Bums

Living and working in Minneapolis, I see and talk to a lot of bums. You know, the people who are most likely homeless, really stinky, and are way too talkative for their own good?

For example, I was in the library bathroom downtown yesterday, and one homeless woman (didn't even see her, so I can't be sure she was a "bum," but she told the whole bathroom she was homeless, so I'm not even assuming anything about her) waited to use the last stall. She explained why:

"I spend a lot of time here because I'm homeless. I only use the last 2 stalls because the camera can see you in the other ones."

There I am, in the 3rd stall to the end, peeing. I look up, and what do you know?

A camera. I stuck my tongue out at it and waved.

The bum I see second most often is not actually homeless. I call him Chair Guy. The first handful of times I saw him, he was carrying a folding chair. I think he lives in the mill district, which is strange, because that's a pretty nice area. And he has no teeth, lays on the sidewalk while waiting for the bus, and has nothing in his backpack, which he can never get all the way on his back, and it's always open.

Anyway, I was sitting across the aisle from Chair Guy in the front part of the bus, staring absentmindedly at the ground near him, when I saw a Hershey's chocolate egg fall out of his pants.

I was very confused, but he didn't notice. The egg proceeded to roll away from him. I know it was just because the bus was moving, but it really looked intentional. Like when the Ring of Power bounces away from Gollum. I had to try really hard not to laugh.

I probably should have told Chair Guy that his egg left him. But I'm an introvert, and his mouth was really bloody and gross. Anyway, the egg rolled back up to the front of the bus when Chair Guy got off.

Unfortunately for Egg, PersonGettingOnTheBus stepped on it the same stop Chair Guy got off.

Tragic Ending.

Concern for friends of the library

I know, I know. I just wrote my first post an hour ago. That post was boring, though. That post is so 60 minutes ago. That, and as an unemployed college student sitting in a coffee shop for 3 hours, I have run out of things to do.
I am waiting for the public library to open. They changed their hours. The hours are now usually 10-6, except Monday and Wednesday, when it is open 12-8. Not a big inconvenience for me, being unemployed, but they don't really benefit anyone else. And while unemployed people need to use the library, the new hours do not work for anyone besides them.
But the library needs to save money, and cutting hours saves money. What else can they do? It's not like they can sell their books, or fine people more for returning them late. That'll decrease the usefulness of the library and turn people off. They could have a large fund-raising event, but who gives money in this economy?
I think they need to increase usage. The more people use it, the more sponsors and donors will see that it is needed and continue or increase support. However, cutting hours to silly times when only unemployed kids and maybe families with a stay-at-home parent can use it is not the way to get more people to come to the library.
Of course, I am in no way an expert on how to run a library. Or how to get money on such a large scale. When I go there, I will ask if they need volunteers for anything.