People on the Streets of Bakersfield

A little while ago I was driving down Union Ave. and I saw a man in a wheel chair moving himself down the sidewalk by walking his feet beneath the seat. He had both of his arms, so I couldn't help but wonder, if his legs are working, why is he in a wheel chair? Less than a minute later I saw another man, walking across the street just fine while sporting a pair of crutches under each arm. Weird.

Speaking of weird, I’ve been noticing an increase in strange “homeless” type people wandering around downtown. One man in particular stands out; I’ve seen him several times over the past few weeks. Either he was a boxer in his former life or he has aspirations to be one. He definitely was not a fashion consultant. This guy wears the wackiest get ups!

He always has something on his head. It usually looks like a poorly formed turban, but sometimes it looks like more of a shower cap. The rest of his body is covered as well, including his hands, but none of his combinations are even remotely okay. He’ll wear a tropical print shirt with bright green basketball shorts, and long john underwear beneath it all. Most of the time when I see him he is jogging down the street with his great, jerky strides, while punching in the air as if he is training for a big fight. This morning I saw him standing on a corner swinging his arms wildly in big circles.

The best part is, every time I see him he looks SO happy. It makes me want to stand on the corner and swing my arms around too.