Today was an interesting day

Two encounters that could go under "the mentally ill/homeless in Chicago or on the CTA".

Today the first encounter was on State/Adams, where as I was approaching that intersection a homeless man was about to grab the arm of a fine young thing as she was about to cross the street. She yelled at him not to touch her. I could wonder why he attempted to grab her and my only guess could be that he's not all there. He may not know why he's doing that he just did.

The second encounter was on a red line train leaving the north side. There was this woman, she seemed like a young woman and while we were in the subway she just starting giggling. The only thing about that was well it wasn't necessarily giggling it was more noise that got the attention of most of us in the car. At times she seemed to be talking, but it was more gibberish than coherent words.

I looked back at her at several points and wondered what she was giggling about and no one was talking to her. Perhaps she had a flash back and was still giggling about it. Unfortunately for me I was on the train the entire time she was on the train and she calmed down for a period of time only to fire up again on several occasions along the red line.

There were a couple of young boys who boarded the train at 47th Street and they got off the train at 79th Street. One of them was a little unsettled by the behavior of this woman, as I said she just started giggling at random. Just when he was about to take his seat again, she flared up again and he went ahead and sat with his friend on the train until they got off.

At one point she actually was able to say a word. Whatever she said, I could only guess may be a reason why she's in the condition she was. I mean I have no way of knowing that, but I heard killed in there in the words she was saying. Either way even I was thinking about escaping from this woman, I was no where near her, but even I was like I can't take this noise. It bothers me more when this person has some issues mentally as she was displaying by her strange bursts of "laughter" and her gibberish language.

BTW, I got off at 95th. Usually I assume that when on the L you have somewhere you need to go, but at the end of the line you're not going anywhere else. If you're on the train at 95th when everyone else is getting off you remain, that's an indication that you have no where you need to be. Who knows she may encounter more people on the train who may be disturbed somewhat by her behavior.