I’m continuing my series of posts that were originally on Facebook but that I want to preserve. You can see the series here.
Ten years ago, the cat sat on my laptop. She was mostly a good cat and spoiled me for future cats.
I can hear Pete saying that, even though he never spoke it out loud. Well, maybe he did at some point, I don’t know. I can also hear him saying you should wiggle your hands and feet BEFORE they hurt, which is excellent advice for long bike rides, or really anything else when you’ll be in the same position for a long period of time.
I want to pull some of the A+ content I’ve posted to Facebook over the years and put it somewhere that isn’t owned by a super-wealthy sociopath. You all who aren’t friends with me on Facebook (don’t friend me on Facebook) have no idea what kind of a treat you’re in for.
Here’s a gem from October of 2011
This morning I pulled up at a light on PA Ave in the cycletracks behind a woman on her bike. Her backpack had come open at some point, so of course I told her. As she turned to look, a bra fell out. She was already embarrassed by the whole thing, not knowing if she had lost anything, and I had to point out to her that she had, in fact, lost something. My question to you all is – was it more polite to let her pick it up, or should I have done it? I decided it was less embarrassing for her (and therefore more gentlemanly for me) to have the strange man she’s never met NOT touching her underclothes, even if she wasn’t wearing them. Do you agree?
The rest of the comment from my dad that Facebook has “helpfully” hidden:
There is simply no comfortable outcome in that situation, and you can only pick the least bad, and I think you did. The legend surrounding the establishment of the Order of the Garter is instructive (from Wikipedia: The most popular legend involves the “Countess of Salisbury” (probably either Edward’s future daughter-in-law Joan of Kent or her former mother-in-law, Catherine Montagu, Countess of Salisbury). While she was dancing with or near King Edward at Eltham Palace, her garter is said to have slipped from her leg. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the king picked it up and tied it to his own leg, exclaiming, “Honi soit qui mal y pense,” (“Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it.”). I suspect it takes a king to pull that off, though.
I do not think he was implying that I should have picked up the bra and put it on. That would have made for quite a story, but likely not one that would reflect well on me.
