Grandma's Ninja Diary: Old Lady in a Cardigan


As I was traveling to St, Louis from San Jose today, an elderly man and his wife sat in the row next to me. We got talking when we noticed that I was watching Angel Has Fallen, a great movie but lots of violent action. Somehow, the conversation passed on to the time he spent in the British Army and the time I spent in the American Army.

He commented, "Looks are deceptive. I thought I was sitting beside an old lady in a cardigan. Figured you were a writer (I am -- and I was doing some on the plane as I watched the movie, so that did not take a big guess), working on some leisurely writings in retirement (well, I am retured, technically, since I get a pension, but nothing else about my life is "retired."

Yeah, I suppose a dress and cardigan (the picture is not me -- I do not have one of me from the plane -- but is fairly approximate) might be deceptive.

At the end of the flight, being short, I had trrouble reaching my luggage in those big cabinets on the bid planes. However, no problem. I junmed up on the seat, stretched on one foot to reach the overhead cabinet over the row in front of me, like I was bouldering in the rock climbing gym, and pulled out my not-so-small carryon with with hand, loweing it to the floor. My seat mate looked at me in surprise, and I responded, "rock climbing practice."

I have a feeling that man might start checking his assiumptions at the door, or at least will look beyond the cover of the next book!

(Did not tell him I was in ninja training. Did not want to push things.)


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