The Way You Wear Your Hat!

Back in Oaktown, and it is a culture shock, esp. at the YMCA.

Those Midwesterners in Corydon—oh so reserved. When PP tried to engage anyone in random chitchat in the locker room, she was met with a shyness that just isn’t found here in Oakland.

For instance: Corydon Locker room: PP’s getting dressed, she’s had a lovely private swim in the perfect pool with a lane to herself—-yet there’s a ‘crowd’ in the other half of the pool. A redneck couple doing handstands; the Big Butterfly Man swoopin thro the water in the lane next to her; a youngish middle-aged white woman (come to think of it, everyone at the Corydon Y is white), in her wire-rimmed glasses doin head outta the water breaststroke in the shallow end.

And this is the woman that PP meets later in the locker room, so of course, PP thinks, perfect, I’ll engage her in some after pool chit chat. “Did you have a good swim?” PP asks her. (Granted this is a banal opener, but PP didn’t want to scare her off) “Yes, Ma’am,” Wire Rimmed Glasses Woman answered quickly, making zero eye contact and then running off to the showers.

Okay.

And today? At the Oakland Y—oh no shy politeness here!

PP is getting dressed after her lovely swim (and yes, with the exception of a few laps shared with Dashingly Handsome BF, she had a lane to herself—very lovely—must be to welcome her back!), she’s had a much missed hot tub and sauna—no such luxuries in Corydon—do Midwesterners not need such heated relaxations? )So, PP is a bit spacey and slow and jetlagged getting dressed, when all of a sudden, a Boomin' BOLT thru the locker room explodes—BURP!!!!

PP starts to giggle before she turns to see a NOT embarrassed HUGE (sorry, but it’s true) waddling Purple Tie Dye Woman ambling down the aisle toward her.
“Whoops!” she exclaims and then belches again, except this time not so rumbling, “Musta been what I had for lunch. I had a POP and I usually don’t drink Pop, but it came free with the meal and so I thought what the hell, and ....” She belches one final time. “It was Root Beer...”





She grins. PP wonders if she’s revisiting the Root Beer, but doesn’t want to go there. So disgusting!

Instead she makes a joke, “That root beer has lots of bubbles. They can sneak up on you!”

Tie Dye Purple Woman grins, and nods, “Yup” and then breaks into song,
“The way you wear your hat....
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all That!
No, no,
You can’t take that away from me...






And PP thinks,
The way you burp your
Root Beer,
The way you
Gross me out
The way you
Burp again.
No no,
You can’t take
That away
From me

No, you can’t take
THAT
Awaaay,
From me!

Oh, Oakland,
We love you

And yes, PP is actually glad (at least at the Y) to be back!