Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
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Friday, December 16, 2011

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My parents taught me "It is not polite to stare".  It is because of that very "lesson learned well" I have missed a lot in life.

My spouse stares at everything and everyone.  It shocked me when we first met and I tried to break him of that rude habit.  Now I understand it.
I have never known anyone more aware of their surroundings.  Observation is an important detail in life.  

Yesterday we drove around the lake,. Some men in camouflage gear with boat, truck and dogs were packing to leave.  Ron fixed his gaze and took in every aspect of their procedures.  They looked our way and Ron exchanged a nod with the men and they nodded back.  They were totally unconcerned by his staring.  If they had been loading a big catch of some kind, we would have stopped to ask about it and found out where they fished or hunted.

Suddenly I realized if these guys had been terrorists rather than hunters, perhaps we would have seen some evidence and been able to report it.  Had I been alone, I would have averted my eyes because it is not polite to stare.  I wonder why it is not polite to stare.  Just think of all we miss in life when we do not stare.

Another time, however, while out for a drive, Ron fixed his gaze on a young woman mowing her yard.  She was scantily clad and well endowed in the chest area.  Somehow this trained observer swore he never noticed the woman and he was only staring at the great lawn mower.








19 comments:

  1. Ha ha, my partner is the same. Much, much nosier than me and stares at every one. It drives me insane when we go out for a meal in a restaurant because my partner is more interested in what's going on, on all the other tables, than ours.

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  2. I stare, Not sure why but I have done it since childhood.
    If I saw some hunk on a John Deere Tractor- I'd stare too- at the tractor I mean:):)

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  3. staring at the lawn mower!!
    ya know what, I believe him
    boobs are a dime a dozen but a good lawn mower is a treasure ;)

    I think it's fine to look, not stare, as long as you acknowledge who you're looking at

    in NYC staring can be dangerous

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  4. My husband stares at everybody too and seldom misses a thing. It can be very disconcerting though, and I'll tell you what happened.

    We were driving along a busy highway and were coming up to a notorious intersection which has 4 traffic lights.We had the green and sailed through the light without the slightest hesitation.

    I was holding my breath and just waiting for the crash, clutching my St Christopher's medal to my chest. When we got to the other side Roy glanced over at me and said "Didn't that woman have thin lips?"

    I'm waiting for death and he's looking at some woman's lips in another car. Never a dull moment!

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  5. I do love to "people watch", but try not to be too open about the staring.

    lol at Ron just checking out the great lawnmower. :)

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  6. I'm observant by nature, but I have to confess I don't stare because when people stare at me it creeps me out.

    lol at the "great lawn mower" observation :)

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  7. I am a people-watcher when I know that I'm not being observed. However, I think I have a pretty good knack for knowing when they're about to turn in my direction, and I look away.

    The freakiest thing is that every once in a while someone turns to me very deliberately and I KNOW that they felt me watching them. This happens even if I was staring at the back of their head because they had interesting hair or something. That sense of being stared at can be very strong.

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  8. That last paragraph made me laugh. Someday I hope to meet Ron it sounds like we have a lot in common - including well built lawn mowers. (Maybe I should work on that last sentence)
    Ralph

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  9. staring is hard for me now and it usually means i really don't know what i am looking at. I used to catch such detail with a glance, but might have missed the important things...
    It is funny, but for me, the vision issue makes me notice thing really important that i would have missed before because i saw too much detail...

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  10. Ron is a smart man ;)

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  11. Nancy's story make me laugh out loud.. And I can believe your Ron really saw the lawn mower..

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  12. I catch myself staring a lot also. My husband sees nothing (not even what his eyes are trained on....lol)

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  13. Thank you for giving me permission to stare. :-) I usually try not to, thinking it's impolite, but there are some people that just warrant staring at.

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  14. LL Cool Joe – Restaurant sites and sounds also interest me and I am probably a little more brazen there about being a prying observer. Eavesdropping on private conversations is my primary indiscretion.

    Sonny – Yep, the tractor for me too. Absolutely. Not the handsome hunk. No, never:)

    Dianne – I believe my spouse said that exact same thing about lawn mowers and boobs. I can understand how staring in NYC would be a bit tricky.

    Nancy – Oh yes Nancy I know that feeling. We will manage a safe return to the highway after swerving almost completely off the road and while I am trying to restore some color to my white knuckles he will say (as if this justifies any danger) “But did you see that great mule?” You nor I care to die for thin lips or mules, right?

    Lynn – Ron will appreciate you giving him the benefit of the doubt, I do love to people-watch also and try to do it on the sly so I can’t be accused of staring. I could sit in an airport all day and make up short stories about what is imagined about these travelers.

    Talon – Okay, there we have it. Basically how do we feel when others will stare at us. Not a good feeling, I agree.

    Sparkling Red – I know exactly what you mean. I could literally FEEL the burn when my mother would stare at me if I was acting badly.

    Ralph – Yes Ralph, just how would you fix that last sentence? “Nicely put together”? Nope. “Looking good”? Nope “Check it out!” Absolutely not. And, it turns out that Ron has a lot in common with a lot of you guys. LOL

    Whitemist – I believe there is something I have failed to learn about you yet. What are your vision limitations?

    Riot Kitty – Okay, he will love you for that and I know he certainly would agree.

    Ancient one – Nancy always adds more than a bit of flair to my posts with her great stories and comments. Good of you to give Ron the benefit of the doubt on the lawn mower story.

    Judy (kenju) – That’s because Mr. Kenju is not staring. He is planning. He is thinking. That’s a big part of life to our fellows. Ron states 90% of every job is the planning so when he appears to be in limbo he is actually working.

    Kay – You’re welcome Kay. I’ll put that in writing if you need to carry a note around that shows you have my permission. LOL

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  15. I don't stare because when I do I tend to fall asleep. I'm old you see.
    I too, like to stare at lawnmowers. Or is that lawn mowers.

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  16. Yeah, you never know when you will need a new lawn mower *wink*

    I am also very observant, much more than Steve. He is the brains and I am street smart so I have to be observant.

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  17. We were once riding 60 MPH toward the Baltimore Tunnel (10 lanes of traffic coming into the 2 lane tunnel from every angle) and I said to him,"Could you please watch the road for a minute? I have to tie my shoe."

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  18. I do not think Ron stares but I think he observes. Observing is not rude, it is a very good tactic. Sometimes I get a stare in the metro and I stare back.... and stick my tongue out if needed....lol

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  19. I have something called diplopia and it is very severe - everything is double! Heavy "prism glass" do some correction, but i am still fighting to maintain single vision even with the glasses under different circumstances

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