Screaming is not singing unless you are a member of an '80s hair band.

This next event did not happen on the bus, but rather by the bus stop. It was about 4:00 p.m. on a delightful Texas evening in November. I was sitting at my desk, jamming out to a little Bob Schneider and tying up some loose strings (i.e. anxiously staring at the clock and willing it to hit 6 p.m.). All of the sudden, through my headphones, I hear this....wailing. This is not completely unusual as my office is on Congress Avenue and the less fortunate frequently stand under my window in a Romeo-esque fashion, screaming the most ridiculous shit at the top of their lungs. Sometimes it's annoying. I usually get a kick out of it. But I peeked out my second story window, looked down, and there was no crazy to be found. So, I ignored it and moved on.

Less than a minute later, I heard it again. Someone was definitely scream-singing and doing it at a decible that hurt my throat by proximity. I looked out the window again and followed the horrid noise to a small boy (?) across the street with a guitar, just rockin' away. He was surrounded by a group of scraggly-looking, pint-sized buddies that were rockin' along with him. Several thoughts hit me at this point:

1. Surely his friends must be slightly deaf, because if my friend was singing like that, I would slap him/her and deliver the appropriate STFU.

2. Where are these childrens' parents? Seriously, they looked 12, give or take a few years.

3. How far can I throw my wireless mouse, and can I get enough upward trajectory at this angle to launch it over the trees and right at that kid?

I understand that Austin is the live music capitol of the world. I love that you can't walk two blocks without seeing some dude toting a guitar. But as we have learned from American Idol, most people are not musically inclined, and actually suck. And these "most people" are usually the ones you hear playing on the street. There is a part of me that feels bad for them. However, a slightly bigger part of me feels like grabbing that guitar and tossing it into Town Lake so that they don't have to waste their life on a pipe dream, and I don't have to be badgered into listening to crap. Your classic win-win situation.