Aye Matey

Today on the train...I saw a pirate. Well, actually I saw a movie pirater (is that a word?).  I've seen them on the train before but I'm always surprised at how open they are. 


The man today went up and down the aisle saying "Movie man has your movies." One rider called out to him to see what movies he had and the pirate sat right down and pulled out his inventory. Told him the prices and even provided his phone number.


He said he had been in the business for four years. He definitely had the whole system down. His customers could call him on the first of the month and he would meet them somewhere to exchange the goods.

I just don't understand how comfortable guys like him are. How do they know there isn't a cop on the train? I wonder what the penalty really is for selling boot leg DVDs. I suppose it can't be life changing, otherwise people would be more careful.

What's Next?

Today on the train...an older man and woman were discussing how young people live their lives these days. They started the conversation by talking about a coworker was getting ready to retire after working for the company for twenty plus years. 


The woman made a comment about how young people today just don't look to work for a company their whole lives until they retire. Then the man added that most young people don't even have the next five years planned.

Being a "young person", I would have to say that is mostly true. One of the reasons could be that there are so many different jobs out there now. When we first get out into the "real" world, there is absolutely no way for us to know what job or company will really be the best fit. It isn't just blacksmith, police officer, teacher, doctor, lawyer anymore.


I think many people these days don't want to work just to pay the bills. We want to like what we do for a living and feel gratified at the end of the day. To figure out just what will keep us motivated and engaged, sometimes times we have to experience it all.

I do fantasize about being retired, but thinking about exactly what position I'll retire from is impossible to imagine. There is just so much out there!


A few months ago, that topic would have stressed me out. The pressure of trying to figure out what you'll be when you "grow up" is heavy. I'm one step closer because I was accepted into the master's program I applied to, and will be working on becoming a marriage and family therapist for the next couple of years! 


I'm very excited, but even that doesn't mean that I'll only be a therapist for the rest of my life.

Lesson Learned

Today on the train...there was a man that I've seen before. He's an older man, well dressed, walks with a swagger. He jumps from caboose to caboose tempting people with his shell game. The lowest you can buy into the game for is $20. Now the first time I saw this man I said to myself, "if you have $20 in your pocket to throw away, you probably shouldn't be taking the train." But there are many people that keep this man employed.

I was sitting next to one such person today. He was a young boy, I'd say 23 or 24 years old, reading a book titled "Kindness", wearing plaid shorts, and brand new fancy European style sneakers.

The older man initiating the game was at the other end of the caboose, but every once in a while the boy would get out of his seat to watch the game. I could tell he was getting excited. He made a comment when he came back and sat next to me.

"That guy just made $100 from that game! It's an easy way to make quick money."
"Or a quick way to lose it." I replied. I wanted to add that it was a scam and that no one ever really won. The older man probably had several people on the train that were working with him to make it look like people win, but I didn't know who was a pawn and who was actually just riding the train so I kept my mouth shut.

Soon after the older man came and sat right across the aisle from the boy and me.

"Now he's really tempting you," I said.
"The money I have is my girlfriend's. I really can't play with that. But I could totally win! It's so easy." He said just as he got wrapped into the game.

The older man talks fast, draws a crowd, and is pretty aggressive. Before the boy knew it, he had put down $100...and lost it. Just as soon at the older man had the $100 in his hand the boy started to beg for it back. It was so sad to see.

"No no no no. That's my girlfriend's money. I really need it back. No no no no, please!" The boy cried.
"Nah, you lost! If you won, I'd pay you. I don't cry when I lose." The crowd that had built up around the game started talking crap and the boy sat silently.
"Ok, I'll let you try to win it back. You bet $20 and I'll give you the $100 if you win." The older man said and the boy jumped at the chance to get his girlfriend's money back. Which of course is not what happened. The boy was left with an empty wallet and the older man got off at the next stop to hustle some other desperate soul.

As the crowd disbursed the boy got his digital camera out and called out asking if someone would buy it from him.

"You really needed that money huh?" I asked.
"Yea..." The boy was sweating profusely. There might have been tears mixed in with the sweat, but I couldn't tell the difference.

Two men who had been in the crowd watching the game started asking him what happened and asked where he was from.

"Pasadena. I ride this train everyday."
"Oh! We thought you were a tourist! You should have known what was going on. You should have seen it coming."
"I did."
"You knew what was coming and you just gave him all your money?"
"I guess so."
"Hope you learned your lesson. You got schooled today." Just as the boy got up to get off the train they added "Put that on your resume!"

I felt really bad for the boy, but he had to learn somehow. Too bad his girlfriend had to be affected by it. I wonder how long she'll last.

Baby Mama Drama

Today on the train...I was sitting next to a lady about my age. She pulled out her phone shortly after I got on the train with her day care center. Apparently, they charged her for picking up her son late and she didn't want to pay.


If you leave the story at that, it sounds like she should have just paid the fine. The problem was that her son is normally picked up by a neighbor, THREE hours before they called her. The mother had a valid point in saying that the day care center should have called her way before they did to inform her that her son wasn't picked up, and if they had called her then she wouldn't have a fine to pay.

Of course, I could only hear her side of the story, but the fact that this conversation went on as long as it did amazed me. Instead of being all about the customer (and the safety of the child), the person on the other end of the line was trying to defend what was done and enforcing the fee being paid. The mother of course countered that by saying that her son is always picked up on time, all of the people that were listed as emergency contacts live nearby and no one was called until THREE hours after her son's normal pick up time. 


The day care worker obviously then went on to theories of child abandonment and police being called, which the mother then repeated that someone should have called her or one of her emergency contacts before the police needed to be called, but the place waited THREE hours to call.

I give credit for the mother for staying calm and making all of her points, but I still felt bad because through her conversation I learned that she was a single mother of a two year old that doesn't get off work until 6:00 pm, which is why someone else picks up her son from day care. 


That is a lot of stress for one person to handle. I'm sure she spends day in and day out providing for her son, and then this situation comes along, causing her to question her trust in the day care center's ability to take care of him, but probably not having many other affordable options or the time to look for them.

Sunday to Sunday in the LBC

Do not worry my blogging friends! I'm back. It has been a busy couple of weeks. The days were full and I would get home just in time to slip into my jammies and fall into bed. 


I got up early(ish) yesterday morning so that I could edit some more of my pictures from my train adventure. You all will get to see those over the next coming weeks.


I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. My family met at my parents' house and ate a delicious breakfast of almond, macadamia nut, buttermilk pancakes! Of course my father made them so that my mother could relax and enjoy her day. After breakfast we headed off to the Getty Museum to see the Leonardo da Vinci sculpture exhibit. It is amazing to think that these sculptures were created hundreds of years ago by hand. The technique is so precise and detailed. We just don't see that around much anymore. Da Vinci was a true genius!


Ok, on to things Long Beach related. Apparently, Long Beach Heritage puts on downtown walking tours every third Saturday of the month from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM for $10. They visit some buildings that have stories to tell and share their passion for preservation of Long Beach history. 

Photo from Inflictfreedom

I really love old buildings and know that Long Beach has a rich stories to tell. It is a lucky city to still have many old buildings around to share those stories. 


I think I may take a historic walk to find out a little bit more about the city that I live in and love!