Something in the water?

I'm the sort of person who attracts a lot of attention. I'm 5 ft 11, quite large (aka fat), I have a gazillion tattoos in visible places, I wear odd socks, I'm a goth/emo/weirdo type. So I'm used to being pointed and stared at. I am (unfortunately) used to the odd "fat bitch" or "who ate all the pies" and so on. Random insults occur on a daily basis. The Keele campus is about the only place it doesn't happen, although I did get a stranger ask me "Should you be eating that?" the other day.

Today, however, things have been a little more unusual. This morning I was in Hanley for approximately two hours. For 40 minutes I was in the opticians, for 15 minutes I was in the bank arguing over cleared cheques. Within the other hour and five minutes the following things happened....

1) In Woolworths a little boy turned to his heavily pregnant mother and said, "Look Mummy, that lady's having a baby like you." I can handle that, it's cute coming from a toddler. But then the mother said, "No, she's just a fat bitch." People who insult me are bad enough, but teaching toddlers manners like that? And she's having more kids?! People like that shouldn't procreate.

2) I was sat on a bench outside a shoe shop eating a jacket potato with chicken curry (yummy yummy) and the manager came out of the shop and told me not to eat there because I was repulsing him and his customers. Fucking sod. I just ignored him. I wanted to go and pull all the shoes off the shelves but GKL, quite rightly, told me this was a stupid idea.

3) An old guy who was walking around holding a bunch of flowers and preaching about Jesus told me I was going to hell because gluttony is a sin. I told him that I was going to hell because I kill old men and wear their skins for scarves. He walked away.

What is it with the people of Hanley today? Still, at least these ones have never happened to me before. At least they were original. I do get a bit sick of the "fat cow". It's not very imaginative is it?