(no subject)

[rm]

Getting out of the subway system today, someone tried to pickpocket me. I was more in my own world than I normally tend to be when moving about in the train system, but suddenly I was very aware of someone near my personal space -- or rather the space of my messenger bag. That alone is a funny thing, but studies have shown in fact that we do have an internal spatial perception of ourselves that includes whatever we might be wearing (there was a study done as regards ladies hats once upon a time that determined this -- I can't remember the details but it was written about in the New York Times within the last month).

At any rate, there I am on the stairs, and I turned, and said "Excuse me," and then I registered that this man was snatching his hand back from by bag.

"Sorry," he said.

"You were trying to grab my bag."

"No. I was just reaching," he said, very calmly and then turned around and walked down the stairs the other way while I stood there with my mouth hanging open.

When I got to the stop of the stairs, and had verrified I had all my stuff, I considered the possiblity that the man was telling teh truth, and that I had somehow misinterpretted one of those inevitable things that happens solely because of the level of crowdedness here.

But I decided, after stewing on it for a while, that this could not possibly be the case -- someone falsely accused would have reacted more stridently, and if they had chosen to walk the other way to avoid my wrath (which wasn't even in effect I was so stunned), they would have immediately gone up the other staircase, which this man did not -- he went back into the train system.

I am not freaked out, so much as annoyed. It's an affront to my vision of myself that someone would be so daft as to think they could pickpocket me, both because I am clever, and because I don't carry anything anywhere that's easy to grab.

So yeah, that was fun.

Think I am good on my lines, but am freaked out about rehearsal anyway. I'm trying to stay calm, and I'll have a few hours to study before rehearsal tonight besides. Mostly, I just want to be quiet, do my work, and go home and work on it all some more.

I am at Kinkos (due to the lack of computers with Internet at work) and I am annoyed because people here are needing _serious_ technical help, and are requesting it loudly enough that I can't even concentrate on this boring little account.

Comments

[tommx.livejournal.com]

if he were truly innocent of trying to grab your bag, i doubt he would suddenly reverse direction and walk back down the stairs into the subway. he was obviously looking for another mark.

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

No one who was completely innocent would have been that calm about it. That's just so ridiculous. It's like those people who grope you and then look at you dumbly; of course, if I were being glared at, and was nonetheless totally innocent, I would get pissed off.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of the time the guy tried to pickpocket me on the PATH train, and I smacked his knuckles with my copy of ' Tropic of Cancer '.

[lllvis.livejournal.com]

In some of my martial arts training, the part that isn't physical, one thing I was taught I tend to hold on to is that the easiest way to dispel a false accusation is not to overreact to it. Vehement denial tends to say you're worried about the accusation being true, whereas a calm denial indicates you gave it no second thought, it wasn't a thought to begin with.

In any case, it works for me. It tends to disarm someone greatly when they don't the rise outta me they seem to expect.

I would think this person either a) was well versed in avoidance or b) indeed telling the truth.

Considering the location and circumstances though...doesn't lend too much to charitable thoughts about option b I think!

[rm.livejournal.com]

People in NYC are not calm when they interact with strangers -- I can see youlogic for just about anywhere else on this earth, but this was so atypical of any even slightly out of the ordinary interaction I've ever had on the streets around here -- besides -- why would he turn around and get back in the train?

And what it in fucks name was he reaching for?

"What the fuck bitch?" in a sort of benign tone would have been any one of a number of normal NYC reactions. This absolutely wasn't.

[editrx.livejournal.com]

I had someone try to unzip my backpack (which was slung over one shoulder) on the London Underground. Same response, "I was just reaching." I responded, "Then why was the zipper pull on the bottom when I got on, and now it's in the middle? Oh right. That would be because it has a padlock on the pull, you idiot. Didn't you you bother to look and see why it wasn't opening?"

The look I got in response was priceless. Yup, he'd not looked. I think he thought it had been unzipping and he was trying to stick his hand in ... instead it went "whack" against the still-closed backpack, which is why I noticed what was going on.

I love those tiny padlocks, I do.

[anathemadevice.livejournal.com]

2 pickpockets were arrested Wednesday. Let's hope one was yours. They hit 130 people that the police know of.