Weekend Weirdness

We all lead unique lives.  I'll bet we all see our own share of strange things.  That said, I think that working retail sometimes exposes me to... more weirdness.  Here's examples from this weekend.

Saturday, July 4.  Independence Day.  I'm working my usual mid-shift at the registers. I was wearing a simple blue dress... nothing special.  Maybe ten minutes into my shift, up steps a couple.  Mid to late 60's.  He looks like he was weaned on a lemon, just incredibly sour and angry at the world.  She just looks tired- bone weary tired.  He steps up and places two books on the counter: a Bill O'Reilly title and the new racist screed by Ann Coulter.  I don't even blink.  I work for a book store, and being professional demands that anything that makes the register ring (as long as it's legal) is good.  So I was ringing up the sale, and he looks me up and down.

He looks me in the eye and says, with tons of contempt, "Are you a liberal?"

I gazed back at him with a puzzled look.  "I'm an American."

I handed him his receipt without another word exchanged.  I never knew what brought that on... but his wife gave me a look that said "I'm sorry."

Face of a Liberal

The next day, Sunday July 5, I worked the same mid-shift.  As I was punching in (we punch in at the Information station) I saw one of the managers helping a customer.  He was mid to late 40's, olive complexion, pudgy, wearing a teal polo shirt and white ball cap.  He was loudly announcing to her (and everyone else it seems) that he was from New Jersey.  He continued on, but I headed up to the registers where I was scheduled to work.  Maybe five minutes later, he comes to my register.  He had to order his book which was an "Images of America" book of some town in New Jersey.  He announced loudly to me that this book was about his home town and that his father was in one of the pictures.  Maybe.  He wasn't sure.  Ok.  I smiled and nodded and handed him his receipt, thanked him, and wished him a good day.

Fast forward maybe an hour.  I'm no longer working alone.  At the register to my left is a co-worker whom I will call Millie.  Millie is a pleasant woman who has a day job working at a local school.  The guy comes back into line, and she helps him as I was working with another customer. The transaction seems to be going smoothly enough when suddenly it gets surreal.

He announces loudly (I don't think he has any other volume) "You know what really turns my stomach?  What really makes me sick?  ESPN has this award show... the ESPYs... and there's this award called the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.  And know who they're giving it to?  Bruce Jenner.  For what?  That's just sickening!  They should strip him of his medals.  Just completely sickening!

My customer had left, so I looked at him and said "Her name is Caitlyn.  She's a woman now."

"She ain't no woman.  It's just sick.  They should just... I don't know the whole thing turns my stomach!"

I say again, quietly and evenly " She's a woman now.  Her name is Caitlyn"

"I don't care what it calls itself.  He's Bruce Jenner!"

"How is her life any of our business?" I ask with the same tone.

And off he went, muttering to himself.

Now, there was NOTHING at the registers to bring up Caitlyn Jenner... no pictures, no magazine covers, nothing!  Millie and I look at each other with the same look of amazement.  We ask each other what that was all about.  Millie said I conducted myself very well.  I said "The reason Caitlyn Jenner deserves a courage award is because she has to deal with people like THAT the rest of her life."

"Has that ever happened to you?" she asked.

"More than you'd think," I said.

She looked sad.  "I just don't get why people need to be so mean."

But it didn't end there.  No, maybe two hours later, he was back.  I had a line of maybe six or seven people, and he came the wrong way up the registers, looking at all the magazine racks as he did.  I was working with a customer when he stopped at the magazine rack next to my register, looked at me and scowled.  Then he left.  The customer I had in front of me looked at me with a questioning look.  I shrugged.

Just another weekend at the bookstore.

A Post from A Coworker

What follows is a Facialbook post, written by David Feldman.  He is a former co-worker of mine from the book store.  I read this and I cried.  I had no idea he felt this way.

And his description of the pre-transition me is spot on.

I reproduce it here with his kind permission.

The reason I'm posting this is as a reminder to myself that ALL who transition are examples of the Community to the world at large.  They see the community through us.  I remember once being told, when I was pledging the fraternity, that we would always be an example- that people would form opinions of the fraternity based on OUR behavior.  And I also applied that to Penn State.  If you follow the logic.

So, here is the post, unedited.  Thanks so much David!

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I am getting so tired of the debate about Caitlyn Jenner being a hero. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so let me share mine.

The definition of 'hero', according to the Merriam -Webster dictionary is as follows:

'a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.'

Question: Is Caitlyn Jenner admired for a great or brave act or fine quality?

My answer: Yes

Therefore, Caitlyn Jenner is a hero... to me.

In addition, I personally know someone who has faced the same decisions that Bruce Jenner had faced. His name was Lance. I learned of his dilemma after returning from a 3 month sick leave. He made the same choice as Bruce did.

Lance was very unhappy. He was not an easy person to be around. As a matter of fact, there were times when I avoided him.

When I returned to work, before I was allowed onto the sales floor, I was asked to read a lengthy letter, written by Lance.

I will not go into details about the letter, only to say I was not overly surprised by who the author was.

I approached the person previously known as Lance and I said "I just read the letter you wrote, and I have to tell you, I have a whole new respect for you".

I didn't see a man wearing women's clothing. I saw a person who was happy to be themselves. She was a totally different person. I no longer avoided this person, but found myself seeking her out just to say hello.

Caitlyn Jenner is a hero, and so is Sophie Lynne.

I learned that what a person wears, or how they talk isn't important as long as that individual is happy with who they are.

For those people who are mocking the TG community, remember this...

They are the same as you and me. They work, they eat, they feel, they dream. The only difference is they are now happier with who they are. Can you say the same?

Daughter Reacts

I was going to post this on Facialbook, but decided to do it here instead.

I went to dinner with Wife and Daughter tonight.  (I spent the day at an air show with Linda Lewis, then the evening with them.)  I hadn't seen them in a week, nor spoken to Wife in a couple of days, due to our conflicting schedules.

"Fifi" the last flying B29 in the world

We had a wonderful dinner.  We talked about many things, including the fact that my daughter has now finished first grade.  She was so happy to be a "big" second grader!

So I asked Wife what her reaction was to the whole Caitlyn Jenner thing.  She shrugged.  Then she smiled slightly.

"[Daughter] and I saw it on the news.  They were talking about it and [Daughter] said "Just like daddy!"


I'm very proud of her.  She gets it!