directions...

I'm waiting at the bus stop in china town and this group of five teenage boys comes up to me. my teenage years were pretty traumatic so i fear teenage boys way more than i do adult men. so they walk up and ask where canal street is, "ma'am." while I'm giving the one directions the other one is yelling in the background, "that's a man, yo." i give my directions and the kid turns to me and says, "I'm sorry, really i am. you are a guy right?" i just say it's OK and not to worry about it. happens sometimes. he runs off yelling at his friends, "you guys, i told you it was a guy. you guys are such dorks." it made me smile. when i looked like a girl i got mistaken for a guy and now i get mistaken for a woman. i still enjoy watching people argue about it after they walk away.

passing

"excuse me, ladies."

huh? what's that about. not only am i packing, but I've paid a small fortune for this very flat chest. lady? i don't get it. i pass maybe 75% of the time so when i don't it catches me completely off guard. i have a very love/hate relationship with passing to begin with so i never know how to respond. usually when i open my mouth people look very uncomfortable and correct themselves which is attention i don't really want either. it would be nice to just not have to think about it but unfortunately that's just not possible...

on the other hand I'm glad that I've got knowledge that someone who has never seen both sides of gender will never have. being on both sides of "ladies" and "gentlemen" changes the way you see said ladies and gentlemen. thank god.