I Went to Explore and Found a New Friend

Hey, Friends.

As you know if you've been hanging around here for a while, I like to go on adventures and explore when the weather is nice.  I had the day off today, so why not get out and do something?  I'm trying to work my way through visiting all of the Scenic Hudson parks.  Not a huge goal, I realize, but it's still a goal.

Anyway, today I got it in my head that I should go check out Four-Mile Point Preserve.  (You can look it up yourselves at the link above.  I have full confidence in your ability to click a link.  You did find your way here, after all.)  I don't know why I randomly chose that one, but I did.  It's like an hour drive from here, and I was going to have Google Maps as my copilot once again.

My copilot behaved this time, and we (yeah, Google and I are a we now) were able to get there without incident.  I maybe should have looked at the website a little closer because it is the tiniest park I have been to so far.  I was kind of bummed to see that it was so small after driving all the way to get there, not going to lie.  It was still beautiful, though.  I imagine it would be gorgeous in the spring or summer.

So I was wandering around, taking some pictures.  I thought I had the place to myself since there were no other cars in the parking area.  Imagine my surprise when I walk up the one short trail to find a guy hanging out at the top, checking out the view.

There are a lot of different reasons people go to parks and just hang out.  Some, like myself, are just out to explore and see a new place.  Other people are looking for a little solitude and quiet reflection.  It can be weird when you bump into people like that.  Many will pretend you aren't even there.  I didn't know what this guy's deal was, so I stayed off to the side so as not to bother him.

I didn't need to worry, as my new friend Habib is quite the talker.  He's a really cool, down to earth dude.

He jumped right in by saying hello and asking if I'd ever been there before, did I know it was a place that the Native Americans used to live?  I told him I had never been there before.  He told me he comes here every day for an hour or two.  He's in the area visiting for a month for his daughter's wedding, and comes every day to see the natural beauty, and to keep in shape.  He told me he's 60 but he's really active -- he does push-ups and his jump roping while he's there, listens to his music, and he calls and talks to his family and friends in Tunisia, Italy, and Paris.  He asked why I was there, and I explained that I just wanted to check it out since I had the day off from work.  Of course that led him to a million questions about where did I work, where was that, what did I major in during college, etc.  He was just a chill, positive, chatty dude.

There's really no good way to explain Habib -- he's more like an experience.  The best I can do is share some of what he said today, and you can form your own opinions.

"I'm from Tunisia, you know in the Mediterranean? I grew up in an olive grove.  Then I lived in Paris, Italy, and now I live in Venice Beach.  You know where Tunisia is?  Yes, good!  You know! It's not he Middle East!  Everyone thinks it's the fucking Middle East."

"I like to come here because it's natural, untouched.  We don't have that in California -- we build right over everything.  I couldn't live here though.  I don't like this winter.  I'm too warm-blooded."

"Have you ever been to Venice Beach?  You've heard of it though!  It's a fucking zoo!  I leave my house everyday and boom!  People from all over the world, speaking a hundred different languages.  You're a writer, you would like it.  All those people to see.  Did you know it's only 12 blocks long?"

At that point I did say I thought it was bigger than that.

"Pfft!  That's the other part, the canals.  I'm not talking about that part.  The real part, the strip is 12 blocks.  Do you know when the tourists come we are the second biggest attraction behind Disney Land?  It's true!"

"I'm a professional hand-drum player.  You know the hand-drums?  I also do voice-over work for animations."

"I like the Obamas, The Clintons, and the Kennedys.  You know why?  Because they were inclusive.  They say 'Come with us!  We can do great things together!'  This Trump guy?  How the hell is he even running for President?  The man is an idiot.  He thinks that money is the answer to everything.  He thinks he can be President because it is a capitalist country.  He knows nothing about the world."

"Have you ever been to Texas?  Man, I was there for a trip and it is different!  They even have signs on the highway that say "Everything's Bigger in Texas"!  And they mean it!  Even the racism is bigger.  Bunch of fucking rednecks.  It's not like here or California."

And then I told him my brother lived in Texas.

"Yeah, but he's in the Tex-Mex part, near the Gulf.  The part I was in was a lot different.  All those wanna be rancheros.  Think they're real cowboys with their big trucks."

"You come into this world alone, and you die alone.  In the middle you have to look out for and take care of yourself.  You just take care of yourself, and the rest of it -- love, career, it will come to you. You are special, I can tell.  You are natural, a good person.  Don't let the assholes get to you.  Just believe in yourself and good things will come to you.  When someone gets in your face or says hurtful things, you just tell them to fuck off.  Say, "Save that drama for your mama!" "

"I'm not a religious man.  I believe there were three great men with important messages.  The first was Moses:  he led the Jews to freedom, parted the seas.  He brought hope.  Then there was Jesus: he was a hippie.  You need healing?  He'll help you.  Give you food.  Give you the clothes off his back.  He brought the help.  Then there was Mohammed: he brought peace.  That's what the Koran means, you know, peace.  Those terrorists?  They're not real Muslims.  They don't know shit about what they are talking about."

