who are these people?

sometimes people present themselves in such a way that i want to say to their faces: "by the way, you are my next blog entry. and that is usually not a compliment." two of these young women came in to the coffee house today. one of them initially seemed fairly normal and even gave me some knowing and apologetic glances for her friend who appeared to be extrememly intoxicated and kept trying to order a whiskey coffee. ("like the kind you used to make me" she would say to the normal one.) eventually the normal(?) one ordered something that did not involve a label identifying the "proof" value. as i walked away to make the benign beverage, the less normal one kind of snapped out of her intoxication act, after laughing hysterically at herself snapping pictures of the two with her camera phone, and the one who had initially presented in such an acceptable manner, stopped talking about alcohol and started singing "ri-ise and shi-ine and give god the glory glory, ri-ise and shi-ine..." what the hell? i immediately recognized this as a child's bible camp or sunday school song. i know it well. i do not, however, wander through my life singing it out loud! no person over 11 has any right exposing the outside world to these lyrics and this happy little tune, yet this young woman (old enough to have the credit card with which she paid for the drinks) offered no explanation for her sudden outburst. she just kept singing those words, on a loop, until she walked out the door. not a word. acted as though this were normal and acceptable. if i recall correctly (and i always do) this song claims to give god the glory glory, but its primary utilization is as a weapon against children who don't wake up in time for morning devotionals or kitchen patrol or whatever kids are starting their bible camp days with nowadays. this song is mean. mean because it so frequently awakens precious little ones from a quiet and innocent slumber. mean because once it is performed in the presence of another human being, it is a "gift" that won't quit giving. ever. i promise you, three weeks from now, i will just be going about my life and i will find myself with "ri-ise and shi-ine and give god..." stuck in my head and falling out of my mouth. it's like a sugary virus. this poor young woman must have picked it up from someone who knows someone who is under the age of 9. she must have contracted it innocently because, as i mentioned, she gave no explanation for her impromptu solo. no "i teach sunday school." or "we just had a campus crusade for christ weekend retreat." not even a "that damn song has been stuck in my head since i went to camp 14 years ago. any of these things i would have believed and any of them would have helped me. but nothing. and so here i am: a thirty year old agnostic lesbian barista drifting through my day dreading the moment that i forget to lock the subconscious gates and "ri-ise and shi-ine and give god the glory glory, ri-ise and shi-ine and give god the glory glory RISE. AND. SHINE. AND..." is once again unleashed on the unsuspecting public, only to mutate and carry on its destructive cycle.