In which my ears rebel and my brain goes home

I just got to experience a painfully masturbatory (and stereotypical Northern California) conversation on the train.

Weird portly hippy woman: "Hey there, want to sign my petition?"

Polite college student sitting next to me (I was next to the window): "What for?"

Smelly hippy midget: "Solar energy."

College twit: "Sure!"

Hippy: "Great. I also have one for drug treatment for non-violent offenders."

Ditzy: "Ok!"

Hippy: "Oh, and here's one for more humane treatment of farm animals."

Ditzy: "Um... no."

(Long pause.)

Hippy: "Ok, that's fine. I'm just curious... how come you don't want to stop cruelty to animals?"

Ditzy: "I don't believe in farming. I think we should end the entire institution, or at least how it's done in this country. This would just make people more complacent about it."

Hippy: "Ah. Well, look, I understand, I'm a vegetarian..."

Ditzy: "I'm a vegan."

(Icy stare-off)

Hippy: "Anyway, so I get what you're saying. I also object to the petition; I don't think it goes far enough... but living around meat-eaters (she put a really great disgusted *oomph* into it; maybe she could smell the salmon pasta I had for lunch? Is salmon a cute enough fish for animal lovers to care about?), I just don't know how realistic that is, and in the meantime, all these animals..."

Ditzy: "I understand, but it's a philosophical issue. It's something that actually causes some friction between me and my friends."

Hippy (still not convinced): "Well... ok." [Starts to walk away. Turns and looks in my direction.]

Me (Feigning sleep): "Um... snore."

Hooray, she left me alone. Crazy weirdo.