July 6, 2007
Overheard in D.C.: Fathers and Sons
There are certain defining moments in the relationship between any father and son. Times when a father passes down the wisdom gained through the years, when a son asks those burning questions he doesn't feel comfortable asking his buddies, the guidance counselor, or the older guys in the gym locker room. And the father sits his son down and they talk long into the night. About why you should get flowers for a girl when you annoy her, about shaving against the grain, about how to keep one's left arm straight when striking a golf ball. All the important mysteries of the masculine life. These are the moments that live on in a son's mind throughout his life. Certainly no son would forget that one Fourth of July, he asked his father this question:
Quote of the Week
Cleveland Park, July 4:
Young boy to father: “Daddy, is it a problem that my pants are on backwards?”
After the jump, the heights of hyperbole, pre-pubescent porn predilections, and Nair negotiations.
You probably should have been more careful before lighting that M-80 in your neighbor's trash can on Wednesday. If you can hear anything over the ringing in your ears, send it to overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com.
Photo by Flickr user 1LB, used under a Creative Commons license.
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Godwin's Law: Waiting Room Corollary
Overheard at DC Courthouse last week:
Older woman during jury selection process: "Lining up again? I feel like I'm in a concentration camp!"
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She's obviously never known the average 14-year-old boy.
Coming off the metro at Union station:
20-something girl: "I don't care WHAT kind of 14-year-old you are, you should not be into hardcore porn!"
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If you dare wear short shorts...or short sleeves...
A couple on the L2 bus heading up Connecticut Avenue:
Guy: "Now you're gonna make me shave my arms?"
Girl: "I'll do it for you!"
Guy: "I'm gonna Nair your whole body."
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Everybody loves a man in uniform.
Getting on an elevator at an apartment complex in Crystal City:
A man in his mid 40s wearing a military uniform is carrying post office boxes that are decorated on the outside.
Older man to military man: "It must be your birthday!"
Military man: "Nope, just my psycho ex-girlfriend."
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She only did it for the gifts.
On the Green Line, two 20-something friends/acquaintances run into each other on the train:
Guy: "So, I saw on your myspace that you're in a relationship with someone?"
Girl: "Yeah. Well, just with myself. I bought myself a diamond ring and had a commitment ceremony."
[long, awkward pause]
Guy: "Wait.... are you being serious right now?"
Girl: "Yeah."
[large diamond ring was present]
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A girl's gotta have standards.
At 2400 N Street:
"No way! I can't date him. He's short. And a triplet!"
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One tousled-haired teenager to another, three feet from the stage at last night's Fiery Furnaces show:
Yeah, everyone in Brooklyn dresses like that! Did I show you the arm that I bought in Brooklyn? It was $7, and I'm gonna use it to show my necklaces if I can figure out how to attach it to the wall. You can get everything in Brooklyn!
--former resident of the sixth borough.
July 4, on the Green line going downtown for the fireworks:
Very loud obnoxious UMD co-ed to annoyed and unimpressed friends (and the rest of the car): See these cuts? I was eating crabs yesterday and I was opening them with my thumbs! I wasn't using a knife! I was using my thumbs! Who DOES that?!?!
That of course was after her 15 minute ramble about how she talked to her parents on the phone while she was drunk, went "fratting" the day before, and liked that her guy-friend had plaid shorts (he "should have no problem finding a girl while wearing plaid shorts. They're way cute.").
Needless to say our ears were relieved when she got off at Gallery Place and was almost "accidentally" left behind by her friends.