One of the many advantages of being the only people in a 250+ unit building who are not collecting Social Security is that we generally have the common areas and facilities to ourselves after 7pm. The roof, the laundry machines, the mailboxes, the lobby that looks and smells like a 1940's hospice care facility, all of it! While we actively refrain from running naked through the hallways (for a good many reason), imagine our dismay when our 11pm elevator journey homeward was interrupted by someone on the 17th floor seeking to go, in all directions, upwards.
"Laundry", I said to B as the elevator came to an unusual stop on the 17th floor.
"Maybe not", B replied.
I rolled my eyes. As if there could be another reason to head upwards from floor 17 at this ungodly hour where only heathens and junkies travel the Earth? Pttth.
The door opened and a guy in his late 20's came aboard. I figured he must be visiting his great grandma or something. B, not usually so outgoing, addressed the dude by half-assedly looking over his shoulder at him and inquiring: "laundry"?
The dude responded:
"space station".
After a floor and a half of stunned, elevated silence B and I both looked at the dude and said, "space station"?!
No, we didn't accidentally board the Wonkavator and blast off into orbit at the hands of this bespectacled stranger. Nor was he the captain of the Great Space Coaster. Though either would have been a feasible conclusion to our outlandishly ridiculous weekend which at this point was teetering on hallucinogenic. Long story short, we met the only other occupants of the building who are not collecting Social Security. They also are avid (if not inaccurate) astronomers and tribal tattooed smokers of Camel regulars.
At least during early bird specials, bingo away games, and the Aurora Borealis we'll still have the place to ourselves.
9 comments:
Love how the activities include Poker AND hold-em.
Meanwhile, those guys were on drugs. Naughty naughty drugs. Lucky Bastads ;)
Y'all didn't ask to join them?
What a wonderful story. Well Done. You intrigued me at Social Security, held me with roof and made me reminisce with heathen and junkie.
An all American tale of triumph over our heavens never ending mystery. Hooray for little drug induced miracles. If I lived in such a place I believe that I would be intoxicated 23/6.
The magic that the two other people in the building, who understand how big a deal Super Mario Brothers really was must experience on the daily...Jealous!
You said "Whack"
Your night sky is clear enough for star gazin'? Cool!
That's no moon. It's a space station!
At least he didn't say "jumper"
FYI: It's pretty tough to keep something orbiting the earth at some wacko fast clip in the viewer on a telescope. Back during MIR (Raining debris like 4th of July) era, I tried to watch that sucker with the old man on the scope and it was a pain in the Arse!!! -PEACE
Erra... Telescope?
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