People Watcher,

yep, that's me.  I spend hours watching people.  I don't expect them to do anything spectacular, I simply watch their every day activities.  Wonder where they came from, why they are here, what are they doing and where they are going.

Kids are fun to watch, especially those trapped in the seat of a shopping cart. Some are utterly bored, some try to reach the items their moms have placed there, while others try to grab things off the shelves and dump them into the cart.  Some mothers are wise to their children's shopping habits and load their carts from front to back, that way the kids can't open the cookies, and stray items are easily noticed.

I like to watch women in restrooms.  Some primp and pretty themselves as though they were not happy with themselves when they left the house.  Some can't wait to get out of the place, barely washing their hands, and frequently grabbing a hunk of toilet tissue to dry them, when paper towels are not available and the blow dryers take too long.  Then there are ladies like me, who will actually wipe down the sink and counter top before leaving the room.  Exactly why I do this, I've not a clue. I'm sure Freud could tell me.

This morning, I went to the Times Square cameras, my absolute favorite people watching site, to see what's new.  As you know (or maybe not) a two year remodeling project is winding down, and just last week they opened up a newly finished section.  People once more roamed freely, well within eye shot of one of the cameras.  I was delighted.

Having watched Times Square People for several years now, I learned there is always, always, ALWAYS something new going on along the Bow Tie Blocks, and temporary fencing goes up and down several times a week.  This morning something big was being constructed in front of the red steps, and fencing had blocked off the area.  Mostly I was wondering what the heck was going on, but then...I noticed something interesting about the people I was watching.

They sauntered along the Square, walking, talking on phones or with each other, some sipping something from cups all getting closer and closer to the fencing.  Suddenly, they stopped realizing they could proceed no further.  They stood.  They did absolutely nothing. And that was when I realized something new about people.  They are just like cats that get caught doing something stupid, such as misjudging distance and falling off a window sill. They give you that look..."Hey, I meant to do that."

That's what the people walking Times Square were doing..."Hey, I meant to be here, looking at this fence.  Dah...I'm gonna' turn around now and go the other direction."  This didn't happen just once, but the whole time I was watching.  It was a hoot.  We become such creatures of habit, when something unforeseen and out of the ordinary overtakes us, we cover up the best we can.  "Hey, I meant to do that."

Don't misunderstand, I'm not judging these people, I know I would have been stumped by the fencing, too.  Shoot, as an old person who tends to look down when I walk I probably would have walked right into it...and...knock it over as well.  "Hey, I meant to do that."

I'm just sayin' apparently there will be always something new to learn about humans as we take snap-shots of our daily lives.  So, be careful where you pick your nose or scratch your butt, you never know who's watching...it might be me.  "Hey, I mean to do it."