huh?

I was standing on the streetcorner waiting for the light to change to cross Michigan Avenue when I see a college-aged boy, wearing jeans covered in patches (not like, "i have holes" patches, but like "7-inch quilting squares of various colors" kind of patches, like he is dressed to be in some theatrical production) running across the busy intersection, almost hit by two cabs. He stops and the cabs stop, approximately 5 feet from each other, and the guy dramatically waves his hand and bows, as if giving permission to the cab to continue moving while he waits for it to pass. The cab driver waves his hand angrily, then the buy leaps several times across the street, sweeping his arms at his sides as if to gain the momentum of a prancing elf, to the sidewalk where I am standing.

He takes off his burnt-orange crocheted winter hat, tosses it on the ground face up, and proceeds to sing or shout or something. It took me a moment, amongst the street noise of the cabs honking, cars vrooming and people shouting to hear what he is singing, which happened to be "99 Red Balloons" by Nena. I stood there, staring at the traffic light, grinning and lauging to myself at the strangeness that just happened.