Riding my bike home from Washington Park, distance: Half-mile

Washington Park
Woman, blond/brown curly hair, to small dog with curly, blond-brown hair: Bailey! Hello, sweetheart! Helllloooo!

Madison and Lark
Fat man, Oakley wraparounds, yellow golf shirt, the bottom of which hung off him like a skirt, to goateed friend: Yeah, Steph did that to me once...

Hipster guy to girl he had his arm around her waist: Let's cross here. Yeah. Ha.

Madison and Dove
Man on porch: Thwit (hocks a glob of spit and phlegm onto the ripped-up sidewalk)

Hudson and Dove
Heartbreakingly beautiful girl, long brown curly hair, white sundress with brown paisley print, big brown oval sunglasses, getting into her car and speaking to an unseen passenger: I'm sorry about your car. Sorry.

Young girl, middle school? High school? To her two girlfriends: That was back before I even liked him. But he didn't like me talking to anyone. But then he dumped me. I did like him but I don't like him like that anymore.

Neighbor, leaning in her doorway, long, frizzy blond hair with brown roots, blue-and-white-striped bikini top and pair of shorts, to me: Hi.

Price Chopper, Madison and Delaware, 8 a.m.

Woman, early 30s, do-rag on head, pretty, smooth face, burgundy knit shirt with the sleeves pushed up. She has a cart overflowing with groceries including a "Scribble Board," a small, plastic easel with a sketch of a squealing toddler on the box, the box is balancing on top of the cart, to the cashier, a girl named Isena:

It's supposed to be buy one, get one free. It's ringing up at $4.99.

Isena: I'm going to scan it again.

Woman: It's supposed to be buy one, get one. I don't know why it ring up like that.

Isena: (Says something in Spanish to the older cashier in the next line, whose name is Cookie).

Cookie: (Responds in Spanish. I recognize the word "trabajar")

Cookie: Marshall. Marshall!

There's a long pause, while we all wait for Marshall.
Woman: Either it rings up as buy one, get one, or it's going back on the shelf.

Two minutes pass in silence. Enter Marshall from stage left. Marshall, wearing a navy Price Chopper polo shirt, gets an update from Isena, and from the woman.

Woman: It's supposed to be buy one, get one.
Marshall enters a code into the cash register. He says something inaudible, but apparently the buy one, get one special is on another brand of frozen sausages, not the one the woman was attempting to purchase.

Woman: But these are the brots. I wanted the brots.

The Pinto and Hobbs, State Street, 8 p.m.

Man with dog (I could only see the back of his head, he had dark hair and was wearing a gray t shirt ... puppy looked like it was going to grow up to be a 100 pound lab-ish mutt), to two women. All in their 20s, I could only hear voices:

I have never done anything like that. I've never been arrested, never chased by the police.

Woman #1: Well I didn't even tell you how it all started.

Man: You didn't but...

Woman: We were in high school.

Man: Hello? Wait, I have to take this (he leaves. Doesn't come back).

Lark Street, 8 p.m.

Man, standing, 40s, graying black hair, blue-gray t-shirt with sleeves rolled up to shoulders, to a man and a woman seated at a cafe table:

I don't know. I don't know the answer. I don't know if there is an anwer. I've been here a long time and I never seen a cat like that.

At the office, continued today

Coworker, mid-60s, on telephone:

Thank you for the photo but her legs are cut off. We need to get her legs in the picture. When you get here you can do your hair. No, no. No! Tell Naomi this thing is going in the newspaper. Be sure to tell...As far as I know this thing is running tomorrow. They're anxious to get it in. I know she is. Oh! She'll be back on Monday. I'll let her know. I wil. I'll call Marge. Good luck with Marybeth. It makes me sad. No! It makes me sad. Yes!

Lark Tavern

Woman, late 20s, to me:

I was filling in on sax and he was sitting next to me and I felt like shit because he was great and I was awful. But it was fine and we started talking and getting along. And one time he said to me, "Stanley Turrentine is playing here." And I didn't know if he was just stating a fact or if he was asking me to go with him. He was asking me to go. But it was my grandmother's birthday that night and I told him that and he thought that I was just feeding him a line. But it really was my grandmother's birthday. So we went out another time and started hanging out and we have been together ever since. ... Our son's name is Maceo.

At the office, Tuesday

Co-worker, mid-60s, to stripper, mid-70s, over the phone:

We're not interested in your voice, Josephine. We're interested in your body! Wear your hair the same way you had it done that night and come in and we will take your picture.