Day 17: Cheerleaders and Concrete

One is witness to peculiar behavior during the week, things I imagine are nonexistent to the average working denizen. My runs, now at midday, have actually amassed a cheering section of  boisterous and presumably homeless gentlemen who hang out at the corner of Catalpa and Broadway. This group of gloved, hat-bearing, unshaven chaps yell things as I pass such as “YAY!” “YAHOO, GO! GO!” and “WOOO HOO, HELLOOOO LADY!” all while pumping their fists and waving their arms. This fills me with joy. Cheered by their enthusiasm, I started thinking about other things in life that need a cheering section:

• My seventh-grade math teacher, particularly during Valentine's Day breakdowns
• That friend who will not stop listening to the Red House Painters on repeat whilst lying on the floor, weeping, drinking too much vodka, refusing to shower or speak in comprehensible sentences, all while keeping vise-like grip on cell phone, in case she ever calls again
• Patrons perusing films that don't have a Criterion Collection release at Select Video on Clark Street while that terrifying, angry girl with the lasers for eyes is working, judging you, oh, god, she's narrowing her eyes ... not again! Run! Run away! Oh no, you forgot your umbrella! Enter store again sheepishly. 
• The moment you realize you missed your certification call-in for unemployment benefits because you were ... wait, what were you even doing yesterday? What time did you put on your pants? Unacceptable. 
• Holiday turtlenecks tucked into sweatpants 
• Wives of politicians who don't stand by the dude during press conferences when he says things like, "Sorry for wasting a bunch of taxpayer money and draining social services while I was on that 'hiking trip' with my 'brother'."
• Cats, who always have to deal with the fact that it's kind of  funny when they barf
• Stepping in cat barf
• Cleaning up cat barf
• Finding old cat barf behind couch
• Putting cat up for adoption
• Crying, because you don't know why you did that.