And then he started telling me all about his idea for a cartoon about dolphins.  And a detailed explanation about traditional weddings in Tunisia, and how he wanted to incorporate the two ideas together.  And he wants me to collaborate with him on writing it. "Like the Lion King, sort of."

"Do you smoke weed?  I do, but it's legal in California.  Helps the artist to see better."

"Where do you live?  Whoa, say it again!  How do you even spell Poughkeepsie?  I bet that's from a Native American word.  I love all the place names around here!"

"Why did you come here today?   I think it was a sign.  We are the only two people here on a beautiful day.  Neither of us even live here!  I think we were destined to meet.  Can I give you a hug, my friend?"

"I like Hudson.  Have you been there?  There's a street you would like, all kinds of book shops and cafe life.  I don't like Albany.  It's too dark."

That's the highlights, Friends.  We literally just hung out and talked about all kinds of random stuff for like 2 hours.  He's a cool dude.

And then he asked if I could give him a ride back to his daughter's house, and I said yes.  I know! What the hell was I thinking, giving a ride to a guy I just met.  He could have been a serial killer or a con man, who knows?  In retrospect it was probably a dumb thing to do, but he was such a nice guy it didn't even cross my mind that anything could go wrong. Turns out his daughter lived like a mile away, so it truly wasn't a big deal.

And then he asked for my zodiac sign.  Which, given recent events, was kind of strange.  I told him I was a Taurus, and he immediately asked if my birthday was in April or May.  I told him it's in May. (Seriously, am I the only one who doesn't know which zodiac signs go with what part of the year? Cause this is a bit ridiculous.)  And then he started laughing and something about the seventh house, and "Seven is Heaven!".  I didn't follow that part at all, and it must have shown, as he assured me it was kismet and nothing but good things.

And then he gave me his phone number and email so we can keep in touch.  He wants to get together again before he goes back to Venice Beach in a month so we can talk more about the animation.  He didn't even ask for my contact information.  He told me my destiny was what I make it, and fate is in my hands.  And that he's going out dancing in Saratoga Springs tonight, and tomorrow he leaves to go to Atlantic City with his cousins from Canada for a week.  But maybe after that we could get together again?

Dude is a trip!  It was an unexpected part of the adventure, but I really enjoyed talking with him.  I'm glad I randomly decided to go to that park this afternoon.

And no, Friends, he wasn't hitting on me.  Get your minds out of the gutter.  There was none of that kind of vibe coming from him.  He was just a nice guy, and I think he was happy to have some to talk to.

Oh, and I took a couple of pictures, since that was what I had planned on doing in the first place.

Pond Overlook

Hudson River view, where our chat took place

An (Almost) Stinky End to the Week

It's been a very long, very busy, very problem-filled week -- especially for a short week that started out with a holiday on Monday.  I'll spare you the details, but this pretty much sums up how my week has gone:

And as I arrived home this evening, it almost came to a much stinkier end.

I pulled into my driveway after work this evening around 8:30pm or so.  It was dark out, is the main point.  As I'm getting out of the car I hear a squeak, like a kitten or a small cat.

I assumed that it was one of my little feral cat visitors.  This little one has been hanging out lately, and has taken to sleeping on my back steps in the evening.  I started leaving food out for the poor little thing, as you could see its ribs it was so skinny, and I put out a box with a blanket since it was getting down into the 40s at night.

Feral kitty friend

I didn't see the little cat on the steps, and I immediately started to panic that it had run into the driveway as I was pulling in and I had hit it.  I was already trying to think of the closest emergency vet that would be open as I started to slowly walk around the car, peeking underneath.

I was so focused on looking under the car that I was not paying attention to where I was walking.  I was almost to the back steps when I heard another little squeak. Well, that obviously did not come out from beneath the car.  

I looked up, and then I froze. 

There, sitting by the bottom of the steps, munching away on the dry cat food, was a skunk.  I don't know which of us was more surprised to see the other standing there.

I very slowly walked back around my car, as I did not want to startle my visitor in any way. Apparently Friskies Grillers is a delectable treat, as it went right back to munching away.

You just keep eating, buddy.  I'm going to slowly get the hell out of here.

Needless to say, I did NOT go in the back door.  

Thank you, little skunk, for not spraying me or the house.  Much appreciated.  Maybe my deer friend from the other day has spread the word amongst the fuzzy inhabitants of the neighborhood that I am a cool person, friend to the animals, and they should not mess with me.

Or maybe I should just thank Friskies for being a taste sensation for cats and skunks alike.  

Whatever the case may be, I'm just happy I am not taking a tomato juice bath this evening.

Like Flypaper For Freaks

**This ended up being much longer than I had originally intended, but I think it is worth the read.  So kick back, get comfy, and read on.**

Earlier today I had a woman approach me, seemingly appearing from nowhere.  She asked me for the time, and as I was checking my phone she told me I had nice hair and basically started petting my head.  It was odd.  People that I have mentioned it to find it creepy.  It is a bit creepy, I guess, but weird things like this happen to me all of  the time.

You want a really good example of what I mean, of why a stranger petting my head does not seem too strange to me?  Let me take you back ...

