Today didn't get off to a good start after I tripped over a phone cord.
(Argh, those OT powerz finally got me!) No pain or serious damage, but I had to becareful walking since part of my foot was numb, as a misstep would result in a face-plant. (Since I had the signs, I had to at least get those to the picket.)
Standing at the North point was doable. The org has scaffolding up in front, so I could lean my butt against that. Alan zipped up to the copy shop and ran off 500 flyers, and we went through most of those as well as some other that he had before the copy shop finished the order.
The org does have scaffolding out front. There's a wooden deck at the 2nd floor, just short of the sign. No sign of any construction yet. The scaffolding is at the street edge of the sidewalk and to the org overhang.
This gives them a little hiding space between the org and the scaffolding.
Renovations before selling the building? They seem to have fixed almost all the broken windows. (If anyone comes across anything more than idle rumour, *please* post ASAP!) The usual morning crew were there to handle us. And an extra-duty officer paid for by the org. (*KA-CHING**!) The officer was definitely on the ball, and was frequently scanning the street to see what was happening. He did miss Dan doing his cheap school-yard bully act at the South end -- gee do you think Dan might have planned that?
However the Harridan got nailed but good.
She was trying the full TR, accusing me liking boys, wearing makeup, etc ("When life becomes a battlefield, $cientology napalms your brain!") She snatched one flyer, which was cool -- one per person. Then she continued with her TR while fanning my face with the flyer. At this point, I made eye contact with the officer, and signaled with my eyebrows. (I have very vocal eyebrows -- it's an SP power!) He settled back to watch. Then she tried for a second flyer, ripping the bottom off of it. "Officer!" He was right on the scene, and said, and I quote "You were harassing him, and I want you to keep the fuck away from him."
This officer was of the old school. I doubt he would have ever used such language in the presence of a lady. But that was moot since only the Harridan was there. (Her mind must be a very dark dank place.)
After that she kept her distance for the rest of the picket, only once trying to verbally snipe from a distance down the sidewalk.
We left for lunch at 1pm, came back after 2pm, then broke at 3pm when the Dyke March crowd started to gather.
Afterwards, I retired to a bar across the street from the org for a pint of pain killer, some suicide wings, and watch the march. Way cool! Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun. (In Ontario, it is legal for anyone of either sex to go topless. Some did. :^) Most of the org people hung around, but stayed behind the inner scaffolding.
Their expression generally seemed a "deer in headlights" reaction. A bit before the march came past, there were people on the 2nd and 3rd floors shutting the windows and closing blinds. Mario quickly drafted someone to help him drag in with the e-meter table. "The dykes are coming! Aiiiieee!"
(Oddly enough, they actually had a purple Quantum on display in the afternoon. I wonder who donated it?) Looking at the building, the one thing that really stands out is that every block of windows is a patchwork of blinds. There's one chunk of the 4th/5th floor that looks like someone hung aqua bedsheets. Each other office has it's own "blinds" and different look. Yuck!
After the march had gone part, someone nicely opened up the view to the 2nd floor room. Interesting.
Ron of that ilk.