Odd thing happened yesterday

I was on the bus having just bought a track pump (my first). The pump was in my lap sticking out of a plastic bag. As the bus pulled up and stopped outside Elephant & Castle a youngish (mid/late 20s) black guy, dressed pretty normally (sweatshirt, jeans), who was standing on the pavement close to the side of the bus spotted the pump and walked right up to the bus window. He was staring at the pump and me, so I smiled at him (in a non gay way before you all start!). He then sort of half smiled back and nodded twice. The bus drove off. Most odd. He was either a cycling fan or a bit loopy or both.

Did make me think though about how rare it is in London for strangers to just be nice to each other without one or the other feeling slightly suspicious.

He probably wanted to rob it off you.

Maybe he thought it was a shotgun?

Just another normal day in London I would of thought, perhaps he was working out how many rocks he could buy with the money he would get from stealing your pump. Oooo, can I say that?

no

or he wanted to see if it was his.
dude asks: "where did you get it from?"
you say: "some shop"
he says: "it's mine and you probably bought it from dude that stole it off me"
you say: "i paid £30 for it"
you negotiate, he gives you £10 and everyone walks away happy

Fellas fellas fellas, don't go bashing the poor weirdo black guy. I'm black, and I think he looked at the pump, looked at you, and thought....oooooooh, kinky.

But on the flipside, if you're insinuating that the chances of being mugged by a black guy is a possibility, as opposed to by all the eskimo hoodlums out there, yes, you're right. Luckily for you, those types of black guys that you "might" be referring to, are so busy killing each other, they'll soon be nothing to worry about.......except for eskimo hoodlums.

Just another normal day in London I would of thought, perhaps he was working out how many rocks he could buy with the money he would get from stealing your pump. Oooo, can I say that?

lol why not?

Funny thing; I need the use of a track pump. Old Street anybody?

probably thought it was a penis pump, and was glad he is not the only one to try them

Hey VanU, congrats on winning on penalties last night. ......Or is that ManU? I get confused easily - its the heat.

C'mon, just let me look at your pump, I'll be okay after that.

A two and a half foot long penis pump? VanU! Man you're big!

I was on the bus having just bought a track pump (my first). The pump was in my lap sticking out of a plastic bag. As the bus pulled up and stopped outside Elephant & Castle a youngish (mid/late 20s) black guy, dressed pretty normally (sweatshirt, jeans), who was standing on the pavement close to the side of the bus spotted the pump and walked right up to the bus window. He was staring at the pump and me, so I smiled at him (in a non gay way before you all start!). He then sort of half smiled back and nodded twice. The bus drove off. Most odd. He was either a cycling fan or a bit loopy or both.

Did make me think though about how rare it is in London for strangers to just be nice to each other without one or the other feeling slightly suspicious.

It's true, say hello or be pleasant to someone in London and they are immedietly on the defenseive, I found that hard to get used to when I came here as back home most everybody is friendly to strangers in the street etc.

Colour had nothing to do with it, as a descriptor it should have been left out.

Maybe he just wanted a pumping?

people seem to freak out when i say, good morning, or afternoon, and have a nice day, the guy in the shop yesterday gave me the weirdest look.

He prob just wondered "what on earth is that weird thing on that mans lap!?"

I got a big smiles and a "very nice" from 2 air stewardesses chatting at a bus stop this morning. Also managed to turn their heads as I went past. Is it the bike or me. Bikes a pug BBT, and I was all lycra'd up :-)

the bike

Londoners are friendly, but they are naturally more reserved than country folk.

You can be friendly with strangers, it's easy you once you lose your inhibitions. As long as it's sunny and you smile, and it helps if you are good looking/don't look like a tramp, people will be friendly right back.

Pimps right - just say hello and slowely lick your lips as you work the top of the pump. sure enough there will be an entry on some londonhoodlum.com forum where this avery day joe is saying "funny thing happened to me today - this wierd ass cycling man stroked his pump in an erotica fashion whilst passing on the bus" followed by an open forum attack on white middle class cycling terrorists...

Colour had nothing to do with it, as a descriptor it should have been left out.

Maybe he just wanted a pumping?

I disagree, In this instance if he was white or Mediterranean looking I would also have said so. We're visual creatures after all and it helps those reading to see what I saw when telling a story.

As for the pumping. EEeeeeeeuuuuuwwwww! You're all bad people.

A two and a half foot long penis pump? VanU! Man you're big!

When we split up my ex girlfriend said something about it being because my cock was too big. Or was it that I was too big a cock? I can never remember.

;p

Londoners are friendly, but they are naturally more reserved than country folk.

You can be friendly with strangers, it's easy you once you lose your inhibitions. As long as it's sunny and you smile, and it helps if you are good looking/don't look like a tramp, people will be friendly right back.

Was riding through Holborn on Sunday when I heard somebody sneeze down a side road. Shouted out 'bless you' and heard a bemused 'thank you!' in reply. Made my day...

If you go out there expecting people to be weirdos, lunatics or psychopaths, you'll never experience the friendly side of London. Some people are just nice - so set a precedent by being one of those nice people, and others will follow.

Fellas fellas fellas, don't go bashing the poor weirdo black guy. I'm black, and I think he looked at the pump, looked at you, and thought....oooooooh, kinky.

But on the flipside, if you're insinuating that the chances of being mugged by a black guy is a possibility, as opposed to by all the eskimo hoodlums out there, yes, you're right. Luckily for you, those types of black guys that you "might" be referring to, are so busy killing each other, they'll soon be nothing to worry about.......except for eskimo hoodlums.

just for completeness sake, inuit people consider the term "eskimo" to be derogatory, along the same lines as "nigger" or "abo".

/political correctness