Just another day on the Drag

I realized today that I've grown strangely accustomed to the weirdness of Austin. For lunch around 3, I walked to Chipotle (only the second time I've had it here). Almost immediately after setting out from class, I was asked two similar questions - "Would you like to make a difference in the world today?" by I assume a Greenpeacer (it's best not to make eye contact), and then within a few minutes, "Spare a minute for the environment?" by a definite curly-haired and -bearded Greenpeacer. I pass these people without a second thought now. As I waited for the cute little blue pedestrian light to begin flashing to cross the street, I was asked if I would like to help make Barack Obama the next president. Silly final month fundraisers... As I narrowly avoided what seemed like a McCain for president rallying kiosk nearby, I contemplated turning back and forgetting the whole lunch dream. But I had come much too far; I could see the rubious outer wall a mere block ahead of me. What happened next truly surprised me. As I approached Chipotle, I noticed ten or so bodies lying on the ground just in front of the door. They were relatively motionless, a few stirring, and then one of them sat up and took a long swig of coca-cola. As I surveyed the scene, I noticed that Coke bottles were scattered across the ground and in the hands of the "dead". They were lying in a sticky mess, wallowing around from time to time in order, I assume for good reason, to feign drunkenness. I slowed down in order to watch the antics for awhile, but after 20 seconds or so I was at the door. A sudden paranoid thought hit me. What if they're not drunk? What if this is a Chipotle protest? Have they forsaken their non-genetically enhanced farm animals for a new breed? If so, I don't want to be the guy that smokes at a "Tobacco Kills" rally. I stood holding the door handle for a moment, weighing the worst possible scenario against the deliciousness of Chipotle, and came to an easy conclusion. The strangest part was that by the time I made it into the line, I turned back around and the demonstration was completely gone. I turned around and walked to the window and all that was left was the Coca-Cola stain on the pavement. Weird happenings. I finished my burrito and set out on the 15 minute walk back. I was half-expecting to see the addicts again, but I only passed by three acoustic soloists, an acoustic/accordion pair, a parking lot "PINK" Victoria's Secret sale, and the typical homeless population. One last thing that intrigued me before I crossed over to my dorm's side of the street was a homeless man chatting it up with a Greenpeace representative. They looked to be engaged in quite serious talk, possibly exchanging trade secrets for attention-grabbing. Sometimes this place just baffles me.