returns. He picks up the card and reads the inscription under my name. \u201cWhat\u2019s a WTB Dragon?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n

I think this is very funny. But I smuggle my laugh because I don\u2019t want him to think I\u2019m laughing at him. \u201cIt\u2019s who I work for,\u201d I answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh. Business woman,\u201d he says and walks away. But the impression of his assessment is left standing in my face\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Business woman? Me?\u201d I stand back, aghast and\u2026insulted? Hum. I am wearing a long petticoat. And black slacks. And I have a laptop with me. And a rental car. And I DO have a company credit card. And I am traveling for work. Wait. Could it really be? Am I a business woman?!?<\/p>\n

These questions are all swiftly spinning in my head as I sign the receipt, gather my belongings and head to the women\u2019s bathroom. But when I push through the swinging door, the bickering in my head is suddenly deafened; outspoken by the volume of music that, for some reason, is blaring in stereo sound only in the restroom. I don\u2019t consciously choose to step into the handicapped stall, but when a terribly joyful 90\u2019s song, to which I\u2019ve danced around many a campfire and know every word, comes on, I do consciously use every inch of the stall space to my stepping, sliding, spinning and singing advantage.<\/p>\n

Quiet relieved with my unanticipated and unsuppressed dancing outburst, I wash my hands and mind of doubt and exit the bathroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesswoman; That was funny!\u201d<\/p>\n

———————————————
\n*sol bows her “namaste” and gratitude to World Nomads Travel Insurance<\/a>, ThinkHost<\/a> and MercuryFrog<\/a> for their ever-supporting roles in the realization of her dream.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh. He\u2019s looking at me funny. Yep. He\u2019s cocking his head and scrunching up his nose. It\u2019s definitely coming. Uh huh\u2026here he goes! \u201cDid that hurt?\u201d I play dumb. I know exactly what he\u2019s referencing… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,51,20,43],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\ncity funhouse - Christina Rivera<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seekingsol.com\/city-funhouse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"city funhouse - Christina Rivera\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Oh. He\u2019s looking at me funny. Yep. He\u2019s cocking his head and scrunching up his nose. It\u2019s definitely coming. Uh huh\u2026here he goes! \u201cDid that hurt?\u201d I play dumb. I know exactly what he\u2019s referencing... 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