Lunch gone bad

Well, today I was working in the fine city of Brockton. When lunch time rolled around, I went out in search of an independent, non chain, kind of place for lunch. I ended up at an old time looking coffee shop, with bad rhyme for a name. I sat down at the classic formica "bar", stool firmly bolted in place. The sixty-something woman with an eastern European asked me what I would like. There was no menu, on the board up over her head, there were four sandwich choices and two soup choices. I had to think fast, "Umm, How about a ham and cheese sandwich, and the chicken rice soup." She asks me what kind of bread I want, "wheat", ok. I had a bad feeling when she grabbed a stryofoam coffee cup and filled it with hot water from the tap on the standard Bunn coffee maker. Not good. I buried my face in my Globe, Pats news first, then the op-eds. A few minutes later she brings me the styro cup filled with yellowish soup. I'm hungry I give it a try, it's ok, not terrible, but not homemade. The sandwich is placed in front me next. Two pieces of dry whole wheat toast, two slices of process cheese food, and maybe a slice and a half of deli ham. While I'm eating, a bearded homeless guy comes in and struggles to tell the woman what he wants, he has had a stroke or a throat injury and is hard to understand, the counter woman's own accent and age don't help. There is a couple eating at a booth and they know the homeless guy and try to help out, I'm still in Globe world, not paying much attention. I'm half way thru this mediocre lunch , wan a short slightly round hispanic women comes in and asks for a napkin. The old woman's spine stiffens and she says something like, "Well, are you going to buy something?" The little Hispanic woman starts getting change out of her jeans pocket and asking how much a small coffee is. I'm watching this and thinking, geeze, I should buy her a cup of coffee, so she can get a napkin. So, I do, I tell the old lady, " Give her a cup of coffee, put it on my bill". Her spine gets stiffer and she asks me what size the little woman can have, I say small. The little hispanic woman is very thankful, says she was out walking and needed the napkin, because cold was making her nose run. "No big deal", and I stick my face back in the paper. Now she asks if she could have an ice cube in her coffee and buys herself a donut!! My friendly counter lady asked me to pay the bill before I'm finished and just after giving the coffee to the hispanic lady, as if I was going to run out after buying a coffee for this other woman!
Now I'm torn, the next time I'm in Brockton, I won't go back there for the food or coffee, but the local color is highly entertaining. Maybe I'll just get a donut next time.

FandC part 1

Well, I've decided to join the blogosphere, at my advanced age. More will come to light in the near future, but I am an unlikely "blogger". Age, kids, wife, work, all conspire against this effort. But, what the hell. It's Nov.2 and the election is the big thing on my mind. That and my 11 year old's homework assignment. I'm an Obama fan and seriously, McCain was my favorite republican in 2000! Had it been him vs. Gore, who knows where my vote would have gone! The campaign he has run this year has been scattershot and erratic. Palin is an obvious pander to brain dead Hilary voters and the dreaded religious right.
Anyways, enough fear, how 'bout some cycling!? Now that the temps are dropping and the daylight is shrinking, my gut will widen! I will try to get out there more this winter, but it is anything but easy. I rode my favorite off-road trail Friday, and it was so covered with pine needles and leaves, I was sure I had lost it a couple of times! No excuses, the same sections that activate my "chicken bone in my right hand(rear brake), still do. I love this trail, because I still can't get it right!!
Ok, back to fear, I have said that a blog from me would be useless, because who wants to read the assassination fantasies of a northeast liberal!! I mean really, does anyone want to know how I'd like to finish off each of the Bush cabinet! I hope not.