sunday july 27

today i was walking down the sidewalk near my street with my headphones on when i approached an middle-aged woman walking towards me. now, an interesting dynamic arises in the suburbs when passing people on the sidewalk: whereas in busier areas, people will pass one another nonchalantly without even considering saying anything, friendly greetings are far more common in less frequented areas in the city, usually occurring with over 50% of passers-by. with my ipod playing, this percentage diminishes considerably, and i keep it in my pocket on hold, so there's no chance to push pause to ensure that a "hello" and smile happens. as such, in these scenarios, i find myself looking for eye contact. if i get it, i nod and smile. if i see lips move, i say "hello." the formula is foolproof, except in this particular instance. just as i approached the area where i typically get eye contact, i stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight, the sun shining directly in the eyes and preventing me from making out anything but the shadowy shape of the woman's face. flustered, i attempted to nod, smile, and say "hello" all at once, before realizing that she wasn't even looking at me.