The Sport of People Watching

People watching has got to be one of the most guilty pleasures out there. Everyone does it to some extent. And the people being watched are such givers. Put me in an airport and I can sit and be "entertained" for hours at a time. I used to embarrass my kids terribly by what they called 'direct staring' and "the making of unnecessary comments'....a double bonus! Large events where people from all walks of life are gathered together make for the most interesting people watching opportunities. Last night's Herman Cain/ AZGOP dinner event was a feast, and I am not talking about the meal that was served....................although it wasn't half bad for this kind of event. Koo-dos to the Phoenix Convention Center for handling such a large group of people at the last minute. (The event was originally scheduled for a much smaller venue, but due to his rising popularity, it was moved about 5 days ahead of the event.) All the more pleasure for those of us partaking in the sport of people watching. No, there won't be pictures....that would be cruel. "That woman" with the purple dress and shiny belt is somebody's Mother! And everyone is fair game, why, I imagine someone was eying our table and saying, "Wow, look at the stylish woman in her WORTH Collection dark suit with her wine-colored shoes, earrings and coordinated handbag!" You never know who's looking and who's being looked at, it's part of the fun of the sport. Our first victim......a woman with long, blond hair styled with a low-slinging ponytail. Was that her real hair or a wig? Our group seemed to think it didn't fit her head size and the sides seemed unnatural. Maybe she was having a bad hair day...... We counted 4 shirts made from material with the print of the American flag, all deemed ugly by our astute group. It seemed like the youngest people and the very oldest people in the crowd were the best dressed for the occasion. Simple sheath dresses, solid suits and cardigan sweaters draped over the shoulders helped dress up the majority of uninteresting outfits. Then , there were the group of men that looked like they just stepped out of the backroom where wheeling and dealing takes place. I suspect they all smoke cigars. Every single one of them had large bellies and jowls on their faces. Maybe they are the AZ mafia....... my imagination can run wild when I am people watching! One man had shoulder length silver hair that hung very straight, which was odd in itself, but adding his 6'-7" height, you could not miss him! His partner was a stout woman reaching about 5'3" in a tulip-patterned dress. Mr. Cain looked very nice at least as far as I could tell, sitting about halfway back in a room filled with about 900 people! I could tell he had a suit on with a tie...that's about it. You see, my people watching skills are somewhat diminished due to my inability to see well beyond about 10 feet. Which brings me to THE MOST WEIRD THING THAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!! Our table of ten was talking and generally enjoying each others company, when I man in his 40s or 50s walks up to my husband and asks if he is here with me (then he points his finger at me.....a big No No....my Mom would have definitely scolded him for that type of behavior). Bill says yes, then the intruder says well, she's got this huge smile on her face and she's been staring at me. WTF??!! I said, sorry, didn't notice you at all.....and at that, he let's out a belly laugh to rival any Macy's Santa Claus and proceeded to walk away. The thing that got me so mad....I had nothing! No snarky comeback, no witty statement about our narcissistic society or pitiful men in a midlife crisis! He caught me so off guard. And he ruined the rest of my evening with the people watching activities. I was fearful he or some other nasty dude would think I was lusting after them, too! I felt robbed. Are you a people watcher? I hope you can enjoy the sport today, but we very aware of lurking idiots who can ruin your game in a nano-second!