Sign Swingers

I know you've all seen them, waving or swinging signs bearing phone numbers and/or developer names imploring you to phone and inquire about buying or renting a house. I always wonder, "where do they find the people to do this? Do they look in classified ads for a position as a Sign Bearer or Banner Swinger? What job title do these folks have?"

They're on their feet for hours swinging their signs, with nary anyone paying much heed. I watched this guy yesterday as he waved and swung his sign alerting passersby to vacancies in the apartment building across the street. Sometimes the sign would swing like the hands of clock gone wild and I wondered if people had clue which building he was pointing to!

He'd take sporadic breaks to exercise and sip water, but mostly, he remained at his post in the full blown sun, headphones on, swinging the sign. He left around 1:00 p.m. and I figured he'd done his duty for the day. He packed everything up and ambled down the sidewalk. I thought for sure I'd soon see him at the apartments across the street, turning in his sign for the day.

After sometime, he never materialized and I wondered what had become of him. He returned within an hour, towing the sign under his arms and walking more slowly. Standing for hours is hard work and murder on the back and legs. It occurred to me that he'd taken the sign to lunch with him. Of all the work-related accessories to tote, that blasted sign is not one I would want. I would have ditched it in the bushes. After all, who the hell would want to steal it!

Postscript
This is when it pays to have a digital SLR camera with a variety of lenses. You can be far from your subject and still capture those great moments. With my compact point and shoot, I have to practically be on top of my subject. Not ideal for capturing candid, unstaged shots from afar.