A few years ago my friend and I went on a trip to New Orleans.  We'll call my friend Glinda from now on to protect her privacy.  We happened to be there for the week that included the end of Mardi Gras.  This story has nothing to do with Mardi Gras itself, but it is important because we would otherwise probably have been staying in a different hotel in a far less....interesting area of town.  By "interesting" I mean the hotel told us that we should always take the hotel shuttle or a cab, never try to walk back to the hotel in the dark, and even to be careful walking down the block to Burger King during the day as someone had recently been mugged doing just that.

Glinda and I had been out wandering about in the French Quarter.  We were headed back to the hotel, so we were dutifully waiting in the assigned spot for the hotel shuttle.  I remember there was a drug store -- CVS, I think -- across the street.

As we were waiting for the shuttle we saw a strange woman walking up and down the other side of the street.  She was carrying on quite a conversation with herself, and  then she would randomly ask people for money and get seriously pissed off if they told her no or ignored her.  I don't know that she was homeless, but she was sporting some interesting attire and her hair was a mess.  Eventually she wandered off far enough that Glinda and I were able to get into the store without encountering her.

We made our purchases and went back out and across the street to keep waiting for our lovely shuttle.  The strange woman from earlier returned, and she was working her way up our side of the street.  I have no idea if she was high or just mentally not all there.  This time we were able to hear her asking people for change -- not money in general, but specifically change.  We couldn't leave as our shuttle was due at any time.  Glinda and I came up with a plan: I had about a dollar in quarters in my pocket.  If she got to us before our shuttle arrived then I would give her the change and we would hope she continued on her merry way.

Of course the damn shuttle did not arrive.  I had the change ready in my hand.  The woman was muttering under her breath as she approached.  Instead of asking us for change, as we had assumed she would, she kept muttering and shoved me off the sidewalk into the street, almost in front of a cab.  

Skip forward a bit to Glinda and I having returned to the hotel. It was either later that afternoon or the next day, I don't remember which, and we were sitting outside in the courtyard of our hotel.  We were enjoying the sun and warm weather, away from the craziness outside of the hotel.  Another hotel guest asked if she could join us at our table.  Why not?

We were all chatting for a while, and our new friend told us that she was a psychic.  She asked if we would like her to do a reading for us.  (No, she never asked for any money.)  Free psychic readings?  Of course we said yes.

Glinda went first.  All the woman did was hold her hand -- not a palm reading -- and look at her.  She told Glinda that she saw dollar signs around her, that she would do well financially.  She also told Glinda that she was going to meet and fall in love with a blonde man.  Nice reading!

The woman asked if I would like a reading as well.  Hell yeah!  Bring on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, please!

I gave her my hand, ready to hear awesome things like she had told Glinda.  She told me I had a big heart.  Aw, that's sweet!  Then she stared at me for a while without saying anything....and then she told me that was it.  She couldn't read me as I was "blocking" her, a very strong block.  What?  No!  I'm not doing anything.  I want to know -- Mr. Right?  Anything?

Nope.  That was it.

We chatted for a while more and ended up telling her about the weird woman who had almost shoved me in front of a taxi.  Our new psychic friend knew who we were talking about!  She and her son had seen the woman doing the same thing outside of a club the previous night.  I mean she described the woman's outfit and hair perfectly.  No way she was making it up -- they had seen the same lovely lady.  New Orleans is a crazy place crammed full of people near Mardi Gras.  What were the chances she had seen the same woman?  So strange.

Then she let the bomb drop: she didn't think the woman was on drugs or crazy, but might have been possessed.  Even better?  She said I had been cursed by the weird woman when she shoved me off of the sidewalk.

Wait, what?

I was not amused.  She couldn't tell me anything other than that I had a big heart because I was "blocking" her, but had no problem telling me that a strange woman on the street had put a curse on me?  Not cool.

Our psychic friend told me that I needed to pick two long fronds off of the palm tree in the hotel courtyard, and then make them into the shape of a cross.  Once I had made the cross I was to hit myself with it three times while asking for the curse to be removed, then sleep with the frond cross near my bed.  Fabulous.

I was skeptical.  I was also not about to ignore the advice of our psychic friend and possibly be cursed.  We were in New Orleans after all, and I did not need any kind of bad voodoo or juju being placed on me.  I did exactly what our psychic friend told me to do.  It was a totally ridiculous situation.  I felt silly doing it.  I'm also pretty sure that, as we speak, I am not cursed.  I will make an ass of myself any day if it might keep me from being cursed.

I know some of you are questioning whether that would actually work.  You might think our psychic friend was just messing with us and making it all up.  I don't blame you.  I thought there was a good possibility of it at the time.

Let me add a bit of credibility to our psychic friend.  Remember the awesome things that she told Glinda? They turned out to be dead-on accurate.  She isn't a millionaire by any means, but she makes a comfortable living.  Her husband?  Yup.  He's blonde.

I might have "blocked" her somehow, and I didn't get to hear about Mr. Right showing up at some point (still single here, universe) but I am pretty sure that I avoided being cursed.  I'm happy with that.

That would also explain why a strange woman petting my head and telling me I have nice hair does not faze me that much.  Weird shit happens to me.  A lot.