Weird people where you live?

Admit it, we all have some sort of town crazy. I will say most where I'm from are harmless.

I'm bringing this up because of the old lady I have seen around work the past couple of weeks. She walks around wearing animal hats. I mean, like toy animal hats that only a child would wear if they were playing. Last week she was wearing a giraffe head, and today she had on a shark one. Don't know her story at all, but I guess she's harmless since she doesn't bother anybody.

There used to be some old guy too who walked around wearing weird hats too. We all knew who he was, and he seemed pretty nice, but he was always wearing these crazy hats. One was a baseball cap with moose antlers on it, and I forget what else. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him in years. We are wondering if maybe he died because he was old. He also may just have moved. Who knows.

Oh yeah, and famous from Weird New Jersey magazine was Waving Willie. He was this old man who would sit in a rocking chair in his yard, waving to people as they drove by. I don't know how long he did this, but he since has passed away.

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Yeah, my sister was the town crazy and some lowlife townies spiked her soda with drugs which put her in a catatonic state. She nearly died. The result-neurological damage which left her unable to speak correctly and in a wheel chair. Besides being mentally ill.

I just can't laugh about weird people in town. You never know their stories.

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My heart aches with compassion when I see a derelict in the street, or someone who may be considered the town weirdo. If it weren't for my sister having parents who cared, and myself, she'd be in the street. Or dead.

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That's hilarious! We have a Willy in Bushwick too--but ours is Chilly Willy--he stands outside all day, every day, making sure people get their packages, cleans up the sidewalks, moves cars for parking rules--I have no idea if he gets paid, but he's always there.

We also have a crazy crackhead tranny. I first saw him (her) late one night, asking for change, carrying a raggedy umbrella a la Madwoman of Chaillot and was wearing a princess/match girl ensemble. He's asked me on three occasions if I speak English and then does a huge "Oh thank god...My boyfriend and I had a fight.." tirade...three times.

When I was living in Chicago, there was a woman I saw all the time who was bossy, pushy, talkative- she had an opinion about EVERYTHING and she never shut up! I wonder what ever happened to her?

There is one guy in Chicago I have never been able to figure out. He's an older one-eyed gentlemen who wears these really crazy brightly colored suits and ties and I see him most often walking along the river downtown along Wacker. Up close, the suits look like they are probably expensive, but the guy seems a bit wacko. And he's incredibly lecherous around women. One afternoon, he was clearly following this one young woman and she was visibly nervous as he kept walking beside her STARING at her or walking ahead of her and turning around every five seconds to stare at her. I kept my eyes on the situation and I just got the feeling that he was planning on making some sort of move on her. She was obviously getting a bit panicky, but determined to stay on course. So I quickly moved past her and walked between her and the man. Sure enough, he turned around again and started walking back towards her making really weird noises with a grin on his face. I nonchalantly physically blocked his path and with each attempt to move, I carefully blocked his path again without making eye contact, simply acting as if I was not paying attention, but concentrating on my mp3 player and the view. He got the message and took off almost at a run. When we reached the next corner, the woman thanked me for my assistance. It was a rather tense and bizarre situation.

Maybe he meant no harm, but you can't be too careful when it comes to strangers. It reminded me of a female friend of mine who lived in NYC during the 80s and a man she knew about who used to haunt subway platforms with a large stick, walk up behind women, and whack them in the back of the legs to make them fall down. Then he would run off. She said he made a weird mumbling noise, which became a warning signal to women familiar with the guy to turn around and catch him in the act, which would cause him to run off.

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"There is one guy in Chicago I have never been able to figure out. He's an older one-eyed gentlemen who wears these really crazy brightly colored suits and ties and I see him most often walking along the river downtown along Wacker. Up close, the suits look like they are probably expensive, but the guy seems a bit wacko. And he's incredibly lecherous around women. One afternoon, he was clearly following this one young woman and she was visibly nervous as he kept walking beside her STARING at her or walking ahead of her and turning around every five seconds to stare at her. I kept my eyes on the situation and I just got the feeling that he was planning on making some sort of move on her. She was obviously getting a bit panicky, but determined to stay on course. So I quickly moved past her and walked between her and the man. Sure enough, he turned around again and started walking back towards her making really weird noises with a grin on his face. I nonchalantly physically blocked his path and with each attempt to move, I carefully blocked his path again without making eye contact, simply acting as if I was not paying attention, but concentrating on my mp3 player and the view. He got the message and took off almost at a run. When we reached the next corner, the woman thanked me for my assistance. It was a rather tense and bizarre situation"

Things like this happen all the time in NY. I've had my share of scary experiences with strangers.

So I'm not sure what the point of this thead is.

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There's also an older gentleman who rides around Queens on a bicycle wearing a dress (complete with fake boobs), a turban, a parrot on his shoulder and a rainbow colored poodle in the basket. I can't be the only one to notice him, he shows up at every gay pride pride.

I think I get the point of this thread. It's to make fun of people who are "crazy"-as you all put it.

Carry on, I"ll leave.

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Mister's crazy guy reminds me of the "gold-plated construction worker" I see in my hood--gold hat, boots, belt and lunch pail. And it's all been spray-painted.

In the ex's hood in the West Village, we had the Fake Palestinian; this weird white guy with an Arafat headdress and red platform heels.

Now Jane, we're not REALLY laughing in the "Isn't human misery a kick?" vein...at least I'm not. I think (for me) it's "Human beings-wow!"

Sorry if anyone is offended by this thread. I wasn't trying to make fun of people who might be a little different than the rest of us. I just thought some of the people I see, that people might find a little strange, are actually rather interesting. I mean, not to make fun of them, especially if they haven't done anything wrong. Actually, the waving guy was cool because he just sat out all the time doing it. I don't think he was crazy, but it was just a nice thing going down the road and having him wave.

Now, the unharmless guy I know of, is just insane and pretty trashy. Basically, he has a radio in his house, listening to fire and EMT calls all over the area. He will go on these calls pretending he's an EMT. I don't know if he is or ever was certified in that stuff, but he is legally not allowed to go on the calls because he is not affiliated with any of the emergency rescue squads, and nobody wants him because he causes so many problems. He isn't a nice person either. It isn't like he goes on the calls either as a good samaritian, just passing by. It's too much of a coincidence that he just happens to show up on all of them. Plus, it has been confirmed he does have the radio. I know there is way more about him than what I posted, but I don't know exact details. Oh yeah, and somehow he has an old ambulance on his property. Fortunately, he isn't stupid enough to drive that around to calls. But he also is just weird in the sense that he has rented his entire house out, and lives in a trailer on his own property now. This situation is certainly different than just unique people we see. This guy could potentially cause harm to someone.

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I certainly didn't see this as a thread to make fun of people at all. It seems more to be a thread about observation.

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Warning
by Jenny Joseph

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Taken from the book
When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple
Editd by Sandra Martz
Papier Mache Press--Watsonville, California 1987

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