Snake in the Sewer, Part II

Another example of my worst fear come to life.

The Bus Tunnel

I took the bus tunnel from work to the heart of downtown yesterday so I could quickly do some shopping before meeting up with Logic and Daniel. My office is where the tunnel starts so the bus was empty when I got on. At the next stop a man got on, dragging a bag full of his life's belongings. He looked like he hadn't showered in a very long time and may not have even known where he was at. He chose a seat in the middle of the bus that is elevated and facing inward. I had a clear view of him.
I tried to close my eyes because I didn't want to be rude but I kept finding myself peering through a squinted eye - just to see what he was doing. At one point, my eyes had been closed for a while and as I slowly opened them - almost forgetting he was there - I saw him licking his finger and then wiping the arm rest and then licking his finger again. It's as if he were testing it to see what it tasted like.
It was at that moment that I made a conscious decision to NEVER, under any circumstances, touch anything on a bus ever again.

It's a Scary, Scary World Out There

So my niece plays hockey on a guy's team and a girl's team. The coach for the guy's team has recently been texting and IMing her on a regular basis; even while he's at work. She's 17, he's in his 40s with a wife and kids. Doesn't this sound like the beginning of an After School Special to you? (Do they even do those anymore?)
My sister is really great with her daughters and had a talk with my niece about how her coach's behavior is inappropriate. My niece said "okay" and that she'd tell him that her parents didn't want him doing that anymore. When I talked to my sister, I suggested she make a formal visit to see him. Just so he knows that she's aware of what's going on and that she's watching him.
It is for reasons exactly like this that I second-guess the thought of ever having kids.

"Human Pin Cushion"

The length that people will go to in an effort to have a boy in China. This woman believes her grandparents inserted over 25 pins into her in an attempt to change her sex. Years later, the late grandparents missed seeing her be rushed into surgery after finding blood in her urine.
"[The needles] had penetrated vital organs such as the lungs, kidney and liver, while a needle in her brain had broken into three pieces.
Others in her chest were lodged near major arteries."
No word on why the grandparents thought poking their granddaughter with 26 pins would turn her into a boy.