Today ... Some More

I was walking up Baggott street from the shoe repair place to the post office in DF and passed the same bum who had been there for the last 5 years outside the Welfare offices, so I reckoned he could write a book: "My life as a Baggott Street Bum" - I think I would buy it, because living in one place day in and day out in the public eye you must see a lot of interesting things, and then I got to thinking about the other bums around town and titles for their books - "Life on O'Connell bridge - as a bum". The Bums in town actually have mobile phones, do you think they do it for a living then?

There was one guy who for a while would be on Mespil road, just near to Star bucks and Coffee2go, he was well groomed, even clean and not bad looking, but he had a shopping trolly laden with what could only be his worldly goods, about 10 or 15 large bags full of stuff, and he stood there stopping people and asking for change.

Then there is the guy that also hung around Baggott and Mespil roads, looked like a bit of a drinker but still quite well presented bar a 5 o'clock shadow, if we were sitting outside Coffee2go he would stop and start shouting about the Lord and how the world was going to end, quite freaky. I saw him on Dawson street the other day and quickly crossed over, I could see in his eyes he recognised me.

What I do admire are the Mimes on Grafton street, it really is also a form of begging - what skills do you need to be a mime, you need to be clever, but I reckon so are most of the bums out there, very clever.

When I was growing up in South Africa, there was this guy on Eloff street, he had no legs and used to shuffle up and down the road, he would keep the traffic stopped for ages, but I admired him. He just sat there and did nothing and of course people felt sorry for him and gave him money, and I know on more than one occasion I saw large notes going into the tin bowl he had on the pavement next to him. Each afternoon before the bank closed he would take his money over to the bank and deposit it, and I heard many years later that he was actually a very very wealthy man.

So I guess begging does pay if you know how to do it. Now there is the old Gypsy Lady who stands at the traffic light by the IFSC everyday and everyday people refuse to give her money. She looks evil and I have seen her spit at cars, very eerie. What really annoys me are the guys who sit right by the ATM's or who make you feel threatened by their presence, but then again it is really not half as bad as South Africa but that is a whole new story.

I just found and article to say that beggars are going to be arrested from now on. Aaah jut when I thought I could have a new lucrative career.

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