Eavesdroppers and "death-threaters"

Public transport is a new experience for me. In Joburg, if you want to go somewhere, you hop in your car, and off you go. There are no weirdos in your car, except for yourself and your weirdo friends, who will generally be there by invitation, depending on whatever boundary issues you might have with them. You control the environment in terms of the temperature, what music you listen to, etc.

In Toronto, if you don't own a car, there are a lot of different ways to get around. Taxis, however, are quite expensive, and I don't do bicycles. Or skateboards. Or rollerblades. Or anything else that requires you to strap wheels to your feet. So if it's too far to walk, I use a bus, streetcar or subway train.

People generally bug me on account of my misanthropic tendencies, so I keep reminding myself to take my iPod with me, so I can tune everyone out. What I keep forgetting though, is that I am an avid eavesdropper. If there's an interesting private conversation happening that I shouldn't be listening to - I want to to hear it. If people whisper a conversation, I've been known to ask them to speak up, so that I'm better able to overhear them.

So each time I'm on public transport and reaching for the earphones, I'll catch some tidbit that will make me hesitate to put them on. And it's amazing the things you can learn. For example, a few days ago, I learned that the phrase "death threat" which I always thought was a compound noun, can actually be used as a verb. The sentence went something like this: "And do you know what that bastard did to me? He like totally deaththreated me!"

Who says an education has to cost anything?

So yesterday, I'd finished a few hours of clothes shopping (which I hate) and left Eaton Centre to head home. I caught the subway at Queen Station, got off at Eglington Station and then caught the bus from there. I had a sniffer near me, which is enough to push me over the edge, so I reached for my iPod.

Not long after, all hell broke loose.

To be continued....


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