[stylist] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #138- In a Crowded Place

[Aziza]

It doesn't even take crowds... I'm self conscious about my physical space, 
so don't normally take to kindly to being grabbed or whatever. Most of my 
friends say hi before trying to hug me or something... Really it's for their 
own good. Normally I'll recover quick enough to maintain composure... But 
I've taken so many self defense classes, that my skil added to my dislike 
for being snuck up on have sometimes caught me in a position where I have to 
relax and take a breath before I do some irrevokable damage. My nephews have 
made it a sport to purposefully try and scare me... *rolls eyes*

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angela fowler" <fowlers at syix.com>
To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:26 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #138- In a Crowded Place


> Oh, Robert, I feel your pain!! Crowds drive me nuts. Being hard of hearing 
> I
> have a heck of a time telling whether people are talking to me or someone
> else, or even what they're saying. And when someone grabs me in a big 
> crowd
> like that, even if I know them well I have to ask who they are. Luckily 
> for
> me the people who really know me know I'm hard of hearing, so they're cool
> about it generally.
>
> I too would appreciate any tips you guys have to offer for dealing with
> these frustrating yet inevitable situations.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Robert Newman
> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6:01 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'
> Subject: [stylist] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #138- In a Crowded Place
>
> Fellow Writers
> RE:  In a Crowded Place
>
> Here is my newest THOUGHT PROVOKER. I'm looking to see how people feel
> and/or function in crowded and/or noisy environments. Any advice? If you
> have not read the PROVOKER, it follows.  Recall that I collect responses 
> and
> post them upon my web site for all the WWW to read and learn from and that
> URL is- Http://thoughtprovoker.info <http://thoughtprovoker.info/>   If 
> you
> wish to receive THOUGHT PROVOKERS sent directly to you, just write me and
> ask, at-  newmanrl at cox.net
>
> THOUGHT PROVOKER 138
> In a Crowded Place
>
> "It's been a hard day's night ---" The familiar lyrics rode the crest of 
> the
> wave of sound washing over me as I opened the door to the hotel bar and I
> knew too well what the next hour or so would bring in terms of
> communication. Sigh.  The event was my 40-year class reunion. I was here 
> to
> find my party, eight guys, my remaining teammates from our senior year
> champion wrestling team. We'd start out in the bar and later move to the
> larger gathering.
>
> Inside, weaving my way among the scattered tables, I moved from one island
> of sound to another, I figure my guys will grab me when I am spotted.
> Chances of me finding them in this environment are slim to none.  The 
> crowd
> is fluid; people standing, sitting, walking about, so the auditory stimuli
> are coming from every direction.
>
> "Robby boy!" the booming, beer-soaked voice directed down upon the top of 
> my
> head had to be Harley, the former heavyweight wrestler, sweeping me up 
> into
> his, now, even weightier embrace. "Com'on, little --- we're over here in
> ---. Let's get you a --- one." I didn't need to have heard all he said, 
> his
> firm grip and drink happy mood carried me along.
>
> "Rob!" "Hey Bat Man how yaa ---" "Bat Ma --- oh invincible one!" A chorus 
> of
> greetings met me at the table. (All of us had special nicknames back in 
> the
> day.  Bat Man had been mine but I'd not heard it spoken aloud for years.
> Harley had been Elephant Man.")
>
> Seated next to Thomas (alias Spider Man), a friend I'd not seen in person
> for nearly 20 years, I asked,  "So Tom, how's life?" Leaning forward,
> positioning my ear to be at the best angle to hear his responses.
>
> "Hey Rob," Super Man's voice projected across the table. It was Jeff, the
> once team captain. "The lady wants to take your order." And thinking she 
> was
> behind, between Tom and me (where I had felt something touch me), I voiced
> my order.
>
> "Rob --- " Jeff yelled again, "she's over here! Ha, and I think she read
> your lips --- a draw, right?"  I gave him a thumbs up.
>
> Getting back to Tom, I said, "Whatever happened to that motorcycle you 
> had?"
> Not getting an answer, leaning closer I could tell he was engaged to 
> someone
> off to his right. Turning to my left to talk to John, the once smallest 
> guy
> on the team, nicknamed Invisible Man, I found him laughing it up with 
> people
> at his end of the table.
>
> After a couple of rounds of drinks and several broken conversations with 
> my
> former teammates, consensus came to move ourselves to the banquet room. 
> We
> made a short stop at that room's cash bar; then, glass in hand, I started
> mixing and mingling prior to sitting down to dinner and speeches.
>
> The music playing in the banquet room came from a string quartet and 
> wasn't
> going to be a problem. The room was large, had high ceilings, a carpeted
> floor, and was set up with enough round tables to seat 1,000. Right off I
> ran into a former girlfriend; we hugged and got caught up.
>
> Free again, I went on the prowl for other old friends. I used the location
> of the music as a point of reference, moving through the scattering of
> tables, listening for any voice I recognized or for someone to yell out my
> name. There were small groups standing and talking or already seated and
> visiting. I'd catch a word or phrase as I passed, even stopping a few 
> times
> to insert myself into the group's space only to find that I didn't know
> them. People, people everywhere, and no one I know to be found anywhere.
> Not even finding my old wrestling buddies, I got more assertive, stopping
> the next person walking by. "Hi, could I ask if you have seen ---" and 
> this
> guy answers, "May I get you another drink, sir? I'm one of the banquet
> staff."
>
>
>
> Robert Leslie Newman
> Email- newmanrl at cox.net
> THOUGHT PROVOKER Website-
> Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
>
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