The people have spoken

And when le peuple speak, you'd damn well better listen, unless you want your head chopped off. So, a bit of English.

My new favorite thing in the world is Google Calendar. I've gone from a year of being not all that busy (except for that whole working/applying to school part of the year) to being ridiculously busy, to the point where I am literally running through the streets with no particular endurance or fitness goal in mind. As I was running to the subway station one of many times today (second-favorite thing=unlimited monthly metrocards), a man on my block told me to slow down. "I'm in a rush," I told him, and something in my tone seemed to set him straight. "OK."

I classify remarks like this man's along with ones from strangers telling you to smile. Yes, it looks silly when someone in dress pants and a formal-looking jacket runs down the street, but you know, sometimes you think a talk starts at 6:30, but then you check your email at 5:45 and discover the reception before it begins at 6, and you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Why do people think it's OK to tell you to slow down when you're rushing off somewhere? Do women ever tell complete strangers to stop running? Does anyone ever say this to a man? Again, I see this as related to the request to smile, just a gratuitously annoying comment intended to be patronizing and cute. What's a silly girl like you rushing around like that for?