Life in the city

I really do love living in an urban area. I love my 100+year old historical home. It’s geographically desirable in relation to my social life. My neighborhood is a melting pot of humanity. Cherokee street has become a Little Mexico. I’m very close to the South Grand neighborhood which has a heavy influence from Asian Americans. And of course African American and Caucasian.

I inherited my mother’s talking gene which means I tend to strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. So here are a few stories from my life in the city.

“I’m on the disability”
I was pumping gas at the local Conoco. A young African American man was at the opposite pump. He was driving an SUV with the fancy, shiny rims. I struck up a conversation with him by complimenting his fun plaid shorts. His friend limps up to the pump…an older man walking with a cane. He joins the conversation.

Man: “Hey baby, how you doing?”
Me: “Good thanks, how’re you?”
Man: “Good baby, do you have a boyfriend?”
Me: “Yes, thanks, I’m dating someone.”
Man: “Aw come on baby, I’m on the disability. Do you know what you get on the disability? Baby, I could take care of you.”….

“Blackbox”
I finished my grocery shopping at Save-A-Lot and went to rent a movie at the Redbox. There were two African American fellas hanging out on the sidewalk. They were rapping and beat boxing as I walked up. The same guy from the first story is one of the men but he doesn’t recognize me. And he’s lost the limp and the cane. He initiates the conversation.

Man 1: “Hey baby, you want to buy a DVD?”
Me: “No thanks, I just want to rent.”
Man 1: “Come on baby, we’re just trying to make buck” (or something like that)
Man 2: “Forget the Redbox, baby I’m the Black Box”

Are you kidding me? That is hilarious and brilliant! As a marketer I could not ignore a tag line that clever!

Me: “Blackbox!? That is awesome. Ok what do you have?”
Man 2: “Resident Evil Trilogy, Saw IV, My Bloody Valentine”…then they both pause, look up, look at me and kind of laugh and say something like “she’s not into that …what else do we have?”

I end up buying “Grown Ups” from my local Blackbox. Love this neighborhood!

“Stamps”
This happened this week. I ran into Save-A-Lot after my workout. A woman stopped me in the parking lot.

Woman: “Hey baby, can I ask you a question?”
Me: “Sure”
Woman: “Would you like to buy some stamps? I can sell you X# of books for $X.”
I can’t remember the exact amount or dollars. I just said “no thank you, I don’t need any stamps.”

As I walked away she said “no... Food Stamps!”

My friend Fern, who happens to be African American, calls me the “whitest girl on earth.” I think this last story confirms that.