(no subject)

[plonq]

Few things derail your train of thought in the morning like passing a pool of semi-congealed blood on the sidewalk.  A trail of blood droplets led away from (or maybe toward) the pooled blood, and from the pattern of the droplets it looked very much like somebody had been staggering down the sidewalk, using the building as support.  There were no bodies, and no bleeding people standing about when I passed, so I guess the source of the blood shall remain a mystery unless it gets mentioned in the news.

I think that living in this city has rendered me somewhat enured.  At one time I'd have been appalled to stumble upon a pool of blood on the main drag, but I've encountered this kind of thing with such regularity since I moved here that its lost it's shock value.  "Oh look, the aftermath of some hot wino on rubbie action."

Side-note:

I've always used the term rubbie when referring to a particularly ragged and aromatic homeless person, but I just learned today that it's a very localized bit of dialect.  That would explain why I've got blank stares from folks around here when I use the word.

From http://www.pseudodictionary.com/:

rubbie - A rubbie is a term used in Vancouver to describe an alcoholic, mentally ill, or drug addicted homeless person. They are generally found scattered around the West End and heavily concentrated in the Lower East side. The word seems to stem from the word "rubbish." The "rubbies" are often dirty, and wheel around shopping carts full of junk. Additionally, they often sleep in garbage cans, which might be the inspiration for the term.

e.g., From the adjacent building I could see the roof and there were a couple of dead rubbies up there.

[Could they have found a more depressing sentence for their sample usage?]

Comments

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

Maybe that's a Vancouver usage, but it's not the one I am familiar with growing up in Ontario. For me, the term "rubbie" refers to someone who is so hard up to drink and keep drinking that they would even drink rubbing alcohol. IMHO, it makes more sense than the rubbish reference.

http://photobanter.com/printthread.php?t=158&page=4&pp=10

[jacyl.livejournal.com]

You know as I was walking to class I to saw a smear of blood and then little smears down the horseshoe on campus.

Last night must of been some sort of lets bleed on da sidewalk type of nights.