white people can sure mess up your day
Posted on | June 14, 2005 | 13 Comments
So there I am walking to the post office with a letter for my love, it’s a beautiful warm day, 2½ weeks left in Taos, I’d gotten some work done this morning, I’d just had a good latté, and I’m walking along and there are two teenagers in front of me, a boy and girl, about 16-18, and I’m a few paces behind them, enjoying the day. The boy turns around and looks at me (there’s no one behind me), then a few yards later does it again, then again, then he finally grabs his girl’s arm and bolts across the street so, what, I don’t mug them? They just don’t have to be near me? (And no, they weren’t going anywhere immediately across the street because they walked beyond where I turned off at the post office.) How threatening was I? Why was I? I’m more than twice their age, wearing a linen skirt, t-shirt, jewelry, sandals—you know, thinking I was looking nice—what was he thinking? I really couldn’t believe it, but of course in those situations you feel stunned, pissed, and powerless, so I did the only thing I could do (well, I suppose I could have run after them or shouted something)—I whipped out my Polaroid I-Zone and took their picture, catching them right under, appropriately, the American flag.

I’m still having a nice day, but he did take some of the shine off of it.
Comments
13 Responses to “white people can sure mess up your day”
June 14th, 2005 @ 4:31 pm
Hey Carla, I’m so sorry about that idiot today. It makes no logical sense to me, but then again, there IS no logical reason for his behavior.
If there was a way to put the shine back on your day, this white person would do it. Here’s wishing you an evening and 2 1/2 weeks free from fools.
June 14th, 2005 @ 10:33 pm
if that behavior wasn’t so fucked up, i’d be laughing. i could imagine being so blinded by your beauty that i was immobilized, perhaps, and needing to shield my eyes from the glorious glow of she who is carlagirl. but that’s clearly not what was happening. i am so glad you took their picture. if you didn’t have to worry about the possibility of evil boy getting violent, it would have been funny if you’d chased after ‘em just taking lots of pictures. or maybe just ran across the street, touched ‘em, and then ran back. but, alas, when folks act bad, you never know how bad they’ll act. case in point: the thug white boys in your nephew’s school.
June 14th, 2005 @ 10:46 pm
Hey Adrienne!
I so like the idea of a game of “touch and go”, but as you said, with people like that, you don’t know what would happen.
June 15th, 2005 @ 12:06 am
hey kelly!
we read carla’s blog soooo much!! =)
June 15th, 2005 @ 8:07 am
We sure do, Adrienne. She may just do an intervention and suggest a support group if we’re not careful. =:0
I’ve just started my own blog (it’s the “musing the mystery” link if you want to check it out). I’m a novice, so it lacks the style and substance of this blog, but I’m learning.
June 15th, 2005 @ 1:07 pm
Yeah, you know it was his expression–contemptuous, hateful–each time he turned around, like he thought he could glare me away. But I do like the image of me running after them with my toy-like I-Zone, furiously snapping 1-inch instant pictures of them.
June 15th, 2005 @ 7:25 pm
my time-out from carla’s blog is about to begin as i prepare to move! it’s like imposed cold turkey! you’ll be on your own for a while, kelly. keep the fan club alive until i’m back, and then we’ll just wait until the folks in the white jackets show up to haul us off for an intervention. =) your blog is cool, by the way. carla, make the most of your last days in taos!
June 15th, 2005 @ 7:57 pm
kids in santa monica rocked the governator off the stage with boos and jeers! check out la.indymedia.org (no www) for more info!!
June 15th, 2005 @ 9:36 pm
Good luck with the move, Adrienne. I hope it’s not a far away one.
I’ll do my best in here during your absence and thanks for the kind words about my blog efforts.
Cheers to the kids in Santa Monica!
June 16th, 2005 @ 5:28 am
thanks, kelly! it’s a very, very faraway move … to the “heartland,” alas.
if carla goes a day or so without posting a new blog entry, feel free to email her and say “write more.” i do.
=)
June 16th, 2005 @ 7:14 am
Oh, wow, Adrienne. That is far. And I thought I was going to run into you sometime in the Bay Area.
Take good care of yourself out there and I’ll keep my eyes on our hostess here.
June 16th, 2005 @ 2:12 pm
Yuck… one of the many reasons why I am not a fan of that state. I stick to my east coast brand of madness.
Good luck in the next few weeks Carla, do what ever you have to enjoy the rest of your time.
November 14th, 2005 @ 7:43 pm
Ok i was stopping by to say i am also named carla and i had google carlas blog and found u…i guess u dont like white people so there will be no need for u to respond because i am white.
Unfortunate that u talk the way u do about a race. That is really sad. I hope u dont have any kids to raise considering the way u think about different races.