ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER BARGAIN.

Today I was at a fast food establishment when I noticed a random object for sale on the counter. A cylindrical piece of paper was crudely attached to the object with "$1.99.00" written on it (the zeroes were smaller, up near the top part of the nine). My instinctive reaction was to let the onslaught of the Spanish language overwhelm me as I waited for my food while my mind did the situational, racist math. For a moment I debated with my passenger about whether the all-Hispanic staff perhaps didn't understand proper pricing punctuation but verbally concluded that a US dollar is a US dollar wherever it is and people should (generally) understand how to read or write such monetary values. It isn't the first time I've witnessed the butchering of numeric diction when it comes to money, nor does it matter which race one belongs to or language one speaks. Ever notice hand-written signs designating a price with a dollar sign AND a cents sign? Garage sales and sidewalk vendors come to mind as I recall these images being burned into my memory at the time. I'm shaking my head in wonder and sadness as I type this.

How do people not get this stuff?

Also, the new 18-year-old male at work attempted conversation with me today by opening with the question, "What's the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you?" I thought about it for a while and was surprised that he expected me to know immediately what it was. How am I supposed to know that? A lot of weird crap happens in my life on a regular basis. Perhaps my being stumped can be explained by the fact that I consider mundane things strange and delightful.