The Native Iowan

Just thinking and observing…

1) How come people have lost the state of awareness when it comes to crowds? I was out shopping today (a chore I indeed love, NOT) 2 stores, 2 parking lots. And I am reminded how poorly people interact with time and space, shared space. A lady with a baby stroller, music plugged into her ears, kid asleep, leaves the stroller in the middle of the cereal isle. walks backwards about 2 steps to gaze blankly at the shelves filled with sugar-coated goodness… and the isle is effectively blocked.

2) A group of young, attractive girls. they meet a group of friends in the bread isle. Huggs and kisses all around and loud gushing verbiage about meaningless activities. As the isle is blocked.

3) He and she, in true love. Have to walk joined at the hips. Arms around each other in over demonstrative affection. And, yep you guessed it, the isle is blocked.

4) One older lady must know the etiquette of shopping centres… she plowed through the group a girls without a word. Go granny, go.

5) Parking lots… I am amazed how people jump in, put their cars in gear and start moving… without looking out and about. As the car starts moving the periscope goes up and with a tonne of steel and plastic in motion, we then, and only then, see what is around us.

6) Watched Captain America with the boys over the weekend. OK flick as far as Marvel Comic flicks go. But I am reminded that we are constantly rewriting history. In Captain America there is a propensity to mix the races when it comes to the military of the 1940s. I fear most people tend to either not know or conveniently forget that the US military was a segregated corps up until, legally, 1948, and for all practical purposes until well into the 1050s with the last all-black unit being disbanded in 1954.

7) It’s a dancing world we live in… and I like it. I note that kids these days are all dancers. I am always watching my boys jive and shuffle as they move. I watched a small girl, maybe 3 or 4, do a very nice hiphop shoulder/ arm and knee shimmy as she waited for a bus with her mother.

8) Always sad when I hear of a vintage aircraft that has gone missing… from today’s local news: It is understood the plane – a vintage  De Havilland Dragon DH-84, built in 1934 and one of only four in the world – has gone missing. The aircraft was returning from an air show at Monto and was due to land at Caboolture.