Aaah-Chew !

Somehow I caught a cold over the weekend. Stopped on the way to work to pick up some tissues for the office and after opening the box and stuffing them halfway into my bookbag, snagged a seat on the shuttle train. As I was typedity-typing away on my blackberry I felt (before I saw) that the man a seat away from me was slowly pulling a tissue from my Puffs. Ok- I'll allow this- maybe he has to blow, and he doesn't appear to be the hanky-carrying type. I glance sideways. Just as he is stuffing the tissue into his mouth. (?) And chewing it. (Aloe vera Puffs, anyone?) Well, now I have to get up and move to the door. I'm all for sharing, but my tissues aren't for eating!

This is the second time I can remember that someone on a train has managed to snag a paper product from me and use it for some other purpose than it was originally designed.

Brendan's birthday last May and he had gotten a new cell phone or new number or something. I didn't have it. So I call my sister as I'm headed to the train to get his number so I can make the call. After fumbling around and calling her back twice due to trian interference I finally find a pen and the inside of a silver gum wrapper in the bottom of my purse to write the number on. I get on the train but the tunnel breeze blows the gum wrapper from my hand onto the dirty, nasty, subway floor in front of a toothless bum. I'm walking toward the gum wrapper and the man clearly sees me, but he picks up the gum wrapper and stuffs it into his mouth! It's not gum, just the wrapper. He chews loudly and swallows. I watch him thinking, oh great, now I have to call my sister again for the number! Brendan laughed when I finally told him- but of course he was half in the bag by then. And sis, well she was like: you really don't have to make up such crazy stories to get the number, but this is the last time I'm giving it to you tonight!

Are these the kids in 5th grade who used to stuff their homework into their mouths?