MYOB (part 1)
February 10th 2010 21:01
What is it with all these busybodies I keep encountering? Don’t they have a life? The reason why I am having such thoughts is that recently I was at the NSW Art Gallery looking at some of the Dobell Prize 09 exhibition drawings. In the middle of the display was a sketch of Susannah Place Museum by Greg Hansell. I looked closely at it and noticed the artist included the SPM cats, Lenny and Riley in his sketch. I was thinking about taking a photo of it when some Asian tourists nearby got out a camera so I decided to let them go first. Next thing you know, an old woman goes up to them and says, “Excuse me, you can’t take photographs in here.” I was like, WTF? I have been to the Art Gallery many times and was told by the staff unless stated otherwise, photography was allowed as long as there was no flash. Just to make sure, I asked some of the staff. They said as far as they were aware, I was allowed to take photos in this section. I told them about the woman but they seemed to think she was of no consequence.
Dreading a confrontation, I decided to wait until the woman had left. As Murphy’s Law would dictate, she had to be standing right near the sketch I wanted to photograph and she spent ages peering at each sketch. I decided to come back later.
When I returned twenty minutes later, the old woman had moved a few metres away and the Art Gallery staff was now standing near the SPM sketch. Perfect! I took my photos, the staff said nothing and I avoided a confrontation with a stupid old woman, who, frankly, needs to mind her own business and get a life. She doesn’t even work there so who gives her the right to tell people what to do?
This reminds me of the time I boarded a country train headed back to Sydney. I was about to use the toilet when an old woman stopped me.
“You can’t go in there,” she said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because it’s illegal to use the toilet while the train is stationary.”
I was about to say “Who says?” when a woman who was sitting beside her said it for me.
“Who says?” said the woman. “I’ve never heard so much claptrap in my life!” I then bolted for the toilet, thinking, stuff the old busybody. I was grateful to the other woman for sparring with her; it was not the first time either. Previously, I saw her boarding the train. The old woman was standing beside her, telling her to wait until everyone else got off before getting on. “I know what to do,” snapped the woman. “You don’t have to talk to me as if I’m a four year old!”
As my sister would say, “No wonder some people get bashed. No one appreciates a nosey parker.”
| 37 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
