I don’t know if other people attract random weirdos, or if it’s just me (perhaps it’s that old ‘birds of a feather’ thing). In any case this morning on my walk to the railway station I was approached by a tall, thin individual who lit up a cigarette and proceeded to walk along side me asking questions…
“Hot isn’t it?”
“Sure is”
“Off to work?”
“Yup”
I followed my usual procedure for these circumstances, which is to keep doing whatever I’m doing and provide as little response as possible, in the hopes that the annoying freak would get the hint and leave. No such luck, as he kept at it…
“What d’ya do?”
“Computer Programming”
No point providing him with more detail than that. If he found out I was a web designer he might want a site built…
“D’ya make websites?”
So much for that strategy…
“Yup”
“How much does a good website cost these days”
“’bout $4000”
“But they can take it down right?”
Now that was an odd question. I mean it really depends on who “they” are, and a whole bunch of technical factors revolving around hosting, domain names and local jurisdictions. I decided the simplest course was just to agree with him…
“Sure can”
“Unless it’s hosted in America, yeah?”
OK… A bit abstract, but whatever…
“Yeah”
“We spent $2000 on a website and three days later they took it down”
Let me guess, because you didn’t pay them?
“Shit”
“Yeah, I’m with Van Tongeren‘s boys and we made a website for the ANM but they took it down”
WHAT THE FRACK!?
For those puzzled by my reaction Jack van Tongeren was WA’s best known white supremacist and founder of the Australian Nationalist Movement – a group specializing in the firebombing of Asian restaurants and sticking up posters saying “Asians (or whatever other ethnic group they felt threatened by that particular week) Out or Racial War!”. And here was one of these toe-rags walking along beside me making small talk! Reasoning that anyone unhinged enough to join the ANM would not take my views on their insane hate group well I remained non-committal…
“Oh yeah”
“So we had to move it to America, now it’s on Stormfront“
FUCKING STORMFRONT?? HOLY FETH!! Stay non-committal! Stay non-committal!
“Oh yeah”
At this point there was a pause, as if the maniac beside me was waiting to see if I’d break out into a verse of the Horst Wessel Lied. After a minute or so of silence he started back up again, on a subject almost as bad…
“I had the best sex of my life last night!”
Geez, I really want to hear about that! Pray continue sir!
“Oh yeah”
“Two women, it was completely unexpected too!”
“Right”
Thankfully at this point he appeared to spot something distressing up ahead, quickly mumbled “See ya mate” and decamped into the park by the library. I continued towards the train station breathing a sigh of relief, but about ten metres on was confronted by a rather shabby looking and apparently quite angry woman…
“Who was that bloke you were talking to?!”
Good question. The mystery racist nympho of olde Bayswater?
“I dunno, some bloke who just walked up to me”
She muttered something under her breath and headed into the park, presumably chasing after him.
Not the best way to start the day really.
Poor —–. The weirdo’s do seem to find ya.