OBSERVATIONS OF A MALL WALKER

FIRST OF ALL HAPPY 3RD B-DAY TO MY GOOD PAL THE HANDSOME LABRA-DUDE

 JACK

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This morning I felt like I needed to sleep so

I gave Mom 100% blogging privileges today.

Disclaimer:

I'm not responsible for anything written today!!

Scroll down at your own risk.

Yes, it is true, my name is Madi's Mom, and I'm a mall walker. 

Monday August 1, 2011, I began my fifth month as a MALL WALKER.  Up until my retirement on April 1, 2011, my plan was to continue my love of walkng each day out of doors, after all I had been trapped in an office for 25 years.  I was not dragged to the mall kicking and screaming. I  got up each morning ate my Cheerios, dressed and voluntarily joined my husband on his one hour treks around our local mega Mall.

Over the last five months, not only have I become an avid mall walker, I have also become an avid observer of mall walkers. We are a motely bunch folks from all walks of life brought together each day between 7 am and 10am striving for fitness. There is a mall walker's meeting once a month (as of this writing we NEVER plan to attend). 


Today I'd like to tell you about my observations.

Mall Traffic:
All mall walkers have their own distinct style of walking and predetermined route.   On any given day, there could be 20 or 30 folks traipsing around both levels of the mall. For this reason, we feel that mall walkers should observe laws of the road.. always walk to the right. However, we have found there are rebel rouser mall walkers who joy in walking the wrong way.  *They walk the width of an asile often they stop smack dab in the middle of the asile to talk about a window display.  This behavior messes up the ebb and flow of foot traffic. Over the months we have learned to avoid these groups. 

Takers:
Several days a week we see one particular non mall walker, come into the mall with either a used Panera ice tea cup or coffee cup.  Panera's policy is free refills while in the Cafe only. It is not a free for life refill policy.  She sneaks in the back door of Panera with her cups gets her refill then leaves.  That is just naughty!! 

Nicknames:
We have tagged many of the walkers with 'nicknames' due to their style of walk or habits.

1. Hoodie lady, she has more tops with hoods than I've ever seen in my life and in all colors.  She must own stock at Old Navy.
2. Cabbie Hat lady, she has cabbie hats to match all of her outfits
3. Wild arm man, as he walks he swings his right arm so hard it goes up to his head as if to salute all the while his left arm behaves.
4. Mad hatter always carries his hat in his hand.  We wonder why he doesn't leave it in the car.
5. Preppie lady, she always has a sweater tied around her shoulders...never wears it
6. Newspaper man, he and his wife walk together but he reads the newspaper while walking. She is about 2 steps behind him.  When he finishes with a section of the paper, he briskly tosses it back to her. Often she walks pushing a Sears cart and she'll put the paper in the cart.  The news is heavy but REALLY is a cart necessary? LOL
7. First Sargent he always walks down the middle of the mall, very tall and straight as if in formation.
8. Geisha lady, she walks very fast but takes very tiny steps.
9. Odd Couple, she has ankle weights and carries hand weights in each hand.  She walks ahead of him. They usually coordinate the color of their tops.
10. *Moving Road block, their group consists of 3 to 5 and sometimes 6 females.  They insist on walking together, they walk abreast slowly, stop on a whim to talk or look at a window and generally cause road blocks.
11. Celebrity Gal:  She walks inside the mall with sunglasses on and a ball cap.  A young man walks with her but they don't talk.  We suppose he is her body guard.  We hope to get a peep at her one day.
12. The Biker Dudes: None are younger that 65, they ride their bikes to the mall everyday, park their bikes inside under the stairs while having a bagel.  We're just plain envious of them to be riding bikes some distances at their ages.   Way to Go Biker Dudes
13. Same clothes Sally:  She walks 3 or 4 days a week.  She has worn the same clothes every day since I started walking in April.
Surely they need to be washed by now.
14.  Flip Flip Flo:  She doesn't walk every day but the days she walks she has rubber flip flops that always match her dress. Yes she wears a very nice and fashionable dress to walk in. 
15. Stairmister:  Walks several fast laps around the upper mall ending his walk with 10 or 15 minutes going up and down the same staircase every day IN THE WAY.

Respectfully submitted

Madi's Mom

Thank you for your attention, Madi will be back tomorrow.