Editors blog: Someone must be trying to mess with me

Hiding in the towel

Either someone is just messing with me, or there is a strange homeless man living by the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

I first noticed the strange character this Monday, he was walking around at the Van Dorn Metro station with a towel covering most of his face. This was essentially the same type of towel you would find at a gym, which I figure was generally ok, as it was extremely hot and humid out.

I shrugged it off and assumed it was just another general nutter that rode on the DC metro, but then it happened again, on May 25. May 25 is in fact Towel Day, which I didn’t even realize at the time (I celebrate Geek Pride, come on it’s close enough people). Traveling with my fiancé on the metro is always fun* anyway, but she also quickly noticed the strange fellow.

*Fun = complaints about smelly people, to much rocking back and forth and all around hatred for humanity in during the daily hour commute.

The weather was rather nice this time around so the towel didn’t make much sense. He was sporting a luggage bag with him, a white t-shirt, sandals with socks, what appeared to be running shorts and of course his towel. Sadly there was no bath robe to be found, but it could be in his luggage.

The girl of course was semi-freaked out that a strange man sporting a towel over his face like he was doing aroma therapy was casually pacing on the metro platform. I would have taken a photo of the guy, but it’s not exactly easy to just take random snap shots of the weirdos on metro (unless they are inches from your face).

So we went on our merry way and I figured I wouldn’t see the stranger again.

This morning however, I got off at the Pentagon for a line transfer, which oddly enough he was waiting right outside the train car I was on. So Mr. Towel guy may be stalking me, slightly freaking me out. I don’t often stop there, but either this guy just rides the metro all day and coincidentally always finds me or I’ve found my future self hiding with a towel on his head to hide.

On a side note, I turn a quarter of a century old on Sunday. I plan on hiding under a towel so nobody notices.